Fit Food Thrift

Yes, healthy eating cost more. But healthy eating and staying fit & active make you a better, healthier person, which lowers all the coat associated with being unhealthy....so really, where is that saved money going? Clipping coupons is so lame, do you even ever remember to take the coupons you have with you? If you do, great, I am jealous. But if you are like me and have a bunch sitting at home that are expired because it has been THAT LONG since you remembered you had them, really you are just wasting your time. I mean, how many coupons do you need to clip to save a significant amount of money...and don’t items just go ‘on sale’ now? Do they even have coupons for fresh veggies and fruit? What ev, coupon clipping annoys me and makes me feel poor.

Do you know what else I can’t seem to remember? My good damn reusable grocery bags. I mean, how hard is it to remember them? Yes, I keep them in my car, I still manage to forget them. Maybe it is just me. OK ... back to Fit Food Thrift:

Tips to save a little cashola

If something cost too much, just don’t buy it.
I love asparagus. LOVE IT! But when it is over $3/lbs then I really don’t think it is worth it. I remember a few weeks ago asparagus was something redic like $8/lbs (wtf? Was there an asparagus shortage I didn’t hear about?) so even though there are foods you love and always want to buy, cut them out when the price is too high.

F***** Food
No, Frozen doesn’t always mean bad. Frozen veggies and fruits often contain the same (and sometimes, more) nutritional value of their fresh counterparts. These veggies are picked and then frozen right away, retaining their natural nutrition. Frozen veggies taste better than canned veggies and usually have no other additives.

Buy in season
In the summer/fall, you can get smoking freaking deals on the ‘in season items’. The Farmers have surpluses and sell it at a low price as the supply will outweigh the demand. Stock up on these and freeze some (as long as it isn’t something un-freezable like lettuce-duh). Frozen fruit and berries are perfecto in smoothies. If you are really ambitious and know how to do homey things like stew tomatoes and stuff, then do it. And then tell me how to.

Eat less meat
Replace a few meat meals with all veggies. A good stirfry loaded with different veggies will make you wonder why you loaded it with steak or chicken in the first place. Get protein from beans, lentils, tofu, other veggies, eggs, etc... I promise you, you will not even care that you went a whole day without meat.

Eat less cheese
Cheese is delicious and I love it. Period. For lunch I would always have cheese and meat, whether it was in a sandwich or a salad or pasta, or whatever. Stop putting cheese on everything. Stop putting it in every sandwich or shredding it on every salad, no more shaking parmesan on your pasta. Not only are you saving money buy not buying so much cheese, you are also saving on fat and calories, way to be SMART & FIT bitches!

Oats
That’s it. Just buy oats.
They are nutritious, filling, and good for you. A bag of oats cost a couple bucks and can be eaten for breaky for weeks and weeks. (No, do not get instant or minute, get the hearty rolled or steel cut oats, mmmmm clean eating!) I have a billion recipes to share with you, to vary your morning oatmeal (to follow).

Freeze leftovers
Make a nice big pot of low fat, fibre rich, hearty veggie chilli. Freeze small batches, and you now have some healthy quick lunches you can grab on your way out the door and heat up and enjoy at work. Same goes with soups and healthy pastas. Again, there is so much already going on it these type of meals that leaving out the meat won’t even phase you.

Smoothies
How many times have you made a smoothie and made too much? Most times? Freeze the smoothie surplus in ice cube trays. So the next time you are in a hurry, toss in the smoothie-cubes into a blender with some liquid of your choice and voila! Saving time & cash.

Bulk
I think it is no secret that bulk food is cheaper than packaged food.

Stop buying so much bottled water
God, what a freaking waste of money! City tap water is regulated MORE than bottled water. Empty bottles are an absolute ludicrous contributor to the amount of waste in this world (yes they are recyclable, but it goes WAY beyond that simple fact). Get a good Nalgene bottle (or whatever brand you fancy) and take your own water with you. Yes, this goes for when you are eating out, if you are eating at a place that doesn’t serve water in a glass, then you most definitely can haul your Nalgene bottle out of your Matt & Nat and drink away.

Grow your own garden
Ha HA HA. I wish! My yard is like....the size of most people’s deck. And what if you live in a condo or an apartment? This is a stupid tip. I actually read this somewhere else, and thought I could bitch about it here. One, we have to learn how to garden, and then we have to tend to that garden, who the hell has time to do that? Two, we are too busy working out and having careers and some of us are super moms, we are too busy being awesome fit bitches, right? OK, maybe we could start with growing an herb or two on our window sill? I will give this a try, and I kill every plant that is brought into my house so I will let you know if it is easy or not.

But for reals: wouldn’t having your own garden rock? You could just walk out and pick fresh veggies and pop them right into your mouth?

Send your saving money tips to fitbitchblog@gmail.com