Eating Local on a Budget

 

Maybe you’ve noticed the buzz about “eating local,” and you’d like to give it a try—after all, wouldn’t it be great to know more about where your food comes from and enjoy the benefits of freshly picked, locally raised foods from right nearby?

While local foods often come from smaller producers that don’t have the mass distribution—and therefore cost savings—of large growers, you can find great local values if you know where to look.

Here are some strategies for enjoying local foods without blowing your grocery budget.

• Learn what’s in season.
  Seasonal foods are more abundant and affordable, and they tend to be picked when ripe, meaning they retain more nutrients and flavor. In the kitchen, you won’t have to do much—or use much—to make these fresh foods delicious. To find out what’s in season in your region, look for “What’s Fresh” on our homepage.
• Get to know local farmers and producers.
  By shopping regularly at farmers’ markets, you’ll get to know which growers have lower prices. They will guide you to the best seasonal values and might even offer a deal or two. To find farmers’ markets in your area, visit the Stronger Together Food Community.
• Browse the local foods at your neighborhood co-op.
  Food co-ops around the country tend to have long-term relationships with local farms and food producers, and co-op staff can help point you to the local products in the store. Whether you’re looking for locally produced honey, butter, and eggs or bread, cheese, and sausages, you’re likely to find the co-op to be your “one-stop shop.”
• Cook more often.
  Purchasing whole foods, rather than packaged snacks and prepared meals, will save you a lot on your grocery bill—and turning them into a meal is probably easier than you think. Read about Cooking at StrongerTogether.coop to get inspired.
• Join a community supported agriculture (CSA) program.
  CSAs—membership programs that offer regular shares of regional farm harvests—tend to be a good bang for your buck. You’ll expand your culinary horizons and get a lot more of those recommended fruits and veggies.
• Grow your own.
  You can start small, with easy-to-grow crops like tomatoes and basil in pots, or go big with your own garden plot. Either way, it’s an inexpensive, healthy, and delicious way to enjoy local. Read more about growing your own food.

Try out a few of these tips, and look for sales at your local food co-op. With the right strategy, eating local can be budget-friendly and fun.

 

 from www.strongertogether.coop

 

Your partner in health and success, 

Why Are Americans Getting Fatter? [Infographic]

Learn more about Healthy Meals

Your partner in health and success, 

Superfood Pharmacy, In A Bag!

NATURE ROCKS!!! Virtually everything can be prevented or controlled by exercising and eating healthy. But, it's not humanly possible to get everything you could possibly need in your diet, everyday. Until now.....

Superfoods For Your Good Health: MyFoxLA.com

I am completely amazed by how the foods we find in their natural state resemble the parts of the body they are good for. Goes to show that nature is the first place we should turn to when looking for the healthiest way to live.

More info on Darin Olien's shake, Shakeology, please go to www.Amazing-Shake.com.


Your partner in health and success, 

2nd Place?!?!

 If it comes easy, if it doesn't require extraordinary effort, you're not pushing hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell.

- Dean Karnazes

 

Your partner in health and success, 

Vegan Caesar Salad Recipe

Whether you are vegan or not, replacing a few meals a week with vegan (animal product free) meals is a great thing to do for your body! This is a yummy recipe from "Veganomicon" and I'm sure you will love it!

Caesar dressing:
1/3 cup slivered or sliced almonds
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3/4 cup silken tofu
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 heaping tablespoon capers
4 teaspoons caper brine
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
Salt

Croutons:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves roasted garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 medium size loaf French or Italian bread (little less than 1 pound), stale and torn or sliced into bite-sized pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:
1 large head romaing lettuce, chopped
Freshly cracked black pepper
Handful or two of spinach and/or arugula, torn into bite-sized pieces (optional)

Prepare the dressing: Pulse the sliced almonds in a food processor or blender until crumbly.

Empty the ground almonds into an airtight container that you'll be using to store the finished dressing. Blend the garlic, tofu, and oil in the food processor or belnder until creamy. Add the lemon juice, capers, caper brine, sugar, and mustard powder, and pulse until blended. Adjust the salt and lemon juice to taste. Put into the container with the ground almonds and whisk to combine. Cover and allow the dressing to chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes, optimally 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

While the dressing is chilling, prepare the croutons: Preheat the oven to 400F. Combine the olive oil, roasted garlic, and lemon juice in a large bowl. With a fork or immersion blender, mash orblend the mixture until creamy. Add the torn bread and toss to coat each piece with the oil mixture. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, if desired, and bake for 12 to 14 minutes until golden brown. Toss the croutons twice during the baking process. Remove from the oven and cool the croutons on the baking sheet.

To assemble the salad, place in a large bowl 2 to 3 cups of lettuce/greens per individual serving (amount depending on whether it's a side or an entree). Ladle on 1/3 cup of the dressing (or more or less to taste), and use kitchen tongs to toss the greens and coat them with dressing.

Add the warm croutons, toss again, and transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with a little freshly cracked pepper. If not serving right away, warm croutons in 300F oven for 5 to 8 minutes before adding to the salad.

Serves 4 to 6 as a side, 2 to 3 as a main.

from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero (Marlowe & Company, 2007) - reprinted with permission.

Your partner in health and success, 

Reasons Why You Should Run

There are all sorts of official reasons why people should exercise and you can find those in any health magazine, Web site or book, I am going to give you the "other" reasons to run. The reasons that motivate most people:

1. Food I love food. I love to eat. I love a good meal, I love a good snack, and I love healthy food and not so healthy food. The more I run means the more I can eat.
2. Time for You Your kids do not come running with you (usually). On the days they are driving you the craziest, you will exercise harder or longer. Even if they aren't driving you crazy, the break is wonderful.
3. Time with Friends Run with friends to motivate each other when one of you doesn’t feel like running. The exercise is the added bonus; the visiting was our reason to get out. We often met for a run when we didn't feel like running but wanted to visit.
4. Food Oh yeah I mentioned that one already!
5. Looking Good Exercise helps to circulate your blood and oxygen. People who exercise always have a glow to their skin. Your hair will shine. And you will feel better about your body.
6. Feeling Good When you look good, you will feel fabulous. It is amazing how you can run stress and problems away.
7. Sleeping Less When you exercise and are in a routine you need less sleep so you actually have more time for things.
8. Food...

Your partner in health and success, 

Think you can’t “afford” Shakeology? Think again!

I’m willing to challenge anyone that says that Shakeology is too expensive and show you exactly why it is actually going to save you money instead!

First, I want you to answer this question: how much to you spend, most days, on either meals out, lattes from your favorite coffee shop, energy drinks, or at the very least, convenience meals you can warm up in the microwave at work. $3.00, $4.00, even more? If this is true for you, then you can afford Shakeology, because at the coach discount, the least it will cost you is $3.00 and most it will cost is $3.75. At the retail cost, $5.00 at the most and $4.00 at the least. And, you will be getting pure, extreme nutrition, which is far beyond what you would get at even the healthiest meal you can think of.




Next, do you have any health ailments? Or do you have a family history of health ailments? Of course, we can’t claim to “cure” any diseases or conditions, but the fact is, people that are using Shakeology have testified that they are losing weight, they are able to get off of cholesterol medication, they no longer need to take heart medicines and are even getting to the point where they no longer need diabetic meds. Again, we can’t claim that this is going to be true for you, or that it is the Shakeology that is truly responsible for these events, but, to me, if there is anything out there that could make me NOT have to be dependent on a cocktail of meds, I’m all for trying it out. That could eventually lead you to quite a bit of savings a month on prescriptions and years on to your life!

Have you ever gone to the store and purchase $100 or more in groceries, just to end up having things go bad and have to throw them out? I know I have. You can cut back in your grocery budget by buying fewer items, because you are replacing a meal or two a day with Shakeology. That is less you have to buy at the store and less that ends up in the trash in a few days. One serving of Shakeology has more than $41 worth of produce in it..... Hmm..... That’s a $36 SAVINGS for each shake. A lot better deal than what we end up throwing out because it’s gone bad before we ate it.

Do you take vitamins and supplements on a daily basis? With Shakeology, they really become unnecessary. If you are like me and want to error on the side of caution, you may continue to take them, but to be perfectly honest, I forget to take my extra supplements a few times a week and as long as I’ve had my Shakeology that day, I feel great! Depending on where you fall on this spectrum, that can be a savings of a few dollars a month and up to, well, quite a bit of money for some of you!

Let’s talk about meals out now. How much do you spend going out to eat, no matter of the meal, each week? $10, $25, $50, more? I know it is a bunch of money for most people. Whether it’s going to lunch on a daily basis, running through the McDonald’s drive-thru for a McMuffin  on the way to work in the morning, pizza to-go because you don’t have any time to make dinner? I’ll tell you what, blending up a scoop of Shakeology with your favorite add-ins is going to be a meal in itself and will likely last you longer than any of the above. And for $5 or less a shake!

Kids have baseball/soccer/scouts/fill-in-the-blank tonight, you are going to be on the run all evening, and they need something to fill them up while being on the go? What kids would turn down a chocolate shake for dinner? Beats anything you’ll be finding out on the road while you’re being a kid taxi! Blend it up with ice and tell them they can have it for dinner. Put it in a shaker cup and off you go! Just don’t let them know it’s healthy for them too.....

I could continue with the reasons why Shakeology is not too expensive, but it comes down to this..... You have a 30 day money back guarantee so if you still think it’s too expensive and it‘s not actually SAVED you money, you get 100% of your money back. If you decide to become a “coach” for the wholesale discount, you save 25% off of your Shakeology. If you are at all concerned with being the healthiest you can possibly be, to be there for your kids, friends and family, then there is no amount of money that should stand in the way. At $5.00 or less a day, it is definitely worth every last cent you spent on it and more.  

If you agree, then let me know. And I invite you to go to www.Amazing-Shake.com to find out even more about Shakeology and why it is really “The Healthiest Meal of the Day”!

Your partner in health and success,