Guest post from Anne of Anne’s Healthy Kitchen
A couple of years ago I wished my family could eat an organic diet, but I thought it would be too expensive.
Even so, I started to make changes one step at a time and I managed to replace rather costly (some of them not very healthy) food items with organic, gluten-free options, all for $125 per week.
Here is what I did… and how you can do it, too!
Breakfast
For me, breakfast foods must be “morning-rush approved” and take about 10 minutes or less to prepare.
I used to make quesadillas with wheat tortillas and cheese every single morning because it was convenient, but it wasn’t really healthy. Instead, I looked for healthier, gluten-free alternatives that the family would enjoy eating.
This is what we eat for breakfasts (we usually eat each recipe for 2 breakfasts each week:
- oatmeal with cheese
- brown rice with mushrooms and eggs
- buckwheat pancakes with cheese and eggs
- scrambled eggs with brown rice and spinach
Here is my breakfast shopping list for a week (all organic except spinach):
Oats — $0.50
Two dozen eggs — $8
Brown rice — $0.50
Spinach — $2
Cheese — $7
Mushrooms — $2.50
Buckwheat flour — $0.50
Total: $21 per week
If you’re used to eating bread with your eggs, try rice instead. Organic eggs are more expensive, but they’re also more nutritious and they often taste a lot better, too.
Lunch & dinner
We eat lots of vegetables; not all veggies and fruit are organic because it’s just not available where I live, but I buy produce as “clean” as possible.
Instead of bread and pasta, we eat rice, legumes, and rice noodles. These are great organic options and they are actually much cheaper than bread and pasta. I buy wild-caught fish and seafood as well as meat and dairy products from grass-fed animals.
Typically, I will cook the following meals:
- legumes (with some seafood or meat) twice a week
- chicken once a week
- meat stews or roasts on weekends
- fish with vegetables and/or rice three times a week
- soup twice a week
Here is my lunch and dinner shopping list for a week:
Vegetables and fruit: $40
Fish and seafood: $30
Meat and poultry: $15
Legumes and rice: $4
Milk, butter, and cream: $10
Olive oil, vinegar, spices, coconut milk, seeds and nuts: $5
Total: $104 per week
For about $100 per week, we have improved our meals a lot. We also don’t need to go for seconds anymore, which means we don’t spend more than before. Our food is more nutritious, healthier, and definitely tastier.
I highly encourage you to go ahead and start making the changes you’d love to make to your diet. I’ll also be happy to help in the comments below if you have any question.
Anne Ricci is a multilingual mom of 2 boys and a nutritionist and weight loss coach living in Spain. Her mission with AnnesHealthyKitchen.com is to help women make healthy food choices and feel great in their body. Eat real food, get cooking confidence, and create a body you love with Anne’s 5-Step Healthy Weight Loss Checklist.
photo source
This was an epic grocery shopping week for me because I did not use a single coupon! My computer was acting up and wouldn’t print right, and honestly, there weren’t a whole lot of coupons worth printing. It felt REALLY strange, and kind of nice all at once. I might even do it again in the future – as long as I live close to an Aldi! 
Aldi
(I didn’t take photos immediately after getting home, which means that some of the items were already opened by the time I got around to taking pictures :))
2 packages (3-ct each) Romaine Hearts – $3.98
1 2-lb package Brown Rice – $1.19
1 5-lb package White Rice – $2.49
1 3-lb bag Onions – $1.49
1 16-oz bag Frozen Strawberries – $2.19
1 bunch Bananas (2.41lbs @ $0.44/lb) – $1.06, plus receive $0.25 back from Checkout 51 – $0.81 after rebate
1 2-lb bag Frozen Tilapia – $5.49
1 2-lb bag Lemons – $2.29
1 bag Garden Salad – $0.99
1 16-oz bag Frozen Peas – $0.89 (accidentally pictured in the Harris Teeter photo)
1 head Cauliflower – $1.99
2 bags (3-ct each) Colored Peppers – $3.98
1 large bag Kale – $1.99
3 Avocados ($0.59/each) – $1.77
1 head Cabbage – $1.29
1 24-oz package Roma Tomatoes – $1.19, plus receive back $0.50 from Checkout51 – $0.69 after rebate
1 1-lb package Ground Turkey – $1.89
1 3-ct package Garlic – $0.79
1 Dijon Mustard – $0.99
Total: $37.19 after rebates
Harris Teeter
1 16-oz can Lite Coconut Milk – $1.77
1 Whole Chicken (5.42lb @ $0.89/lb) – $4.82
2 8-0z packages Shredded Cheese ($1.67 each) – $3.34 (one bag was gone before I snapped a picture)
1 5-lb bag Fuji Apples – $4.99
4 16-oz bags Frozen Broccoli and Cauliflower ($1.19 each) – $4.76
Total: 19.68
Weekly Total: $56.87
Weekly Menu Plan
Breakfasts
Oatmeal (It is chilly outside, and this is my children’s favorite breakfast. We are going to have it every weekday this week.), Cereal (Sunday), Pancakes (Saturday)
Lunches
Baked Potatoes with Cheese, Apples x 2
Build-Your-Own-Salad with Hardboiled Eggs and Tuna
Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwiches on Homemade Bread, Pepper Slices, Bananas x 2
Leftovers x 2
Dinners
Simple Roast Chicken, Steamed Broccoli, Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins (I have been making kefir, and am going to try subbing kefir in place of buttermilk)
Coconut Chicken and Vegetable Curry over Rice, Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
Homemade Cheese Pizza (meatless), Apple Slices
Taco Salad, Fruit Salad
Baked Tilapia (minus the capers), Roasted Carrots, Mashed Garlic Cauliflower
Hamburger Vegetable Soup, Homemade Dill Bread
Leftovers
