My Household Junk

Making sure your kids eat healthy is time consuming and expensive. However, there are some ways you can make eating healthy more convenient and more frugal.

1. Buy local – Look in your local newpaper or community publication to find Farmer’s Markets. You can generally buy fruits and vegetables for a much lower cost than in the grocery store.

2. Buy in bulk – It has been well worth having a Sam’s Club membership and a chest freezer int he garage. The more you buy at once, the lower the cost per pound. Buy in bulk and freeze what you won’t use in a couple of days. I recommend breaking down the larger package into smaller packages before freezing. For example, I usually use 1lb of ground meat at a time. I break down the 10lb package in to 10 individual 1lb packages before freezing.

3. Buy in Season – In June, buy more bananas, grapefruit, lemon, beanshoots, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, fennel, mushrooms, potato, pumpkin, and silverbeet. You can also check Sustainable Table for seasonal lists based on your geographic area.

4. Prepare in Advance – The largest issue I have with eating healthy is the time it takes to prepare. While my husband is more than willing to wait a few extra minutes for a healthy meal, my boys are not. I prepare as much as I can in advance. Cut up fruits and vegetables so they are ready to eat. Kids will reach for an apple or carrot if it is readily available and as easy as a twinkie. When it is snack time or the kids are getting ready to come home from school, put the healthy snacks out. They will eat them.

I also make chicken nuggets in advance. I use boneless skinless chicken breasts and graham or ritz crackers smashed into a powder and mixed with Bisquick for breading. My kids love to smash the crackers! Bake at 350 until cooked through. Then all I have to do it reheat.

How do you make eating healthy frugal and convenient?