I don't usually plan our family meals in advance. Instead, they are planned based on a few weekly grocery staples and what's on sale. Since we believe quality of food is important to healthy living, we made a decision about 5 years ago to buy grass-fed/pasture raised meats and poultry as well as organic produce. When we decided to make this change, I did some research, I shopped around, paid attention to prices and came up with a strategy that works for our family food shopping budget. We shop wisely, look for sales and many times pass things up until they are on sale. On sale this week, chicken drummies and wings.
Ways to Make Healthy Eating Affordable
While I understand a common objection to healthy eating is the expense, there are ways to save a buck and make it affordable. The strategy we implemented may not be your strategy, but it worked for us. The first step…..we stopped buying processed foods. We didn't buy a lot of junk food, as Tom and I didn't eat it, but the kids did. When we stopped buying cereal, crackers, chips, granola bars, bread, etc. we freed up some of our resources for real food. If you are buying this stuff for your kids (like we were), they don't need it either. They will get over it, my kids did, not without protest, but they did. (I can't go on without mentioning the one thing Tom and I did partake in and stopped buying with our weekly grocery money….diet pop.)
After ditching the processed foods, we decided to become members of our local food co-op. For $100 we bought shares, which makes us owners, of this co-operative. We get a portion of what we spend annually back, are entitled to member-only discounts on different food items (that changes weekly), and we get a one-time monthly discount. We choose when to use our monthly discount and always save it for our biggest purchase of the month.
Next, we discontinued our membership at Sam's Club and instead purchased a membership to Costco. We purchased the upgraded membership which also pays us back a part of what we spend, which is enough to pay for the next year's membership. Costco has a variety of organic foods and carries the Kerrygold brand of butter and cheese, which is imported and grass-fed. A few of our staples from Costco, that beat any price you will find at the local grocery store: organic mixed salad greens, organic frozen green beans, organic frozen strawberries and raspberries, organic salsa, organic almond butter, organic peanut butter, organic lemon juice, goat cheese, all natural dishwasher detergent and laundry soap to name a few.
Finally I started cooking more and more from scratch. Instead of relying on a box, bottle or pre-made mix, for pennies on the dollar I can make my own, it always tastes better and is definitely healthier. I haven't bought a package of taco seasoning since I started making it myself this summer. We also stopped buying bottled salad dressing and started making it, since it is nearly impossible to find one that isn't made with soybean or canola oil. Although almond flour isn't a necessity, since perfecting my technique at making it, buying it is a thing of the past. The more things I make in the kitchen the more money we save.
Which leads into last night's dinner, Shake & Bake Sriracha Chicken. I honestly don't think I have ever tried a package of Shake & Bake so can't comment on how the taste compares, however, after looking up the ingredients:
ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR, BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, WHEAT FLOUR, MALTODEXTRIN, SALT, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND COTTONSEED OILS, CANOLA OIL, PAPRIKA, MUSTARD FLOUR, CELERY SEED, SPICE, YEAST, DRIED GARLIC, DEXTROSE, EXTRACTIVES OF PAPRIKA, CARAMEL COLOR, SUGAR, DRIED ONIONS, NATURAL FLAVOR, ASCORBIC ACID. CONTAINS: WHEAT.
I can confidently say, my Shake & Bake is healthier for your family!
Not only will you avoid GLUTEN &TRANS FATS by doing so,
you will also save money by avoiding health care costs later on.
Shake & Bake Sriracha Chicken
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50-60 minutes
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 pkg Organic Chicken Drummettes (10-12 Drummies)
- 1 pkg Organic Chicken Wings (10-12 Wings)
- 1/3 c. Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Flour
- 1/3 c. Homemade Unblanched Almond Flour
- 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp. Paprika
- 1 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
- 6 Tbsp. Organic Valley Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter
- 3 Tbsp. Organicville Sriracha Sauce
- Organic Celery
- Goat Cheese Crumbles
Directions
- In large mixing bowl, sift coconut flour and almond flour.
- Mix in cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika and sea salt.
- Holding the chicken piece over the bowl, liberally spoon on flour mixture, then shake off excess.
- Lay flour coated chicken on sheet pan covered in aluminum foil lightly sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Bake at 400°F for 50-60 minutes.
- In small bowl, melt butter and mix with sriracha sauce.
- Brush cooked chicken with sauce and serve with celery and goat cheese crumbles.
