How To Spend Less On Groceries and Still Eat Healthfully

Guest Article by Raederle Phoenix from The Vegetarian Health Institute

Would you like to spend less on groceries, while still eating a healthy diet? If so, this blog post can save you a few hundred dollars over the course of the next year.

Some of my suggestions are only relevant for raw fooders and raw food recipes. But some apply to folks who eat cooked food too.

Recipe Substitutions

The following are recipe substitution suggestions that will work for almost any recipe. But of course, use your judgment and consider the impact the substitution will have on a recipe.

When a recipe calls for…

• Dried fruit: Use the cheapest unsweetened dried fruit, which is usually raisins. Raisins have a much stronger flavor than dates, so if the recipe calls for dates, make it half and half with dates and raisins.
  
• Frozen fruit: Substitute some of the frozen fruit with frozen bananas. To freeze bananas, peel them and break them into pieces and put them in your freezer in a bowl or on a plate.
  
• Fresh fruit: Use what is in season and can be bought at a low price at your local farmer’s market. If it is peach season but the recipe calls for mangoes, use peaches anyway.
  
• Frozen vegetables: Use the least expensive frozen vegetables. The kind of vegetables generally won’t matter much, unless it’s a particular vegetable you dislike. If you prefer organic, select the least expensive organic frozen vegetables.
  
• Nuts: Substitute part of the portion of nuts with coconut shreds. In some recipes, as much as three-quarters of the nuts can be replaced with coconut shreds without much change to flavor and consistency. Make sure you use some of the nuts that the recipe calls for, however. Different nuts may have very different effects. Almonds and Brazil nuts are both unique and offer very particular flavors. Walnuts and pecans are sometimes interchangeable. Macadamia nuts and cashews are often interchangeable.

Avoiding Certain Recipes

Many recipes are out-and-out expensive no matter how you substitute. When selecting recipes, one can scan the ingredients and get a feel for how much it’s going to cost.

When selecting recipes to try out, avoid recipes that call for…

• A large amount of a specific brand-name ingredient.
• More than a quarter cup of nuts. (Unless using coconut shreds to cut the cost.)
• More than four cups of a non-dairy milk.
• More than two cups of a non-dairy yogurt.
• Large quantities of an exotic fruit that is imported from far away.
• More than two spices you don’t already own.

Avoiding Waste

Another way one can save is by avoiding waste. Sometimes when we don’t know how to preserve something we use trial and error and learn the hard way.

How to preserve extra fruit salad:

• Option 1: Add fresh squeezed lemon juice to the fruit salad. Use one lemon for every two cups of fruit salad remaining. Put in a dish with an air-tight lid and store in the fridge.
  
• Option 2: Put in the freezer to turn into pudding, smoothies or ice cream later in your food processor or blender. May also use a masticating juicer using the “blank” to create ice cream from frozen fruit.

What to do with pulp after making juice at home:

• Option 1: Add vegetable pulp to soups, breads, or salsa (add minimal amounts to salsa). Add fruit pulp to muffins, pies, breads, soups or salsa. (Be careful not to add to much. Pulp is almost pure fiber!)
  
• Option 2: Compost. Pulp breaks down fast and makes great fertilizer for your garden or for growing wheatgrass indoors.
  
• Option 3: Add seeds, nuts, oats, coconut shreds, spices and/or oils and blend in your food processor. Spread in your dehydrator at 110 degrees to make raw crackers, or put in your oven at a low temperature with the door slightly open to gently slow-cook crackers.

How to preserve extra cooked grains or grain-like dishes such as quinoa:

 

• Option 1: Store cooked grains in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two days.
  
• Option 2: Store cooked grains in a container in the freezer for up to a week.

To keep nuts, dried fruits and other “shelf-stable” foods fresh and away from bugs:

• Option 1: Store in ziplock bags within air-tight containers.
  
• Option 2: Store in the fridge in bags or containers.
  
• Option 3: Store in the freezer.

Leftovers & Wilting Produce

Another way to avoid waste is to “refurbish” your leftovers or wilting produce:

• With greens, such as chard, kale and spinach, you don’t want them wilted as a salad, but they are fine to throw in soup.
  
• Mushy over-ripe fruits are great in smoothies and desserts. Just cut away any spots that are really bad, and use the rest. Fruit can sometimes be bought “mushy” at a discounted price at farmer’s markets.
  
• Quinoa, rice, millet or other similar foods that have been cooked, stored, cooked again, and stored again can be turned into a new meal in a vegetable stir-fry.
  
• Over-ripe or drying-out citrus fruits may be juiced with an electronic juicer or a hand-juicer. The juice may be enjoyed plain, added to water for drinking, fruit salad for extra punch, or added to a dessert. If using an electronic juice, one may add cucumber, celery and/or carrots. (Carrots and oranges sometimes taste bad together.)
  
• Peppers and herbs that have been left out to dry, or dried in a dehydrator can be crushed and put into spice jars.

Raw Food Gluten Free Recipes for the Holidays

At this time of year, you might spend lots of time shopping for just the right gift for everyone on your list. But what about you?

Have you ever considered giving yourself a gift? Today’s post has the perfect plan for giving back to the only person who will be with you at every moment and can support you best of all. And it’s not one of those store bought gifts, either. It’s one from your heart.

A Special Gift to Give Yourself

1. Purchase of make a pretty card for yourself.
2. Address the inside of the card to yourself by name.
3. In the white space, write ” My gift to you is” followed by one self care thing you plan to include in your life on a regular basis. Pick something you have not already managed to make routine. It could be taking a daily walk, making a green drink, meditating, taking a yoga class, doing daily stretching. The sky’s the limit. Make it something you know would benefit your health and well being and just hasn’t been given the priority it deserves.
4. Sign the card from you.
5. Put the card in an envelope and address it to YOU.
6. Put the card with the gifts you plan to give away and open it at the appropriate time.
7. Surprise!!! Follow Through with Joy!

You deserve to be healthy, happy and whole.

Make a commitment to do it NOW.

Holiday Recipes for You

If you haven’t already decided on your holiday menu, consider adding these recipes. Perhaps instead of being tempted by the traditional mashed potatoes and gravy loaded with gluten, dairy and processed fats you’ll enjoy my mashed potato recipe made with cauliflower and loaded with cancer fighting and hormone balancing phytochemicals and mushroom gravy made with immune boosting mushrooms.

These recipes variations of recipes in my eBook Healthy Holiday Traditions, which is loaded with recipes for the holidays including the familiar holiday favorites like gingerbread cookies, latkes and “egg” nog, apple pie, Christmas cookies, pumpkin pie and so much more

Herbed Mashed “Potatoes”

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 cup macadamia nuts, cashews, or a combination of both
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups corn (fresh, or frozen and thawed) or 1 1/2 cups zucchini, peeled
• 1 scallion, finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or amount to taste

Directions:

1. Break cauliflower into 2-inch chunks and chop in food processor with “S” blade until grainy.
2. Put corn or zucchini in blender and process until smooth. Add water if necessary, but only enough to result in a smooth, creamy blend. It should be relatively thick.
3. Add nuts and lemon juice to blender and process until smooth. Add water only if necessary. This mixture should be thick and creamy.
4. Add the blender mixture to the cauliflower in the food processor and process until well combined, but not completely smooth. It should have a bit of texture, like mashed potatoes.
5. Place in serving bowl and serve as-is (mixture should be warm from the processing) or put entire mixture into baking dish and place in dehydrator for 2 hours to warm through.
6. Serve right away. The taste is best if served shortly after preparing (it changes after refrigeration).
7. Optional: Add flax oil, salt and pepper to taste, and minced herbs just before serving. Top with mushroom gravy.

Personal Note: This is a slightly modified version of the recipe on page 24 of Healthy Holiday Traditions: Nourishing Recipes for Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Celebrations by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo.

Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup Brazil nuts or almonds, soaked for 6 hours, rinsed and drained
• 1 shallot, or 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons dried mushrooms, ground to a powder, or 1/2 cup fresh brown mushrooms
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.
2. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
3. Make this just before serving so that it’s warm.

Personal Note: This recipe is from page 25 of Healthy Holiday Traditions: Nourishing Recipes for Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Celebrations by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo.

Healthy Holiday Cookie Recipes: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free, and Low-Glycemic

It’s unfortunate that many of the holiday foods out there contain processed and damaging ingredients like gluten and sugar.  Many holiday recipes contain foods that also contribute to hidden food allergies.

When you choose to make healthy alternatives for your favorite holiday recipes like these delicious holiday cookies and the recipes in my e-book, Healthy Holiday Traditions: Nourishing Recipes for Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Celebrations, you’ll feel more energetic, lighter, enjoy a smaller waistline, and think more clearer!

Those are *my* kind of cookies!  Enjoy these gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and low-glycemic cookie recipes and give yourself a healthy treat for the holidays!

Dr. Ritamarie’s Healthy Holiday Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup almonds, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
• 3/4 cup dates, pitted
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• pinch sea salt

Directions:

1. Process nuts and dates with salt and spices in food processor until they are completely chopped. Mixture should be a little coarse and should hold together. If needed, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.
2. Roll or press dough onto non-stick sheets and use cookie cutters to make into desired festive shapes.
3. Place in freezer until they are firm.

Dr. Ritamarie’s Low-Glycemic Healthy Holiday Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup almonds, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup unsweetened dried coconut
• 1 tablespoon Chia Gel
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• pinch sea salt
• 10 – 15 drops stevia concentrate, to taste (Sweet Leaf)

Directions:

1. Process pecans, almonds, coconut, and chia gel with salt and spices in food processor until they are completely chopped. Mixture should be a little coarse and should hold together. If needed, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.
2. Roll or press dough onto non stick sheets and use cookie cutters to make into desired shapes.
3. Place in freezer until they are firm.

Chia Gel

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chia seed
• 2 1/2 cups water

Directions:

1. Put chia and water into a quart sized Mason jar or a glass bowl that can be covered.
2. Shake or mix well.
3. Allow to stand at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight or for 12 or more hours in the refrigerator. Store up to a week at room temperature.

The healthy holiday cookie recipe above can be found inHealthy Holiday Traditions: Nourishing Recipes for Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Celebrations containing:

• Gingerbread Men
• Latkes
• Christmas Cookies and Pudding
• Eggless Egg Nog
• Hors D’oeuvres
• Apple Pie and Ice Cream
• Candies and more!

Click HERE to order!

Holiday Raw Food Dessert: Low-Glycemic Amaretto Truffles

Ho Ho Ho – we’re doing it!

With these special resources in hand, you’re sure to keep your blood sugars steady and your waistline in order.

I have a new recipe I can’t wait to share.

This weekend I co-taught a class about how to make delicious party foods.

Karen Osborne came up with a fabulous dessert recipe called Ambrosia Amaretto Truffles.

Since I just led a group of over 100 people through a blood sugar balancing program, I am keenly aware of the need for yummy, festive dessert recipes that are low-glycemic. All of our dessert recipes are sweetened with whole foods, but even things like dates are not well tolerated by people with blood sugar imbalances and candida issues.

So I took Karen’s recipe and made a few changes to it so it would be friendly for folks concerned about diabetes, insulin resistance, and candida overgrowth.

Low-Glycemic Amaretto Truffles

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup coconut butter
• 1/4 cup lucuma powder
• 1/4 cup carob powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground vanilla beans
• 1 tablespoon almond extract
• 12 drop Sweet Leaf Stevia extract (chocolate flavor if possible)
• 1/4 cup almonds, ground to a powder
• 1/2 cup almonds, ground to a powder or 1/2 cup finely shredded coconut for snowball truffles (Note: This is used to roll the truffles when formed. You can roll half in coocnut and half in almonds if you choose)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except the 1/2 cup ground almonds or coconut.
2. Process in a food processor or stir together until smooth.
3. Form a teaspoon of dough into a ball.  If it’s too “gooey” add a little extra ground almonds to dry it a bit.  Continue forming balls until all dough is used.
4. Roll balls in ground almonds and or coconut.
5. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or freeze for at least 1/2 hr.

This low-glycemic dessert version was as big a hit as the traditional truffle.

The traditional version of the recipe, an 18-page recipe guide, and 2 1/2 hour video from the class are all available for purchase:

Click HERE for Party and Potluck Nibbles that Nourish!

http://www.drritamarie.com/go/potlucknibbles

Party and Potluck Nibbles that Nourish

There are many who treat entertaining as an art. Carefully decorated dinner tables and meticulously planned meals can be the talk of friends and neighbors for years to come! Now that the holidays are just around the corner, you may have more parties to go to, potlucks to attend, or your own guests to serve and delight.

Which leads to the inevitable questions…

What do I bring?
What should I serve?
What can I make that’s both healthy AND will make people happy?

Rather than always wondering what to do for such events, you can load up with light-on-the-waistline raw food party and potluck dishes for your guests and hosts! These fresh, finger-food recipes, all part of our Raw Food University series, will not only delight the eyes and reward the taste buds of your friends and loved ones, they will also nourish them with nutrition!

All dishes are made from completely from living foods: 100% gluten-free and dairy-free! There are no sugars, no processed oils, no grains, and no cooking!

You can listen to an interview with Dr. Ritamarie and Chef Karen Osborne as they talk about making fun and fresh holiday dishes you can serve at your next party or potluck:

You’ll be surprised when you discover how quick and easy all of these raw food Party and Potluck nibbles are to make! Join us and ensure your next holiday party is one that’s memorable, healthy, and healing!