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.

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!

Dr. Ritamarie’s Thanksgiving Day Celebration and Recipes

Each year, we celebrate Thanksgiving Day with my husband’s family.  This year there were 37 of us present, ranging in age from 14 months to 97 years.

I wish I could say that the past 26 years I’ve been involved in the celebrations has influenced the food choices of the group, but sadly it has not.

The majority of the food served is loaded with processed grains and sugar.

Each year, up until this year, I would make a sweet potato dish, sweetened with dried apricots and topped with pecans.  Each year there has been so much left over as our guests opted for the sugar sweetened yams instead, that this year I opted not to make them.  They were not missed.

I have also made a cranberry dish each year, using fresh cranberries, raisins, pears, and oranges.  Each year there was a huge quantity left over as people favored the sugar sweetened cranberries,  and I would get tired of eating them for days to some.  This year I made a small quantity only and there were still leftovers.

Next year I may opt out of the cranberries as well.

Personally I’m happy to eat the veggie appetizers with garlic dill dip,  salad with a yummy dressing (sesame garlic ginger this year), and some steamed or sauteed vegetables.

My desserts are usually a big hit, but this year all I made was a low-glycemic coconut carob mint “candy”  because I’ve been avoiding sweets.  I didn’t make enough to share, just enjoyed them myself because I figured they were no match for all the store bought sugar drenched pies served along with a homemade marble cake, my mother-in-law’s recipe.

As I watched my family members fill their plates with all the sugar, starch and meat with fatty gravy (store bought, not even home made), I wondered HOW can I make a difference.  The vegetables were eaten in tiny amounts by most.  My husband, kids and I ate a lot more vegetables that everyone else in the room combined.

How do I reach the masses with the message that this food is destroying their health?

Maybe I’m naive, but I thought it was common knowledge that sugar and white flour are harmful, cause hormone imbalance, diabetes, heart disease and cancer?

I’m scratching my head, and thinking.

I care about these people and hate to see them suffer.

In the meantime, I want to share with you ideas for creating holiday celebrations that focus on the people connections and offer foods that delight and nourish.

Here are a couple of delicious recipes I made for Thanksgiving this year , including a sugar-free cranberry gel.

Thanksgiving Raw Food Recipes

Garlic Dill Dip

(variation of recipe in Healthy Holiday Traditions)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
• 3/4 cups water
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Blend nuts, lemon juice, water and salt
2. Put mix in a bowl and stir in dill and garlic.
3. Add more dill and garlic to taste if needed.

 Sesame Garlic Ginger Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sesame tahini
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 slier of fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients.
2. If too thin, add extra tahini, if too thick add water.

 Cranberry Orange Relish

(variation of recipe in Thanksgiving Feasts)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 orange, peeled
• 1 pear
• 1 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Process everything in a food processor until smooth
2. Add extra raisins if you prefer a sweeter relish

Spicy Cranberry Blood Sugar Balancer

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cranberries
• 1/4 cup coconut cream (Artisana)
• 2 teaspoons konjac powder (http://www.konjacfoods.com/product/1.htm)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1 sliver ginger

Directions:

1. Process all in blender or food processor until smooth
2. Add stevia if desired for sweetness

Gluten-Free Fast Raw Food: Collard Green Roll-ups with Sauerkraut and Mango Filling

One of the laments I hear all the time is that “there just isn’t enough time”  to eat wholesome foods.

In my world, I don’t have enough time to NOT eat healthy meals.  The cost of  eating processed food containing all that gluten, dairy and sugar  instead of  healthy meals is far too great for me to even consider. Let me explain.

The Cost of NOT taking time for Healthy Meals

If eating healthfully DID mean spending a lot of time in the kitchen, as most people believe, it still would save me time in the long run.  The cost of eating processed food is feeling sluggish, getting sick and performing below my ability.  The result is I accomplish less and lose out on all the fun of having lots of energy and feeling great.

If I were to eat fast food instead of whole food, I’d spend more time sleeping, feeling unfocused and unproductive and going to doctors or seeking answers to my myriad of health challenges.

When I eat whole fresh plant foods, my body is filled with energy, my mind is sharp and clear and illness stays far away.  I have more time for fun, exercise, family and work.

I’ve posted many recipes, videos and even entire articles on how to eat healthfully even when you’re super busy.

A couple of my favorites are tomato slices with “cheese:” and herbs, pineapple chipolte salad and green soups.

The recipe I made tonight was brimming with nutrition, easy to make and tasted delicious.  Unfortunately I ate it all before I remembered that I should have taken a picture.

Collard Green Roll-ups with Sauerkraut and Mango Filling

Ingredients

• 2 large collard green leaves
• 4 cups mache salad mix
• 2 handfuls broccoli sporuts
• 3 handful of sunflower sprouts
• 4 tablespoons Creamy Nut Cheese
• 4 tablespoons guacamole
• 4 tablespoons sauerkraut
• 1/2 large mango, cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon Mexican seasoning

Directions

1. Rinse collard leaves and lay on plate
2. Pile the half of the remaining ingredients on each of the collard  leaves, ending with the guacamole or creamy nut cheese
3. Roll collard leaf tightly around filling.  Slice and serve.I made this recipe up on the fly.  Use whatever ingredients you have on hand.  If you make up some dips and dressings at the beginning of the week, you’ll have them hand to put together a quick meal.

In our classes, hosted by Raw Foods University, we demonstrate how to make foods quickly and easily.

It’s a skill worth learning.  That way you can have lots of pare time and energy for FUN!

Gluten-Free Fast Food For Health Resources

1. Deliciously Quick Lunch and Dinner Ideas for Healthy Meals on the Run e-book
2. Quick Meals Video Class with Recipe Guide
3. One Dish Meals Video Class with Recipe Guide
4. Quick Soups e-book
5. Kids in the Kitchen Video Class with Recipe Guide

QUESTION of the DAY: 

Post your answer below:  What’s your favorite fast food?

Let’s see if we can come up with healthier alternatives to your favs.

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

One Dish Raw Food Meals for Summer: Pineapple Chipotle Salad

- by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

If your summer is keeping you busy and you want to include more raw food meals without spending hours in the kitchen, then all you need to do is find a few one dish meal recipes that deliver exciting and satisfying tastes.   I made this salad the other night after a busy day of work and rushing kids around to appointments.  It was quick, easy to prepare, and very delicious and satisfying.

The unusual combination of pineapple and sesame for the dressing is a delight to the taste buds.

Not only is this one dish meal for summer refreshing, light, and tangy, it’s a nutritional winner as it’s high in calcium and vitamin C!

Pineapple Chipotle Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 cups mixed greens
• 1 tomato, finely diced
• 1 cup finely diced red bell pepper
• 1 cup pineapple, cut into tiny cubes
• 1 cup pineapple plus core (for dressing)
• ¼ cup sesame tahini
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
• Water to desired consistency

Directions:

Place all vegetables in a bowl.  Put pineapple core and 1 cup pineapple in blender with tahini, chipotle, and salt.  Blend and pour over salad.

It’s so much fun to put together the ingredients on hand and create a masterpiece.

We did something similar in the One Dish Meals Class on Sunday.  I challenged Karen to go through my refrigerator, choose some ingredients and make a recipe on the fly in front of the entire class.  The pressure was on!!!

She made an amazing Arugula Salad containing fresh mango slices, heirloom tomatoes, sunflower sprouts and a few other ingredients.  The videos from this raw food class will be up in a few days so you can watch Karen create on the fly and learn to make an array of taste tantalizing one dish meals.  I loved the Curried Cauliflower, Caribbean Mung Beans and Sweet and Sour Broccoli.  You can enjoy these delicious recipes and more here! 

Looking for even more recipes? 

•  Delicious
• nutritious
• quick and easy
• sugar-free
• dairy-free
• gluten-free
• trans-fat free 

Discover Deliciously Quick Lunch and Dinner Ideas!  Find out more!