Healthy Groceries on a Healthy Budget

Let’s just start with a disclaimer: I am not a health guru. I am not a finance guru. I am not a guru. 

Actually, the idea for this post came when Ryan and I sat down to dinner two months ago and realized that we fed our baby better balanced meals than we fed ourselves. Writing this post went hand in hand with trying to figure it out myself: how do we eat healthier with our current budget? Call it a challenge, if you will. 

Having become an avid Google search bar enthusiast after Louis was born, I naturally headed to Google to gather information. In an article that I read, it was suggested that the average family of three in the U.S. should spend $550/month on groceries. Our family spends $100/week, which is just under the suggested monthly budget. When we decided to balance our diet better, we were absolutely sure that we wanted to keep to our $100 weekly budget. 

So how do you do it? We all know that to be “healthy” is expensive, right? Well, actually, that’s a myth. There are several ways to cut costs and eat better at the same time. Here’s how we do it: 

1. Meal Planning

This sounds like something that only a housewife in an apron and lots of time to spell out words like “asparagus” on a letter board should do. 

Actually, it takes me ten minutes. You can use a letterboard, or craft up a pretty menu over the weekend, or whatever you like—or it can be as easy as the notes app on your phone, which is exactly how I do it: 

How is this helpful? By planning your meals, you’ll eliminate unnecessary trips to the grocery store, but most importantly—you’ll be better able to utilize your grocery list. 

For instance, because I planned for a vegetable tray as an appetizer during our dinner party with my little sister on Friday, we will then have more than enough vegetables to use for the meals planned Saturday, Monday, and Thursday. We will also have the orange juice needed in my favorite breakfast smoothies, having already needed to buy orange juice for orange chicken. Breakfast for dinner on Sunday is a popular tradition in our family, and it’s convenient to have bacon and eggs on hand when Ryan wants to liven up his instant raman, or when I want to prep mason jar scrambled eggs to have at the ready for breakfasts all week. Let’s also note that because we are making pepperoni pizza on Tuesday, we will have the makings on hand for bagel pizzas in the air fryer. 

Meal planning not only helps you to make the most of your groceries, but also helps you to be sure to use all of your fresh produce before it wilts or goes bad. less food wasted = less money wasted! You can make a number of recipes with just a handful of well-planned ingredients.

Aside from the economic value of planning your meals, it makes for one less thing I have to worry about each night, therefore eliminating the “what do you want for dinner?” Conversation, and the scramble to find the right ingredients after searching pinterest for a recipe for far too long.(This is not shaming. This is relating. I have done this.)

2. Plant vs. Processed

Now I know this is a vegan/vegetarian slogan. I’m not either of those, but I do agree with the message. It’s far better for your gut, and for your pocket if you try to eliminate processed foods as much as possible. (it also tastes better!)

An example: 

We have pizza night every single Tuesday. (If you have followed me for a while on instagram, you know that our pizza toppings are pretty wild! You also know that I have not been documenting pizza night all winter! That’s because dinner is at 5 and the sun used to be gone long before dinner was ready(bad lighting for pictures). However, I will be sharing pizza nights in my instagram stories once more, starting next week!)

Anyway. Long parentheses. 

We have pizza night every Tuesday. A year and a half ago, we used to buy storebought, easy, processed pizza dough. It’s great! Super tasty, super easy, super simple. But you wouldn’t BELEIVE how super simple, easy, and FAST it is to make your very own pizza dough from scratch, AND—its tastes loads better, while also being much cheaper. 

Having a huge 15 pound bag of flour on hand at all times has given us plenty of opportunity to explore the world of homemade. What I think is so strange is that everyone used to make all their own food. Why did we stop? When it’s so easy? Now, I won’t knock processed, store-bought, or even freezer aisle foods because my favorite pizza of all time(besides that peach Prosciutto pizza I made last fall) is still and always going to be frozen Red Barron pizza. 

But remember—Ryan and I were trying to figure out how to enjoy the things we love in a healthy and cheap fashion. So homemade is where its at, Folks. 

Some other food items that I will never be buying ready-made at a grocery store ever again, because they are all too easy to make at home: 

• taco seasoning: did you know that this is so so SO easy to make?? Actually, in my opinion, it’s been tastier too. 
• orange chicken: the ingredients are super simple, the frying is a bit miserable(I’m sure there are better ways than the technique we use) but it tastes x1000 better than anything I’ve ever had frozen, or at a fast food asian restaurant(Panda Express)
• terriyaki sauce: actually, I’ve been making this for at least four years now. I’ve tried several different recipes in those four years, but I’m never going back. 

This bolded number is also a great topic to bring up the zero waste factor: home made goods produce less waste. More often than not, you are paying for the plastic that your food is wrapped in. When it’s something as easy as making your own sauce, or quickly whipping up your own pizza dough, it doesn’t cause you, the consumer, any more hassle to just make it yourself anyway. It’s cheaper, it’s better for the environment, and it’s better for your gut. 

Personally, Ryan and I are making it our goal to find the perfect sandwich bread recipe so that we can eliminate the need to buy store-bought bread in a plastic bag, and to lower the amount of money we spend each week to keep up with the shared obsession that my son and I have with sandwiches. One of the best things about home-made food(besides the fact that it’s tasty and satisfying) is that most ingredients for things such as bread come in bulk sizes, so you won’t have to keep buying flour, or yeast, or salt, or sugar every week. There are so many foods that you can make in your own home, more than even I am aware of. Choose home-made where you are comfortable! But at least give it a try, I”m sure you’ll notice a difference in your grocery budget! 

3. Portion Sizes

This is not going to be about dieting. 

When Ryan and I realized that our baby ate a better balanced meal than we did, we also realized that we could get by on less chicken when we prepared our favorite chicken terriyaki, if we simply added some greens; thusly decreasing our demand for chicken each month, and increasing the amount of money we would have available to spend in our grocery budget for, perhaps, the cheese island. 

But aside from a balanced meal, there is the matter of leftovers; reading the serving size for any recipe is essential for this tip. My least favorite food is leftovers. I’m really not a fan of eating the same thing for lunch every single day.(note that for lunch in my menu plan, i have written “soup leftovers” guess who ate all of that? Not me. Big waste. Ryan is struggling to keep up with it all on his own.) 

This tip isn’t an easy fix; it’s more of a learn as you go. Over the four years of our marriage, I’ve learned what it takes to feed both Ryan and myself. I know that, typically, he eats more than I do. I’m a very petite woman and he’s a very broadly built man. Knowing how much will fill us up at each meal has helped to decrease the money we spend on groceries each month. Our leftovers are looking very sad these days, being able to fit in a very very small Tupperware, to be eaten later as a snack. 

Our goal, when coming up with a meal plan each week, and shopping for groceries, is to have a near empty fridge by the next shopping day. Less food is being thrown out, therefore, less money is being wasted. Try to eliminate the leftovers where you can during your week, and see how it saves money, or provides you with more healthy snacks to munch on throughout the day because you didn’t end up putting them in your chowder… that your husband is now frantically trying to eat before it goes bad. 

(Or, another option: freeze your leftovers! Eat them next week! Buy fancy cheese instead!) 

4. Rotate Your Grocery List

Let me be honest, it does get pricey. If you try to do it all in one shopping week. Which is why I am a firm believer in rotating my grocery shopping list. Fruit is better frozen for smoothies, so I have no issue with buying more fruit than necessary for one week(to freeze any leftovers), so I can buy more vegetables(to also freeze) the next week. Our grocery list is always on a rotation. I’m sure your’s is too, if you buy things like toilet paper, hand soap, hair care products, makeup, etc. SO why not do it with food too?

This is a short tip, because I’m still not an expert and I don’t know anything about the mechanics of your family. This tip, if anything, is being written as a reminder to myself to practice rotating items on our grocery list. 

My hope, by doing this, is to always be stocked up on blueberries for Louis, I always want Ryan to have broccoli to put in his instant raman, I always want fresh fruit in my smoothie to go alongside my egg burrito in the morning, and I want to have enough food in my family’s personal stores to always be able to feed anyone who comes by our home to either be comforted, entertained, or sheltered.
By rotating my grocery list in the past two months, I’ve been able to do just that. All of it. I’m still learning. In fact, I am still learning all of these tips, myself. As I said above, this post is just as much for me—if not more—as it is for my readers. 

So. How do YOU keep it under the budget, but also healthy? I’d love to know, because I’m always up for learning! Comment below! Also, keep scrolling to find the recipes for our menu this week. And, as always, be excellent to each other, to your body, and to your bank account. 

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Chipotle Pumpkin Corn Chowder

Taco Seasoning

Chicken Teriyaki

5 Minute Pizza Dough

Orange Chicken

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My next post will be going live on March 11th, 2020. 

As of right now, blog posts will be biweekly, on Wednesdays. If you’ve been reading long enough, you’ll know that’s subject to change. I’ll be announcing the date of new posts at the end of each post, the top of the blog home page, my Instagram bio, and Instagram stories. So you can’t miss it!

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Be sure to subscribe so that you are first to know when a new post has gone live!

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Blog: @smalltown.squirrel

Art Page: @thesquirrelshollow

Personal: @sh3rlc3

Five Ways to Date Yourself

Listen up: You are important. 

You shouldn’t just make it aparent to others that you are important and valid either; you should matter to you, too. 

Number one on your self care to-do list should be making yourself feel loved, and only you know how to do that best. So instead of pining for the day that your true love buys that necklace in the window, or wishing someone would show up on your doorstep with a bunch of flowers and a big box of chocolates this Valentine’s Day—Girl, you go do that for you. A good friend told me: “Dating yourself should be like dating another person” you are in a relationship with yourself; it’s one of the most important relationships you’ll ever have. 

So how is that done? Well, what do you need from you? Is it to feel like you’re that special someone? Do you need a break? Do you need something tasty to eat? Do you need to feel pretty? 

Here’s some inspiration: 

1. Take Yourself Out to Eat

There’s a great big list of things you can do alone, and eating is one of them. Eating in public seems shameful. I know that feeling: walking into a restaurant and asking for a table for one and pulling out your book to read while you wait to eat alone, as everyone stares at you and the server gives you an apologetic look like they just feel so bad that you’re alone. But it’s not. There are so many great things about going out to eat by yourself(especially if you’re an introvert like me) You don’t have to keep a conversation going, you don’t have to worry if there is food in your teeth, you don’t have to worry about bad breath at the end of the night, and you can shamelessly play on your phone all night long, completely oblivious to the rest of the world while enjoying your solo meal immensely. 

And sure, if you’re in a relationship, you might hardly find yourself in this situation. However, if you do, I highly reccomend it; it’s the most peaceful restaurant meal you’ll ever experience. 

If you’re currently single, just do it. You do not need someone to take you out to eat, you do not need to invite anyone to dinner with you in order to eat at your favorite restaurant, and you don’t have to order doordash to avoid dining alone. Dine alone. It’s okay. I promise. 

2. Buy Yourself the Damn Flowers

Six years ago, when I was just a young and inspired teenager, starting my first job at McDonald’s, a married coworker said, sadly, “I only get flowers twice a year; once on my birthday, and once on Valentine’s Day.” She clearly wanted more than two flower bouquets a year. She clearly loved recieving flowers. She clearly believed that she was worth more than two flower bouquets a year, and it made her sad. 

My advice: go buy yourself some flowers. Not as a “Well if you wont, then I will.” but do it because you want them. Do it as a kind gesture towards yourself. 

And if you’re not currently in a relationship—just buy the damn flowers. Don’t stare ongingly at the bouquet of your favorite flowers and wish with all your heart that a mysterious and handsome figure will appear to shower you with roses(honestly, you could pick a better flower to dream about too) reach your hand out, grasp the bouquet with purpose, stride confidently toward the self check-out, and buy the damn flowers. Just because you want to. You don’t have to wait for a romantic gesture to recieve something pretty. 

3. Go See a Movie

This seems just as scary as number one because—who goes to the movies alone? Somebody who’d like some quality “me” time, thankyouverymuch. 

In my opinion, of all the date ideas, this one belongs on the solo date idea list the very most. The very first time I went to see a movie by myself, I was so nervous about what other people would think of me being alone. Let me tell you something very important: nobody actually cares what you’re doing. It was the best movie theatre experince I’ve ever had, to date. My absolute biggest pet peave is when someone tries to talk to me while I’m watching a movie, or even a video on YouTube; going to the movies alone is complete bliss. Also, no need to have that awkward conversation about drinks and popcorn, because you’re obviously buying. 

Again, don’t wait for someone to take you out to see that movie you’ve been dying to see. Take yourself to the movies. Easy as that. 

4. Watch the Sunset

Watching the sunset alone is almost unheard of. It’s so unromantic. But actually, it leaves lots of room for your to think uninterupted as you gaze at the changing colors of the sky, and perhaps take time to write in your journal. You do not have to wait for a relationship to experince beautiful things. Watching the sunset doesn’t have to be romantic. watching the sunset is something that should be done by anyone and everyone. It’s peaceful, thought provoking, and inspiring. Couples aren’t the only people who should experince these feelings. 

I know the bolded words say “watch the sunset” but know that you are allowed to do so much more on your own. Go see beautiful places. Go enjoy the great outdoors. DOn’t wait around for a partner to experience the Earth and all of her sunsets and sunrises. 

5. Do Something Kind For Yourself 

You don’t have to take yourself out to date you. Stay in. Set up the best bath in the history of baths; complete with bath bombs, face masks, candles, body scrubs, essential oils, a favorite drink, soft music, flower petals, expensive chocolates, and a delicious snack(obviously a cheese board, because that’s how queens do it) 

Stop waiting. If you’re in a realtionship, don’t wait around for that one day that someone sets up a romantic bath scene for you to come home to after a long day at work. If you’re currently single, never use the “I can’t wait until I’m in a realtionship and they…” mentallity. Just do things for yourself. 

write yourself a love note and tuck it away in a favorite book to surprise yourself.

Buy your favorite ice cream on the way home from work, because you had a long day. 

Ignore all the chores and curl up with a good book, or a binge-worthy show. 

Write down everything you love about yourself. 

Treat yourself to a spa day. 

Buy that outfit your’ve been eyeing for months. 

Just do things for yourself. You deserve it. You try so hard every day, and you really appreciate it, so tell yourself so and run a bath. 

I promise I wouldn’t write any of this without some knowledge of it myself. I’ve done every single on of these things listed, and I’ve loved myself even more for it. Spending quality time with loved ones improves your realtionship with them—stop forgetting your most beloved: yourself. You need some quality time too. 

Be excellent to yourselves. 

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My next post will be going live on Feb. 26th, 2020. 

As of right now, blog posts will be biweekly, on Wednesdays. If you’ve been reading long enough, you’ll know that’s subject to change. I’ll be announcing the date of new posts at the end of each post, the top of the blog home page, my Instagram bio, and Instagram stories. So you can’t miss it!

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Be sure to subscribe so that you are first to know when a new post has gone live!

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Blog: @smalltown.squirrel

Art Page: @thesquirrelshollow

Personal: @sh3rlc3

Don't Stop Dating

It’s that time of year where love is oozing from every which-where like a grilled cheese sandwich of affection—and twice as cheesy.

(Ryan said, “You have to go with that line; there’s so much cheese, I got constipated just reading it.” So here we are, Folks.)

What with the stenchy little cloud of romance that February is, it seems to all disappear by the 15th. Red and pink hearts are instantly replaced with pastel rainbows and bunnies with baskets of eggs in their furry clutches. Heartbroken teenaged girls who never recieved a teddy bear, and mournful women who saw nary a rose have magically forgotten that the day of love has gone and passed. Husbands and boyfriends wipe their brows and smile at a calendar, knowing that the day is good and gone for at least a year. High expectations for assorted chocolates and cards fo proffessed love have been forgotten. That red thing is hung back on its hanger at the back of the closet until its next appearance, 365 days from now. 

But shouldn’t love be celebrated every day? 

If you’re like me, Valentine’s Day is jus another day. (could this be that my first boyfriend bought me a hersheys chocolate bar and a pack of gum for Valentine’s Day? Probably. But my husband flew to Colorado to spend less than 24 hours with me on Valentine’s Day too, so… it’s probably the disappointing and unromantic weather.) However, several millions of people flock to the stores and flower shops to impress their loved ones on this ONE DAY, every year. 

Don’t be the couple that dusts off their finest outfits for a night out on the town for the first time in a year, just because its a holiday to celebrate love. Why? Because you shouldn’t have stopped dating each other in the first place.

So many people forget that the fun doesn’t stop after you get married, or settle in with a partner. You chose that person because you love each other, but love shouldn't end at the bedroom door, and shouldn’t be designated for Valentine’s Day. If you feel as though you’re just going through the motions, it’s time to try a little harder(reminder that if an effort is expected by you, chances are it’s expected FROM you too). Just like with that resolution you made last month, your relationship needs your attention too. It needs to be worked on. Don’t allow the romance to become a couch potato.

So how can you ensure that you don’t stop dating? Well… just don’t stop being “two crazy kids in love". Here are some important bullets to note: 

• PDA is not gross, and PDA is not a “new couple” thing. Hold hands, cuddle, hug, kiss even when you aren’t at home. 
• Keep flirting and making each other blush/laugh with those pick-up lines
• You know that hug them from behind and give a kiss on the cheek thing? Yeah, still do that.
• Always say “I love you” and not just when you end a call, or leave the house—ALWAYS. 
• Talk about everything under the sun. Communication is key, but I’m talking just…well, talking. 
• Stay up late together. Don’t just stay up late at the same time. Stay up late doing something together, even if it’s crackers and cheese at midnight. 

I’m not going to pretend to be an expert at relationships, and that’s not what I’m doing here; I’m simply relaying what I value about my own relationship, and what I believe makes it a successful one. Have you ever watched a product review on YouTube? Yeah. This is my product review of relationships: it’s healthier when you continue to date each other. Cultivate it, and not just with a lousy once a month date night to dinner at the same restaurant, in the same outfit as last month, eating the same food. 

Here are five of my very favorite no-hassle date ideas(perfect for parents, busy people, or poor college kids):

1. The $5 Movie Bin

You don’t have to go out to the movies. 

This is one of my favorites because I really love the process; pumping tunes on the way to WalMart, sifting through old movies, that “What?! You haven’t seen this??” and the “Holy cow! I used to watch this so much that my grandma banned it!”(True story, Never Ending Story on repeat.) and you get to bring your own snacks. Some of our favorite snacks include: makeshift smore’s(marchmallow fluff, teddy grahams, hersheys drops) microwave popcorn, cheese board, 1min. microwave skookie, and favorite $1 bag of chips from WalMart. Actually, I think the best part is that pants are optional. No pants=awesome. *great way to stay up late together

2. The Ol’ Walk Until You Drop

This has always been a fan favorite with Ryan and I. 

You simply step out of your front door, pick a direction, and walk until you get too tired. Probably a name for it—urban hiking? We’ve found ourselves so far from home sometimes that we don’t get home until it’s nearly dark outside. The great thing about doing this in a city is that there are restaurants and cafes to stop at if you get too hungry. When we go on road trips, we have amazing conversations that we call “road trip talk” walking talk is really good too. *great way to talk about everything under the sun

3. Sit Outside and Watch it Together

You don’t even have to do anyting. You don’t have to move, you don’t have to talk—just sit for a while. Watch the sunrise, the sunset, or gaze at the stars. Just take some time to watch the outside together. *great way to spend quality time together, and do a bit of that PDA

4. Eat Something New

Trying something new with Ryan is one of my absolute all time favorite things to do. Whether its cheese, soup, sandwiches, unique pizza toppings—I love eating new things with my best friend. It’s a tasty little adventure, and it doesn’t have to be expensive either. Sometimes, we like to walk through a grocery store until we find one or two things we’d like to try(this is best practiced when you’re starving, beacuse EVERYTHING looks tasty)

5. Read a Book Together

We try to do this every night; I’ve read roughly eleven books, and counting, to Ryan. I guess you wouldn’t call this a “date” but it’s how we continue to date each other. We love to snuggle and we love to talk, and I love to share things that interest me. Reading is one way we do all of that at the same time. It’s a hobby we share and do together. If you can find a hobby that you love to share with your person, it’s high on my reccomendation list. Quality time is always a good time, and it’s easy to share that time together if it’s doing someting you love. 

How do you date your spouse/partner? I’d love to hear in the comments; we are always looking for new ways to spend time together. 

Remember this upcoming Valentine’s Day that it’s not your only chance to date each other. It’s not the only night that romance is allowed. 

Don’t stop dating, and be excellent to each other. 

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My next post will be going live on Feb. 26th, 2020. 

As of right now, blog posts will be biweekly, on Wednesdays. If you’ve been reading long enough, you’ll know that’s subject to change. I’ll be announcing the date of new posts at the end of each post, the top of the blog home page, my Instagram bio, and Instagram stories. So you can’t miss it!

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. 

Be sure to subscribe so that you are first to know when a new post has gone live!

*subscribing is only available as an option in desktop mode

. 

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Blog: @smalltown.squirrel

Art Page: @thesquirrelshollow

Personal: @sh3rlc3