This weekend we watched a documentary called ” Farmageddon.” We have watched a few different documentaries on our food in the U.S. In College I took a Food & Nutrition Class, it changed my life. Not only was it one of my hardest classes it was an eye-opener.
In College, I loved the $1 Fried Chicken and mashed potatoes frozen meal at Aldi’s. I don’t think they carry it anymore. My professor asked us to pick out a T.V. dinner like that and recreate it at home. Bring in our recipes and compare the ingredients. It was shocking.
I could make things myself without all the things I couldn’t pronounce. This was back in 2009. I believe that more people are asking themselves the same question. Why is this in my food?
My husband has Type 1 Diabetes. This is a big reason why I cut back on our processed foods. Convenience now screams at me with having a family of four to feed. Oh, how bad could it be? That’s what I ask myself often.
My generation has information overload. We wonder about something and we can access the information in an instant. Many times I get information overload with food choices.
So I give my worries to God and then make the changes that we are able to right now at this moment. This is tough especially doing the deals on Food that is so cheap. Like the Hamburger Helper this week at Tops. It’s so cheap, but turn it over look at those ingredients? You could make that same dish at home here even.
We are starting a new adventure this week. We are building a chicken coop. We attempted one last year and got lazy and made it into a sandbox instead.
So I wrestle with today how much-processed food is ok? Is all processed food bad? What are your thoughts? Share them with us below!
And it’s my almost all Organic/Natural items. Google doesn’t like your titles too long.
I am sure you are! Let’s get to it!
BJ’s Wholesale Club Grocery Shopping Trip:
Wellsley Farms All Natural Farmers Garden mix 2.5 lbs- $6.99
Used a $1.50/1 BJs coupon
Wellsley Farms Organic Sweet Corn 4 lbs.- $6.49
Applegate Turkey 14 oz. $7.99
Applegate Uncured Ham 14 oz. $7.99
Ground Flaxseed NON-GMO 4 lbs. $6.99
There is a clipless coupon for $2 off
Earth’s Pride all natural Trail Mix 1.75 lbs. $9.99
I love this one because it has dark chocolate in it and the ingredients are minimal compared to the BJ’s brand one.
Kashi Organic Granola Bars 24 ct. $9.99
I like to buy this one with a coupon too but my husband always has these on him at work in case of a low blood sugar so I splurged getting organic.
Wyman’s All Natural Kale and Berries Blend 3 lbs. $8.49 ( I usually try to make this last until BJ’s store coupon came out but we did lots of smoothies and my daughter loves the cherries just frozen!
Alexia Non GMO Fries 4 lb. bag $7.99
Clipless coupon for $2 off
Wellsley Farms Cashews 38 oz. $11.99
Choboni Greek Yogurt 38 oz. $5.19
King Arthur Flour 10 lbs. $6.99
Healthy Helpings all natural animal crackers 2 lbs. 13 oz. $4.99
12 pk. Freshly Baked Crossiants $5.99
Had a $1 off BJs coupon
Final Price: $101.56- WHOA! I don’t see this price this high often!
But these items will last more than a week!
Than we headed over to Tops.
My Tops Markets Grocery Shopping Trip:
1 bunch of Bananas- $1.27
Redeem $0.25/1 Bananas Checkout 51 app
2 Scott Natural Wipes- $1.67
Use the $0.75/2 printable coupon doubled here
Final price: $0.17
2- Betty Crocker Cake Mix $2
I usually never buy this. I bought it for my daughter’s 4th birthday it was SOO good and my husband’s birthday is coming up. I know the ingredients are not great…one of those moments when I struggle with how bad is it?
Used the $0.75/2 printable coupon doubled here
2 Cheez-Its $6
Use two $0.70/1 printable coupons doubled here
Receive a free can of pringles when you buy two Cheez-its. – We haven’t had pringles in years… so is eating all this processed food ok sometimes? I don’t know yet on this journey of ours!
2 Foxy Romaine Hearts B1G1 $3.99
Final Price: $10.80
OUR TOTAL SPENT THIS WEEK: $112.36- But Last week were under budget by $30. This week I am over but these items will last us a couple weeks. So I’m right on Target when I figure that I want to spend $260 a month on groceries.
Here are our meal menu choices:
BREAKFAST-
Toast
cereal
bananas with peanut butter
whole wheat pancakes
LUNCH–
Meat sandwiches
Salads
smoothies
whatever snacks are in the cupboard.
DINNER–
Romaine Salads with Chicken Strips
Venison & Pulled Pork Sandwiches ( This is leftover in freezer) with a frozen veggies
Pasta Primavera
Venison Burgers and Fries
Barley Veggie Soup with Homemade sourdough bread
Tomato Basil Quiche.
Amy Ngai
Sunday 12th of April 2015
Great list. It's so hard to stay away from processed foods sometimes, especially when you are a busy mom. Now that my son is in school and having to pack his lunch everyday, I try to look for more organic natural prepackaged snacks for him. It can get quite expensive. Thanks for linking up to #ConfessionsLinkUp
Tasia
Sunday 12th of April 2015
I'm glad to know I am not alone in the struggle. It's such a bummer that the food that is the best for us is so expensive! Thanks for hosting the linkup!
Shann
Friday 10th of April 2015
I find it so hard to minimize processed food with three kids, but I do try to make healthier choices. For example, I get fruit bars from Trader Joe's rather than Nurtrigrain because the ingedients are better and my kids like them better. I also try to get things with whole wheat rather than bleached or even unbleached white flour. I am an avid coupon cutter, so it's hard to avoid some things when they are such a good deal, but I'm getting better. Thanks for sharing your list and meals!
Stacey
Friday 27th of March 2015
We avoid a lot of processed food due to allergies, but by doing so we've also cut down our grocery bill a lot. I shop at Costco for certain things and buy big bags of quinoa, rice, and some of my canned goods (pay attention to prices as they aren't all cheaper) there and then just get my fresh veggies somewhere else most of the time.
Nance Biswas
Wednesday 25th of March 2015
I wish I could follow your tips on which to buy in the grocery stores in the other side of the world (well--for me!) but I'm glad you're able to encourage American women to live frugally! <3
Camesha
Wednesday 25th of March 2015
I try to avoid as much processed food as possible. It''s getting to the point where I just don't trust food these days.
You did great with your shopping. I spend way too much every week.
bataviasbest
Wednesday 25th of March 2015
Thank you!