100 Bucks Towards Healthy

This is a guest post from my friend, Jenny. Enjoy!
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At some point in the last few weeks, I was watching a show where people were giving excuses for not eating healthy. A common complaint was that "eating healthy is hard because it's so expensive." (I don't remember which show this was - Probably something on OWN. lol).

There have been times when I have rung out at the cash register and gotten a total that was much higher than I expected. I'd get home and feel like I didn't really buy anything with the money I'd just spent. Over time I've decided to cook more at home and make things myself from scratch instead of always using pre-packaged options. The savings have been tremendous in both calories and dollars.

I decided to turn this into a semi-challenge for myself...

Using only $100 I would see how much healthy food I could buy at the grocery store and make it stretch to the maximum amount of meals possible.

Below is a list of the items that I purchased tonight at the store. My total receipt came to $107.12 with tax, and the $6.47 I spent on toilet paper. Total of food purchases came to $100.26. I used 0 coupons.

Are my choices perfect? No. Realistic for a family of 3 with two adults working full time? Absolutely. I will also note that the items on this list are usually items that I buy at some point during the month. I didn't go out on a limb to get these or pick things that we won't eat.

Here is my list of everything that's on the table:

1 bag 10 lbs. Russett Potatoes - $3.77

1 jug Simply Apple Juice - $3.38

1 gallon 1% Milk - $3.63

1 package thin sliced pork chops - $3.63

1 boneless pork roast - $5.59

1 beef tip roast - $6.50

1 package Tennesse Farm's breakfast sausage links - $2.98

1 package thin sliced bacon - $2.98

4 individual Simply Orange Juice ($1.48 each) - $5.92

1 container Pure Olive Oil for cooking - $4.78

2 jars Pasta Sauce ($1.50 each) - $3

1 container (64oz) V8 low sodium juice - $2.78

1 Ranch Salad Dressing - $1.66

1 Oil and Vinegar Salad Dressing - $1.50

1 head Romaine Lettuce - $1.48

2.68 lbs Green Grapes ($1.27/lb) - $3.40

1 container of fresh pre-sliced button mushrooms (8oz) - $1.94

1 package Wide Egg Noodles - $1.34

1 dozen eggs (large) - $1.78

1.76 lbs Anjou Pears - 4 count - ($1.57/lb) - $2.76

1 cluster fresh Italian Parsley - $0.88

1 cluster fresh Cilantro - $$0.74

1.51 lbs Granny Smith Apples - 4 count ($1.57/lb) - $2.37

3 Limes ($0.32 each) - $0.96

1 package shredded carrots - $1.68

1 package with 2 celery stalks - $1.38

3 Lemons ($0.44 each) - $1.32

1.86 lbs Bananas ($0.52/lb) - $0.97

3 Cucumbers ($0.48 each) - $1.44

2 Bell Peppers ($0.94 each) - $1.88

5 Kiwi ($0.34 each) - $1.70

1 Large Sweet Onion - $0.85

1 Pineapple - $2.98

1 package whole carrots (1 lb) - $0.88

1 Avocado - $1.88

2 cans Jumbo pitted Olives ($1.17 each) - $2.34

2 cans no salt added diced tomato ($0.68 each) - $1.36

1 container Chicken Bouillion cubes - $2.00

1 package (3 servings) Boboli pizza sauce - $1.97

1 64 oz jar of Claussen pickle halves - $5.98

Total: $100.26

Item Count: 64

Average cost per item: $1.57

At minimum, I estimate the above can make:

9 breakfasts (for one)

6 lunches (for one)

7 dinners (for three)

and at least 15 snacks (for one).

Borrowing a few things that we already have in the pantry and the freezer, I can up that to easily 4-5 more meals in each category to stretch this even further.

So... I find this challenge successful and the whining 'debunked.' It may take a little bit of time to cut up an apple, peel a banana, and chop up some herbs, but being healthy while on a budget is entirely possible.

Any challenge takers? I'd love to see what anyone else can come up with!

Am I Back?!

Today I am finally blogging again because I think I might be ready to work on healthiness again.
I have not gone back to eating meat during my time of non-blogging, but I have been a very very bad vegetarian. I have not exercised and I have been eating a lot of cookie dough. :o(
So far, today, I have done well.
I have not chosen whole foods and all-natural, but this is a huge improvement.
It started when I got fed up with Lilly's cough that started yesterday. I mixed up some Emergen-C for the kids and myself. Then I had a glass of water (!), then I had some instant banana bread flavored oatmeal, a slam, another glass of water (!!), & some vitamins leftover from my gung-ho advocare days. That was pretty cool. Right now I'm having Uncle Ben's ready whole grain medley for lunch. It has brown rice, wild rice, & red rice perfectly seasoned with herbs and spices. ;o) It promises my full daily recommended amount of whole grains, that it's a good source of fiber, and that it's low fat. It was also ready in 90 seconds. Oh, I forgot that I had a bowl of cheese curls as a morning snack. :-/ I did, however, skip my morning run to the pop machine for a pepsi. We'll see how the day goes. I have issues with rebelliousness.

Info on Spark: https://www.advocare.com/1103705/Store/ItemDetail.aspx?itemCode=A1082&id=E&flavor=4

Leave me some love and/or pointers!!!!

ADHD

I just read an interesting report. I've heard before that caffeine can help kids with ADHD, but I hadn't thought much about it since David and Lilly don't seem to have ADHD. I wanted to pass this info along to all of you, though, in case you want to look into it further. Obviously, I am not a doctor and you need to do your own research.
The energy drink that Chris and I love, Spark from Advocare, has caffeine in it, along with lots and lots of vitamins. It's delicious, convenient, and is an awesome alternative to pop/soda and coffee. As a vegetarian, it is important for me to get enough vitamin B12 in my diet. I get way over my daily need of B12 in one serving of Spark. It also helps me get over the mid day drowsiness.
Here is what I recently found about Spark and ADHD:

Spark Study
Texas Tech Medical Center
Department of Pediatrics
(806) 212-3553
A COMPARISON OF THE NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF
METHYLPHENIDATE AND NUTRITIONAL BEVERAGE VERSUS PLACEBO ON CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER. SC SCHNEIDER, GB TAN, DR EGERTON, TW HALE. TX Tech Univ. HSC, Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has become a prominent disorder in children, adolescents, and adults. Current treatment modalities generally include the use of stimulant medication, methylphenidate the most frequently used. Typical and potential side effects have many parents requesting alternatives to prescription medication. This study, conducted from May through September 1998,compared the effectiveness of SPARK!!, a nutritional beverage marketed by Advocare International. SPARK!! contains neuro-active ingredients such as choline, GABA, phenylalanine, and taurine, with methylphenidate when administered to children (6-17) previously diagnosed with ADHD. The study was a placebo-controlled, double-blind study randomly assigning 72 subjects to three treatment groups: methylphenidate group, the SPARK! group and a caffeine group in order to control for caffeine as it is one of the ingredients in SPARK!. All treatments were administered in drink form. Two evaluative sessions were scheduled for each subject: one with a placebo administered two hours prior to testing and one with treatment administered two hours prior to testing. Assessments consisted of the administration of the Test of Variables of Attention (T.O.V.A.), a computerized neuropsychological continuous performance test. Four indices were measured: omission and commission (both indices of accuracy of response to presentation of visual stimuli), response time (speed from visual stimulus to response) and variability of response time (constancy of response speed). No treatment was significantly different from placebo on commission (response to non-target stimulus) index. All treatments were significant relative to placebo for three of the four indices: omissions (0), response time (RT), variability of response time (VAR). SPARK! (0/p=.007; RT/p=.0001; VAR/p=.005), methylphenidate (0/p=.032; RT/p=.001; VAR/p=.007), caffeine (0/p=.007; RT/p=.0001; VAR/p=.0001). The results indicate that SPARK! is as effective as methylphenidate on three of the four measures. Mean differences suggest that it may be more effective on all three measures. Further studies are needed to identify which of the ingredients in the nutritional beverage are most effective and to quantify the differences in the efficacy of SPARK! relative to methylphenidate in a longer trial and with measures directly generalizable to the academic environment.

If you want to try Spark for yourself, or someone you know, I'll get you some to try for free. We love it. :o)
Thanks for reading!!

Nutrition

Well, yesterday I only hit 30% of my calcium need. What a downer! I did, however, take in more than an adequate amount of protein (no meat or dairy).
I need to work on this!

Today is the final day of my herbal cleanse and day 10 of the 24 day challenge. Tomorrow I will be continuing on the healthy eating plan and will start on a nutrition system (vitamins) for well-being and energy!

The cleanse is designed to clean out my system which will eliminate toxins and make it easier for my system to absorbs nutrients.

I will be happy to let you know how it goes!

Calcium

We all know that calcium is really good for our bones and for children's growing bodies. I wanted to tell you about my calcium intake yesterday.

Yesterday, I didn't do so hot on hitting my calories for the day. I was around 300 calories under my goal. That is mostly because I burned 301 calories on the eliptical machine. Anyways, even with my low calories, I still got 69% of my daily dose of calcium, yet I did not consume one single dairy product. I obviously did not hit 100%, which I need to work on, but I definitely don't need to consume dairy to do it. In the coming weeks I am going to work on tracking my calcium intake and what I'm eating to help myself (and maybe you) be sure that I'm hitting what I need, and to see what it takes to do so. My guess is that by adding more spinach to my salad and having a glass of soy or almond milk, I will be just fine.

I'm not planning to go back to being 100% vegan, even though I have been on the cleanse. (day 9 out of 10, by the way) But I also do not plan to start buying milk or dairy products on a regular basis. More to come.

MILESTONE DAY!!!

CHRIS HAS LOST 50 POUNDS!!!! This is AMAZING and I am SO PROUD of him!! He is ahead of schedule to hit his weight loss goal for August. Praise God!!!!

I've heard that if an average sized person puts two fists together, then that is the size of one pound of human fat. Can you imagine how much 50 pounds is?! Holy Moly!!
Be sure to congratulate Chris on his accompolishment.

If you are trying to lose weight, too, know that you can do it! I know that it can be a roller coaster journey, but it doesn't have to be. You can have success and live a healthy, happy, energetic life. I'm praying for everyone who struggles with their weight. There is hope!

Happy Easter!

Well, I am on day 7 of the 24 day challenge, and I'm feeling great! Unfortunately, our family got hit with nasty colds right before Easter, but I kept up with the cleanse. My baby belly that I so carefully keep hidden is shrinking by the day and my energy is definately increasing. I am very proud of myself for not pigging out on Easter goodies! I was very tempted, but because I committed myself to the challenge, I resisted. I did, however, enjoy smelling the treats. :o)
Many people have been asking for an updated picture of Chris, so I am posting a picture that a friend took of us yesterday morning at church. Yes, I did work very hard to color-coordinate the family for Easter and was happy with the results. ;o) Chris is definitely looking great...he has now lost 46 pounds!!! This guy is SO inspiring!!!
Here is what I packed myself for lunch today: a raw sweet potato, an apple, and a packet of Spark. I know that that doesn't sound like a lot of food, but a sweet potato is very filling! Just take your sweet potato, wash it, poke a few holes in it with a fork, and stick it in the microwave for a few minutes (or oven/toaster oven). There ya go, an extremely healthy, filling lunch! (Don't you dare put butter and brown sugar on that tasty tater!!!) I don't eat the skin, but you totally can, if you want. :) I also don't eat the apple core, but know people who do!
Enjoy, and HAPPY EASTER!! :O)
P.S. I bought Chris some shirts from Target for Christmas. They were size 2X. They were way too small. We had to take them back. :( The shirt in the picture, above, is an XL from Target and fits him perfectly. No more shopping at Casual Male XXL for my guy! :)
P.S.S. Chris no longer snores!!!!!!