"Eating Healthy is So Expensive!"

Have you ever heard anyone say that? Have you ever said it yourself? I'll admit it... I have! Generally when I have said these things, its usually in this context: "It's annoying that because junk food is so ridiculously cheap, real food seems expensive by comparison!" And I stand by that statement. I can see how someone on a tight budget might look at a 10/$10 sale on Lean Cuisine as a steal compared to $4.99/lb chicken breast and $1.99/lb broccoli. I used to be that person. And then I learned to think critically about my purchases.

As part of my efforts to help show how healthy eating can be done very affordably, I'm including a cost break down of all the recipes I share from now on. And I'll gradually start going back and adding these breakdowns to recipes that are already posted. Some of us are very visual learners, and numbers don't lie. I did this with my General Tso Drumsticks recipe not long ago. You can see all the details by clicking on the recipe name.

But today, I want to talk about being smart with your budget. Jason and I recently went to Culver's for lunch. Even using two $1 off coupons, we still paid $16.55 for lunch for the two of us. Some of you might be thinking "that's not terrible", but the first thing I thought was "do you know how much food I can make at home for $16.55??" Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a foodie after all. I love trying new restaurants and have no objections to paying top dollar for a quality meal. In fact, I would MUCH rather go pay $30 per person plus tip for a sit down meal. Why? Because I see a lot more VALUE in the quality, care, and experience of dining than I do from the "Value Meals" found on fast food menus. See what I did there?

So about this trip to Culver's. Jason had a burger, I had chicken tenders, we both had a small fry and small shake. The reality here though is that I could've made Bacon Burgers with Avocado Smash, milkshakes, and fries for FOUR PEOPLE, all for the same $16.55 at home. Don't believe me? Check it out:

• 1 pound of organic ground beef = $3.99 (Costco)
• 4 strips of bacon = $1.68 (Costco)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese = $0.50 (Aldi)
• 6 ounces organic mixed greens = $1.44 (Aldi)
• 2 Hass Avocados = $1.78 (Aldi)
• Spices & Seasonings = $0.50 (generous!) 
• 6 organic russet potatoes = $1.79 (Aldi)
• 3/4 pint Culver's frozen Custard = $3.36 (Culver's)
• 1/4 gallon of organic whole milk = $1.48 (Aldi)
• TOTAL = $16.52

And just think if I had those $2 to work with that the Culver's coupon reduced my total by! But in all honestly, this post was equally Jason's idea. As soon as I started spouting these thoughts that were in my head while we drove away from Culver's, he said to me, "You should blog about this. It's true and it's an easy way for people to save money but they may not realize it." So my hope here is that you can use information like this to think a little harder about spending your hard earned dollars on quality rather than convenience :)