Cheap Food can Still be Good Food
I'm a big fan of chili; beef, turkey, three-bean, hot, medium or mild. There are few foods that provide warmth and comfort on a cold Canadian winter day like a piping hot bowl of chili. I never ever buy the canned stuff though; it's only slightly more expensive to make your own, it tastes better, and it's way better for you.
There's an old adage that says the best way to shop at a grocery store is to avoid the middle. Far from being a winsome wive's tale, staying away from the shelves in the middle of the grocery store can save you a ton of money, and help you eat more wholesome, healthy food. The middle of the store is where you'll find most of the polysorbate-80, monosoduim glutamate, and various cyclamates for sale.
Stick to the outside of the store where the produce department, dairy, meat and fish counters, and bakery can be found. Be careful here too; although stewing beef and hot dogs cost roughly the same per pound, one of them is full of iron and protein, and the other one loaded with nitrates and chemicals. Try to avoid the 'hoot' dogs; your $3 or $4 is better spent elesewhere.
The obvious problem with buying food that's preservative-free is spoilage. The easiest and most cost-effective way to deal with perishable food is to make large batches and free the left-overs. If you like chili - as I do - make a gallon of it, enjoy a bowl for dinner, and then use plastic containers (preferably BPH-free) to divide and freeze. Frozen meat dishes, if properly sealed, can easily last 3 months or longer in the freezer, and they're ready to go whenever you don't feel like cooking. I can make a gallon of chili (about 10 servings) for $15, or half that for vegetarian chili. Hotdogs in buns might cost a little bit less, but if you compare them on a dollar-per-nutrient basis, there's no comparisson.
There's an old adage that says the best way to shop at a grocery store is to avoid the middle. Far from being a winsome wive's tale, staying away from the shelves in the middle of the grocery store can save you a ton of money, and help you eat more wholesome, healthy food. The middle of the store is where you'll find most of the polysorbate-80, monosoduim glutamate, and various cyclamates for sale.
Stick to the outside of the store where the produce department, dairy, meat and fish counters, and bakery can be found. Be careful here too; although stewing beef and hot dogs cost roughly the same per pound, one of them is full of iron and protein, and the other one loaded with nitrates and chemicals. Try to avoid the 'hoot' dogs; your $3 or $4 is better spent elesewhere.
The obvious problem with buying food that's preservative-free is spoilage. The easiest and most cost-effective way to deal with perishable food is to make large batches and free the left-overs. If you like chili - as I do - make a gallon of it, enjoy a bowl for dinner, and then use plastic containers (preferably BPH-free) to divide and freeze. Frozen meat dishes, if properly sealed, can easily last 3 months or longer in the freezer, and they're ready to go whenever you don't feel like cooking. I can make a gallon of chili (about 10 servings) for $15, or half that for vegetarian chili. Hotdogs in buns might cost a little bit less, but if you compare them on a dollar-per-nutrient basis, there's no comparisson.
