Feeding Your Family: Q & A

To conclude the Feeding Your Family series I opened it up for questions here is the lone question I received.

Q:  My husband is diabetic, and trying to buy food that he can have is expensive!!! Also, it is hard to find alternatives to fat/carb-laden/processed foods we used to eat.  How do you do it? 

This question comes at a PERFECT time for me because since starting my 24 day challenge I, too, have been on a journey to find meals that are not carb centered and filled with lots of processed foods.  My grocery cart the past few weeks has been filled with fruits, veggies, and lean meats and sometimes those can be expensive (especially considering a box of pasta that can feed 6 people is $1.  Here are a few tips I've been learning.

-Buy your snack veggies in bulk!  A huge package of carrots at Costco is pretty inexpensive and will last a LONG time.  Buy the carrots whole, and you can peel and cut them yourself to save even more money.

-Buy whats on sale!  Every week there is some produce on sale.  Expand your horizons and try new things in order to save money.  You may find a new favorite!

-Use your freezer!  Buy good lean meats when they are on sale and stock up your freezer.  Rosauers has a 13 hour meat sale a couple times a year and this is when I stock up on steaks.

-Recipe hunt! If you think having chicken and veggies is boring every night search the internet and you will find lots of different ways to prepare the same elements to have a new creative meal.  Google search "diabetic friendly recipes" and you will find lots of ideas.

- Avoid convenience foods!  This goes right along with peeling and cutting your own carrots.  Make your "sugar free" snacks yourself.  A lot of companies know that you will pay extra for something that fits a specific diet (gluten-free, no added sugar, etc.) but really I made cookies the other day that had no table sugar in them and Addy loved them.

Obviously I do not know your SPECIFIC situation so all these might not apply or work for you, but hopefully they were somewhat helpful!

Feeding Your Family Series

I am super excited about my next series of posts.  I have posted my weekly menu plans from day one of this blog, but I know how overwhelming it can be to think about planning a menu, making a shopping list, and actually executing a menu!

I am hoping this series is helpful to those who already menu plan and to those who want to give it a shot! I will be posting on Thursday's so make sure to check-in if this is a topic you want more info on!  Also feel free to email me any of your menu planning, recipe, or cooking questions so I can try to respond to them throughout my posts!! My email is lcvalleymom@me.com

Here is my lineup of topics:
Week 1: More than a Meal
Week 2: Benefits of Planning a Menu
Week 3: Creating a Menu Plan (Nuts & Bolts)
Week 4: "What's for Dinner?"
Week 5: Organizing Your Recipes
Week 6: The not-so-impossible art of Freezer Cooking
Week 7: "But I Can't Cook!"