Hey readers, just a quick plug: I haven’t touched on my blog too much about the “From Famine” part of my name. This past weekend I had a great opportunity to write a 3-part blog series on how God rescued me out of anorexia. Check it out on Whole Lifestyle Nutrition, where I am now a regular contributor!

The Couponer

I was one of those women. You know the ones. They’re the women who, when you step behind them in line at the market, you immediately kick yourself for not noticing sooner the stack of coupons laying atop their purse. These are the women unafraid to cause a scene over $0.50. In all reality, it’s not even about the $0.50–it’s about the game.

There were hours poured into this moment for her. Hours devoted to scavenging through magazines, newspapers, and websites. Sweat dripped off her forehead and onto her scissors as she clipped. Her tongue stuck out to the side of her mouth in concentration as she compared prices in weekly store circulars. All of her efforts culminate at this moment–the checkout.

I was one of those women. Now–don’t get me wrong. I endorse couponing. There is an extreme, of course, that I would consider unhealthy. However, there is nothing wrong with putting some time and effort into saving your family money.

Why We Don’t Coupon

We phased out of couponing. It was a natural result of the contents of our cart. As produce began to take over our grocery list, other items were replaced–the processed items. Unfortunately, there are no coupons available for bananas and asparagus. Couponing took a back seat as it was no longer relevant for what we were buying and eating.

As a side note, my local market does send out coupons booklets in which I can find a couple useful clippings, such as those for oranges, eggs, or butter, and so I still use the occasional coupon.

I recall during my couponing days, the rush of excitement I would get when I saw the “Buy 6 boxes of cereal, get milk and eggs for free!” deals. We were never really cereal eaters, but I still found a way to take advantage of this deal. I would find coupons for each box of cereal and go on “double days”, where the grocer would double the value of my coupons. I ended up buying 6 boxes of cereal for about $6.00 total. We would then drop the cereal off at the Salvation Army (and thus the $6.00 came out of our Salvation Army fund instead of our grocery fund), and I would hold on to the eggs and milk for home.

I now cringe a little thinking of how I took advantage of this deal by feeding impoverished citizens sugar-laden cereals. There has to be something ethically wrong with that…

Ditching Boxed, Processed Cereals for the Homemade, Real-Food Alternative

Although I’ve never been a fan of cereal, I do love a bowl of granola in the morning, as a snack, or even as a dessert, topped with raisins and fresh berries. I love a breakfast that can also double as a healthy dessert!

Here is a Real Food alternative to boxed cereals. Yes, boxed cereals can be bought cheap–very cheap with coupons which are quite prevalent for such items. However, we must ask ourselves, is a bargain really that good of a deal when it takes a toll on our family’s long-term health, and provides us a virtually useless meal to fuel us for the day?

Check out this very tangible image representation of how much sugar is actually in processed breakfast foods: Sugar Stacks

I would highly suggest giving this granola a try as a Real Food and very tasty alternative to jump start your family’s day.

Ezekiel has become a huge fan of this homemade granola as well. He loves to sit and snack on it. It’s a very nutritious snack offering:

• whole grains
• healthy fats, protein, and vitamins from nuts
• anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal benefits from honey, Ceylon cinnamon, and shredded coconut

For the month of April I have been listing our weekly grocery receipts. For those newer to my blog, I want to revisit my purpose for disclosing our purchases and expenses to the public eye.

On Saturday I was walking through our natural food market when I ran in to an old acquaintance from church. He congratulated me on the (very obvious) upcoming baby. Glancing into my basket he remarked, “Eating healthy for the baby, I see.” I smiled and explained a little bit about our adventure in eating real food. “It’s expensive”, was his reply with a sigh. I didn’t have time at the moment to go into all the reasons why that statement is not true. However, that is what I’m attempting to do on this blog.

My goals in disclosing what we buy are:

1. To keep us accountable to our set budget of $125/week for a family of three (and a half…)
2. To show readers that eating whole, real foods is affordable
3. To give readers a very real view into what we buy and eat on a weekly basis

Total for this week: $130.04

We went over this week. I guess an excess spent of $5.04 in three weeks isn’t too bad!

Trader Joes (1 Trip): $38.57

• Organic Fuji Apples, 4lb $4.98
• Crimini mushrooms $1.99
• Organic baby broccoli, 8oz $2.99
• 2 Orange bell peppers $2.38
• 6 bananas $1.14
• Plums 1.6lb $2.99
• Frozen mango, 24oz $2.69
• Frozen pineapple, 16oz $1.79
• Vino Formaggio chicken sausage, 1lb $5.65
• Raw turbinado sugar $3.49
• Columbia coffee, 14oz $6.99
• Whole wheat pitas $1.49

Fruit and Cheese Market (2 Trips): $13.39

• 1 gallon local whole milk $3.49
• Vermont white cheddar cheese, 1lb $7.91
• Asparagus, 1lb $1.99

Super Market (1 Trip): $55.53 (Pictured above)

• Bananas, 3.28lb $1.94
• Asparagus, 1.16lb $1.73
• 3 Red onions $3.74
• 2 Red bell peppers $0.89
• Organic baby spinach off salad bar, 0.49lb $2.59
• Yellow onions, 3lb $1.49
• Organic fresh sage, 0.75oz $1.99
• Carrots, 1lb $0.79
• Whole white mushrooms, 1lb $2.50
• Naval oranges, 8lb $3.98
• 5 Organic leeks $3.98
• Strawberries, 2lb $4.00
• Fontina cheese, 8oz $4.99
• Real butter, 1lb $1.99
• 18ct eggs $1.98
• Whole whipping cream, 16oz $3.99
• Organic vegetable broth $2.59
• Somen asian wheat noodles $2.69
• Soy sauce $2.12
• (2) Locally-produced flour tortillas 2.98
• (2) All-natural marinara $2.58

Natural Food Market (2 Trips): $22.55

• 100% grass-fed beef stew meat, 1.06lb $6.36
• Whole caraway, 0.04lb $0.22
• Bakers choice flour, 2.78lb $3.06
• Thick rolled oats, 1.45lb $1.54
• Raw peanuts, 1.12lb $3.99
• Corn pollenta, 2lbs $4.39
• Organic raisins, 15oz $2.99

What are just some of the things we ate with these ingredients, plus the ingredients from last week?

• Curry Beef Asian Stir-fry with Peppers, Crimini Mushrooms, and Baby Broccoli
• Homemade granola
• Homemade peanut butter
• Whole-wheat Pierogi with Chicken Sausage and Asparagus
• Homemade chocolate Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Shavings and Fresh Strawberries (for dinner with friends)
• Chicken Fajitas with Peppers and Onions (Pulled chicken was leftovers from dinner with friends)
• Pasta with mushrooms and spinach in an all-natural Arrabbiata sauce (spicy roasted red pepper marinara. It was from a jar, but only had a few ingredients, all recognizable, and it was on clearance) with fresh homemade Italian bread
• Fresh fruit and veggie smoothies

Real Food Question of the Week, Comment Below!: What is an average breakfast for you and your family? How does it sustain you throughout the morning (how do you feel a few hours later?)

Ok, here’s my Trader Joes plug (They should be paying me…) I get all of my nuts and seeds at Trader Joes, except peanuts (they don’t have raw peanuts). They do offer a wide range of nuts, and each in raw or roasted forms, whole or in pieces. Also, they are the best prices I have found. Yesterday I stocked up on 1lb of raw whole almonds, 1lb raw cashew pieces, and 1lb raw sunflower seeds for $12 total. That’s a steal, and very helpful when it comes to making granola.

Homemade Granola

Adapted from recipe on 100 Days of Real Food

Makes about 5 cups granola. 10 Minutes Prep. 60 Minutes Cook Time

• 3 1/2 cups thick rolled oats
• 2 cups raw nuts in pieces (I used cashew pieces, and then process whole almonds for big chunks)
• 1 cup raw seeds (I use sunflower and pumpkin)
• 1 cup raw shredded unsweetened coconut (Don’t leave this out, it’s wonderful!)
• 2tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2tsp ground nutmeg
• 6tbs real butter
• 1/2 cup honey (local, unprocessed)
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2tsp ground sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, and spices
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt together butter, honey, vanilla and salt
4. Pour liquid mixture over oat mixture in bowl, mix thoroughly
5. Spread into thin layer on two non-stick baking sheets
6. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stir halfway through
7. When removed from oven, pour back into large bowl. Granola will “clump” as it cools
8. Once cooled, transfer to airtight container and store for up to 2 weeks
9. Top with dried unsweetened fruit and fresh berries, serve with whole milk. Yum!

Real Food Question of the Week, Comment Below!: What is an average breakfast for you and your family? How does it sustain you throughout the morning (how do you feel a few hours later?)