Coupons and Eating Healthy

Tonight I was privileged to teach Enrichment night at my church, a night where women get together and learn new homemaking or life skills. I used to teach the "coupon classes" all the time. At least that was before I went rogue.

A while back I helped to start a coupon website that has since become pretty popular in Utah, where I live. At one point I was even offered a television spot in Arizona to promote the site. I knew all the ins and outs and was that lady that everyone hates...the one that gets two carts full of groceries for $20 and takes FOREVER at the checkout. I saved so much money that, at the time, it was well worth all the scoffs from the people in line and the time spent clipping coupons. And I did it the easy way! I spent maybe an hour once a week tops, organizing and cutting coupons.

And then I got into nutrition and fitness. I noticed a trend with the foods that were listed in coupons and sale ads. I had a pantry stocked with Campbell's soup, sugary granola bars, fruit snacks, frozen dinners, etc. I didn't normally buy that stuff, but how could I miss out when it was practically free? Sure I was getting my groceries at a fraction of the cost, but the quality of our food seemed to be subpar. It's a common conclusion that many people come to. In fact, even tonight my friend commented "It seems like the only type of food the coupons are for are convenience foods."

It's a valid question. Can you "coupon" and still eat healthy?

In short, yes you can. You have to be careful though. You can get caught up in the savings and forget about quality over price. Here are a few tips to help you save cash and still buy healthy foods:

1. If you wouldn't buy it full price, don't get it even if it's FREE! Don't let the sale ads dominate or control your food choices. Manufactures are willing to produce coupons because they know that most people will try their item if they can get it cheap enough. Don't let them make your choices for you.
2. Use coupons for non-food items like; toiletries, detergents, make-up, diapers, paper goods, school supplies, etc. Don't pay full price for those items when you can get them deeply discounted.
3. Combine sale prices with coupons for a double whammy savings.
4. Remember that all items tend to go on sale every 3 months. If you missed the big sale this time, wait until it goes on sale again. And remember to stock up when you do get the item on sale so that you have a 3 months supply to get you through the next sale.
5. Pay full price for quality items when necessary like; vitamins, fish oil, protein powder, whole grains, produce. It's not always true, but with some things you really do get what you pay for.
6. Skip packaged food, packaged dinners, packaged snacks, the types of food you usually get with coupons. Avoid the sugary cereals when they go on sale too. It doesn't matter how cheap it is, crap is crap no matter how little you paid for it! Remember the scripture, "don't spend your money for that which has no worth." This would be a very literal interpretation of that.
7. Look into local Farmer's markets. You can get fresh, organic, local (read eco-friendly) foods often times much cheaper than at regular grocery stores. Buy produce when it is in season and bottle or can the surplus so you can eat it all year.
8. Plant a garden. Nothing beats garden fresh tomatoes from your own backyard. Not to mention you can choose to plant only the foods that your family will eat. This is the cheapest way I know of to get fresh produce. Plus, you can put your kids to work and teach them the joy of the harvest after working hard for it!
9. Sam's Club and Costco for SELECT items. Overall, they really aren't that much cheaper than say, Walmart. BUT, there are a few select items that I buy that are always cheaper there. I buy my meats, bread and some produce there as well as some clothing items. I go in with a list, walk fast and get out quick. When I start to roam I end up spending way too much money there. The owner of the website I helped to start used to say that the slogan for bulk stores is "Folks going broke to save money."
10. Last of all, plan ahead before you go to the store. In the past, I have literally spent over a hundred dollars at the grocery store and walked away with nothing to make dinner with. Meal planning is not only essential for saving money, it's vital to preparing and eating healthy food for you and your family. At the very least, plan a couple of days worth of meals and the ingredients you need for them. With a plan in hand, you will be less tempted to buy the 10 for $10 fruit snacks or .79 cents Sugar Puffs.

Curried Sweet Potato Soup

Every Fall I love to get out my sweaters and soup recipes and get all cozy. I've seen tons of soup blogs as of late. Soups are wonderful ways to feed your family nutritious food in a sneaky way. The only way my kids would ever eat a parsnip is in a soup. Speaking of parsnips, I want to share with you my favorite Fall soup from a nifty little blog called "Not Eating Out in New York."

Curried Sweet Potato Soup
(makes 2-3 servings)

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut to 1″ pieces
1 medium parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1-2 teaspoons hot curry powder
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy pot, cook the onions with the butter on low for about 5 minutes, stirring. Add the parsnips, chopped rosemary, a pinch each of salt and pepper and continue on low to cook another 5-6 minutes. Reduce heat if onions begin to brown. Add the sweet potatoes and stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes.

Use a hand food processor to blend soup into a creamy, almost-smooth consistency (I prefer to have just a few tiny lumps, but not many). Or, transfer to a food processor and blend in batches. Return to low heat, and add a bit of the curry powder, some salt and a little pepper. Taste for seasoning, and add more curry and/or salt according to taste. Add the milk and stir until completely heated through. Adjust seasoning if desired. Garnish with optional fresh herbs (such as parsley) and serve.

Cost Calculator
(for 2-3 servings)

2 sweet potatoes (at $1/lb): $1.00
1 parsnip (at $2.50/lb): $0.25
1 small onion (at $1.25/lb): $0.30
2 cups homemade chicken stock: $0.25
1 cup milk: $0.60
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (at $2/bunch): $0.25
2 teaspoons curry powder, salt and pepper: $0.40
2 tablespoons butter (at $4/lb): $0.25

Total: $3.30

Health Factor

One brownie point: I can’t think of anything bad to say about this recipe, health-wise. Who knew that parsnips were more nutritionally dense than their vibrant cousins, carrots? And along with sweet potato, we’re talking Vitamin A, potassium and fiber to the max, plus B-vitamins, Vitamin C, folate and calcium (and that’s not counting the milk in this recipe). Despite their strong flavors, sweet potatoes and parsnips happen to be relatively low in calories and arehighly recommended complex carbohydrates. How did that happen??

At Home Resistance Workout

For those of you who do not have the luxury of a gym membership or a home gym, I have a workout for you! Last post, one of the things I mentioned your body needs for peak performance is heavy lifting-resistance, to keep your muscles and bones strong. There are many other benefits to resistance training, here are a few:

• Stronger muscles=better performance in all physical aspects of your life
• Bigger muscles=faster metabolism at rest
• Strong bones=reduces chances of osteoporosis
• Shapely muscles=a better looking YOU

There are a few important things to consider when doing resistance training:

1. Give your body 24 hrs. rest between sessions
2. Work all the major muscle groups in your body
3. Aim to do resistance training 2-3 a week
4. Repetitions (the number of times you perform an exercise) create different desired affects:

• 4-8 reps build strength
• 8-12 reps build shape
• 12-15 reps build endurance

So now here is a fantastic routine that can be performed from home without any expensive equipment:

30 Squats

15 Push-ups

30 Lunges

Pull-ups (if you don't have a pull-up bar, you can also use your kid's swing set!)

Bicycles

Repeat three rounds of these exercises. Click the exercises for video demo links.

Your Body's Manual

I might be a little biased, being a personal trainer and all, but I am excited to get to my favorite part of health...EXERCISE. Our bodies are amazing machines. I do not know of any machines that actually get stronger, more efficient and better looking with proper use. But your body does. It was built to be used. But not used in just any way, but proper, efficient, smart exercise can do just that...improve your machine.

My great-grandfather used to say, "I don't need exercise, I WORK." That was definitely true at the time he said it. But we live in a different day and age. Much different than the millions and billions of humans that have lived before us. Sitting at a desk to make a living is a relatively new idea for humans. And thanks to the invention of cars and other transportation there is little-to-no need to walk anywhere other than down the aisles of your favorite grocery store. Heck, even washing your clothes 100 years ago was a workout and is now a chore that merely takes the turn of a dial and some marginal bending.

Why is this a problem? It's great that our lives are easier, more time to spend on the internet right? (JOKING!) Seriously though, OUR BODIES NEED EXERCISE. If your body came with a manual for peak performance, here would be the abbreviated version:

1. Take care of your heart. Get your heart rate up for at least 30-60 minutes a day, more if you can. How do you know if you heart is pumping fast enough? If you can talk in uninterrupted discourses you are not working out hard enough. You want to be able to speak, but in short sentences. Or, better yet, perform my favorite cardio exercise, HIIT (high intensity interval training.)
2. Stretch your tight muscles.
3. Give your body only Premium Fuel. (Remember the Basics.) Give it less than the best and you will get less than the best performance. Period.
4. Challenge your body. Every time you exercise go longer, harder or try something new. You body is smarter than you think. It is built to be efficient and adapts quickly to the activities you perform on a regular basis.
5. Keep your muscles and bones strong by lifting heavy things. This means WEIGHT LIFTING or body weight exercises like pull-ups, push-ups, hip thrusts, etc.
6. Move more. Walk when you can, take the stairs, play with your kids, garden, rake leaves, get out and enjoy nature.
7. Get 8 hours of sleep a night. You body recuperates and heals during sleep. Not only that, but in a recent study people who got just 80 minuets less sleep than those who got 8 hours consumed 500+ calories more per day. Keep that up over a week and you've already gained a pound. Continue that for a year and you're looking at a hefty 50 lbs gain in fat! Here's a link to that study.
8. Get a little vitamin D a day in the form of sun. In the case of inclement weather, take a vitamin D supplement.
9. Take an Omega 3 fish oil supplement daily. Make sure you buy pharmaceutical grade fish oil from wild caught fish so as to ensure that mercury and other contaminants are not present.