How to Save Money on Organic Produce in Nashville, TN - 6 Tips For Saving Money

A lot of people think that eating organic fruits and vegetables is expensive. Well, it doesn't have to be, if you play your cards right. This week I am talking about how to save money on organic produce in Nashville, TN.

I live in Nashville, so I can't speak for any other cities or states, but I'm sure if you look around, you'll be able to find some of the things that I will talk about.

 

 

How to Save Money on Organic Produce in Nashville, TN

1. Shop According to the Weekly Ad

   Most health food stores, and regular grocery stores have weekly ads. Sprouts, a new grocery store here, has a lot of Organic Produce, and some of it is the same price, or cheaper than conventional produce, when they put it on sale. For example: this week they have a 5lb bag of organic russet potatoes for $1.98! That's just about $0.40 a pound (before tax)! I've never seen potatoes that cheap! Here, on my blog, I have a page dedicated to the weekly ads of all health food and grocery stores, here and around Nashville, TN. If you would like an easy source to see all the sales on Organic Produce, please click here. 

2. Buy In Season

   Have you ever started buying a fruit or vegetable that you really started to like, and then one day when you went to the store, it wasn't there, or its price shot up? Just FYI, it changed seasons, and the fruit or vegetable stopped producing. That means they can't get as much of it, if any, as they did in the previous season. What you need to do to not be disappointed, or forced to pay a pretty penny is learn the seasons of your favorite fruits and vegetables. You probably already know that Pumpkins come out in the Fall, and Watermelons in Summer, but what about strawberries? Cauliflower? Learn the seasonal fruits and veggies, so you don't spend your whole paycheck!

3.  Buy In Bulk, If You Can

   Some stores will give you a deal if you buy a case of a certain fruit or vegetable. If you are the only one in your household, this may not be the best option for you, unless you know you will eat it all. If you buy in bulk, but there is a lot of waste, you didn't save any money. Costco and Sam's Club are also great places to look for organic produce! If you don't have a Costco or Sam's Club membership, never fear, you probably have a friend or family member who does, and would gladly take you shopping with them!
   

4.  Look For Closeouts

   Most grocery stores have a section where they put produce that is ripening too much, and they reduce the price of it. They also might do Manager's Specials if they have too much of something, and they're getting a shipment in of the same product soon. Look out for these! These can be very useful! For example, Kroger sometimes has Organic bananas that have ripened too much for $0.49 per pound. Even if you don't think you'll eat that many bananas, you can buy them, freeze them, and use them for smoothies, and such. Then, for a few weeks at least, you won't have to buy any bananas for smoothies! See how this works?

5.  Shop Locally

   At some grocery stores shopping locally can be expensive, but get out to the Farmer's Market! Sure, in the Winter time you won't find many vendors there, but that's no excuse now! Its Spring! The time for blooming flowers and fruition! Get out there, and you'll see some grt prices from some even greater people! The best thing? You get to meet the people growing the fruits and vegetables you will be eating. How great is that?
   

6.  Buy Frozen, It's Okay

   Don't worry about buying fresh all the time. Sometimes things just won't be in the budget, and that's okay. Frozen is the next best, and its great for making smoothies, or a Raw Ice Cream! in some cases Frozen might even have more nutrients than fresh because it is going straight from the farm to a freezer. Its not traveling all that way. Just always make sure its organic, and it really is cheaper than Fresh. Also, if you think you can't afford the fresh, look in your cart and see if you can give something up that might not be as healthy as that fresh fruit or veggie. Sometimes you just have to cut back on your comforts to be able to eat healthier.
   
   See? Eating organically doesn't have to be expensive. you just have to know how to look for deals, and play the seasons.
   
   Thank you so much for reading, and I hope this was helpful!
   
   Allyson
   
   P.S. Happy April Fool's Day, but this wasn't a prank! :p

 

Delicious Raw Vegan Pesto and Zucchini Pasta ... YUM!

Last night my mom made some Raw Vegan Pesto with zucchini "noodles." It was really good! She kind of went off a recipe in a book we have called Raw & Simple by Judita Wignall.She added a little bit more garlic than it called for. It was still good, but I think she should've kept the garlic the same. It made it a little too salty. It was so good, but we were filled up really quick, so we saved the rest for today's lunch! She spruced it up a bit today by adding raw sliced bell peppers, greens, and mung bean sprouts. The garlic wasn't over-powering with the extra stuff in it.

Here's the Recipe:

Pesto:

2 cups (80g) basil leaves, packed (we used dried basil because we don't have it fresh)

1/4 cup (59ml) olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, crushed (we used 4 cloves, but remember with out the extra stuff, it was too salty)

1/2-1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (110g) hemp seeds or raw pine nuts (we used walnuts, and it tasted just fine!)

Place all of the ingredients, except nuts, in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add nuts and pulse a few times until incorporated.

1 Zucchini = 1 person

Spiralize or peel zucchini into ribbons and mix in with the pesto.

If you want the noodles to be softer, try peeling the skin off the zucchini, first. You could also try spaghetti squash! That would be good! Also, we noticed that today, the day after she made it, the noodles seemed softer, as well. In that case, you could make this earlier in the day for dinner, and put in the fridge. It's kind of like marinating the zucchini noodles.You could also, probably, leave it out to marinate. After all, there is no dairy or meat to go bad!

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and remember the original recipe comes from Judita Wignall's book: Raw & Simple.

Thank you for reading! 

Allyson

How to Be a Crunchy Person: Transitioning from Semi- "Normal" to "Crunchy"

So, I had never heard of the term "Crunchy" until I was speaking with my uncle about an organic, all vegan protein powder I wanted to create. He said, "So, you're targeting crunchy people?" I was kind of like, huh? Well, I ended up finding out that "crunchy" people are people who try to do everything the natural, holistic way. They are, basically, hippies.

I liked the sound of "crunchy" people, but I knew at that point I was not even close to being "crunchy." Yeah, I meditate, and I try to only put natural things on and inside my body, but I was still eating dairy products, and I still ate anything put in front of me, or in the house, that was "vegetarian." That included chips, chocolate, suckers, grilled cheese sandwiches, cheese pizza, veggie pizza, sandwiches that were mostly bread, cheese quesadillas, bean burritos, etc. I was, and still am not, the picture of health.

Within the past week, I have been learning tons of new things about foods like: Irradiation, sprouting grains, etc. Also, I've been learning new things about detoxifying my organs, how to keep my body in a state of peace and tranquility, body brushes, and just plain clean and healthy living in all aspects of my life.

Now, I'm going to ask you a question:

Did you know that people are really supposed to squat when they use the bathroom?
Yep! Every time we have to poop, we're supposed to be in a deep squat position. The problem is, most people don't know how to squat. Everyone knew at some point. Just look at toddlers. They are squatting all the time, and most often when they poop in their diapers. There are ways to
squat when using the bathroom, that aren't too much of an inconvenience.
The first option is very cost efficient and relatively easy. Go to Dollar Tree, or another cheap store, and buy one of those disposable roast pans. I think you know where I'm going with this. ;p Yes, I am asking you to use this to squat over when you poop. Then, when you're done, you can dump your dump into the toilet. Some people who do this like to put some toilet paper where there poo is going to land in the pan, that way its not too messy. You could also line the pan with a grocery bag, and then just tie it up and throw it away in a trash can far away from your house, or in your appartment complex's dumpster.
The second option takes a little bit of money, but this is very easy, and there is no mess. You can make a squatting platform to place over your toilet. The instructions are located here. Just click on the picture of it on the left.
The third option is to actually stand on the toilet seat and squat. This is very difficult, and will take some practice, but it is good to know if you want to go to someone's house, and they don't have a squatting platform or a Squatty Potty, see the next option.
The last option is to obtain a Squatty Potty. This are not the best option, that's why its last. They are not as good as squatting because using the Squatty Potty, your legs are not doing anything, accept raising. This is a good option if you are just starting out "squatting" to poop, and this is definitely easier.    

I hope this was informative, and I will be posting some more options for a different way of living.

Thank you for reading!

Allyson 

What Am I Gonna Do???

Today I have done Dr. Axe's Salt Water Flush. This is great for your colon, but it doesn't get everything out that you need to, in order to feel AMAZING and have a healthy colon, again.

The reason people do not have healthy colons anymore is because of all the crap (no pun intended). Okay, maybe there was a pun intended, but the crap is why. Everyone is eating stuff that gets blocked up and trapped in your intestines, and what that is, is literally crap (aka: poop, doo doo, shit, fecal matter, poo poo, etc.). The way to flush it out completely is something I haven't done, yet, because this is the beginning of my journey.

I am 19 years old, and I believe that a Raw/Living Food Diet will help me live a long, wonderful life, in which I can feel AMAZING and energized through out my whole time here in this body. I turn 20 in August, and I hope to feel a lot better than I do now. My knees feel like they are getting arthritis in them. What? I'm 19! I am not fat, but I am not at the ideal weight, either, for someone my height. I weigh approximately 135 lbs. and am 5'4". Keep in mind, I am not going on this journey to lose weight, but I am expecting to, based on the facts I have read, and documentaries I have watched. My first step is eating as much raw and living food as I possibly can. It shouldn't be too hard, but there are temptations everywhere.

I am already a vegetarian. I have been for a little over 4 years. That definitely doesn't mean I was eating healthfully. Just recently I have taken cheese out of my diet, and every time I go visit my dad, I make sure to take my own food. I sometimes see my dad every week, but I also sometimes see him once a month. He is not a health nut. AT ALL. Whenever I eat a veggie burger, or something like that, he calls it rabbit food, and takes a swig of his Mountain Dew, and a puff of his cigarette. Yes, all he drinks is Mountain Dew. No water. But, this blog is not for anyone else but myself. I am focusing on me, and my eating habits. I can't worry about other people's eating habits right now.

My plan is to detoxify all of my internal organs. The first one that I want to start cleansing, but I know it is going to take a while, is my colon. I am going to go through a series of Colonics or Colon Hydrotherapy Sessions. It can be kind of pricey, but after I go through this series, I am going to start giving myself enemas. It will be a journey that I will share on this blog, as well as my other cleanses, and recipes that I like. Most recipes will be Raw Vegan ones, but there may also be some cooked Vegan recipes.

I hope you will join and support me on this journey, and maybe even try it for yourself.

Thank you for reading, and be AMAZING! :)

Resources for learning more about Raw Foods:
Rawmazing
The Full Helping

Raw Recipe Sites:
Raw Food Recipes
Raw on $10 a Day
Raw Foods on a Budget