Eating Healthy IS Affordable!

There seems to be three HUGE misconceptions about eating healthy...

1. Eating healthy is too expensive.

2. Eating healthy is too complicated.

3. Eating healthy doesn't taste good.

YUM Food Solutions is all about disproving all three, one by one, beginning with the first. Expense.

Sure, there are ways you can spend all sorts of money on processed, prepared, specialty and hard to find items... not to mention organic produce, especially when the item is out of season, or must travel long distances to fulfill an organic need.

However, by learning which things *should* be organic, you can prioritize:

http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/slowfoodorganiclocal/a/organicproduce_2.htm

Buying in season and buying local, also encourages farmers to utilize what produce works well in the climate and region already, eliminating many, if not all, of pesticide use. Just because a local farm isn't certified organic, does not mean the crop has been sprayed. Help find seasonal produce using this link from Epicurious: http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/seasonalingredientmap

and use local farms whenever possible. The quality of your food will improve and you'll help support your local economy at the same time!

If you have the desire for certified organic or sustainable farms, seek out a local Community Supported Agriculture Farm Share, like 47th Avenue Farm: http://www.47thavefarm.com/ Get to know your farmer, experiment with new and interesting vegetables and gain some clarity about some of the challenges of the harvest.

If you need an indulgent amount of veggies for juicing, etc... consider striking a deal with a local farmer through the Farmer's Markets. I've heard that this can be an inexpensive way to obtain larger quantities of nutrient dense seasonal veggies.

I also discovered the food co-op's and places like Limbo, near Trader Joe's in SE... where sometimes you will find an entire cache of an item for $1! Like the jalapeños I recently scored from a friend who couldn't possibly use them all. So she shared, and now I get to make relish, jam and poppers galore! Fred Meyer recently had rutabagas, 2 lbs for a $1! Buy them up, make soup and freeze!

Even when excess is not desired and a modest trip to the store must ensue, I've discovered that some of the cheapest items are the fresh ones, whole, and in season. A recent trip to Freddies yielded this list:

• 2 bananas
• 4 local pears
• 2 organic sweet potatoes
• 1 head of organic cauliflower
• some mushrooms
• 2 organic apples
• some Brussels sprouts
• several organic rutabagas
• 2 bunches of radishes
• 3 broccoli crowns
• 3 organic leeks
• a grapefruit
• a head of garlic
• 6 carrots
• 2 yellow onions 
• a head of red cabbage

All of this cost me $16.31!

Combined with staples I already had at home... rice, olive oil, quinoa, dried beans, lentils, etc... I'm able to make a plethora of homemade meals that are both nutrient dense, as well as delicious. 

Contact me, for more information... I'll show you how!