Nutrition...feeding a family +5

[Artsand crafts]

You can also skip buying some organic produce based on the Dirty dozen and clean 15 list (http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eati...n-produce-list). We also eat home made organic meals, but take into consideration this list and also buy non-organic watermelon, bananas, cantaloupe, pineapple and other fruits that are peeled off. One of my major expenses is meats since I do not have any organic farms close by and we need to buy them from a upscale organic supermarket, but we do not eat that much meat either. I compensate their cost by eating some days fulfilling vegetarian meals or seafood. Costco has frozen shrimp and fish with not additives, too.

[momofnerds]

is there a reason for buying organic. I would also not do some homemade stuff if it cost me alot. I can feed 6 people (4 older kids) and all my daycare kids for wayyyyy under 200 dollars a week. I cook every single day.

first, prepackaged food isn't bad for you if your choosing the right stuff.
coupons and price matching does make a huge deal
also not going to the store every day is huge too
and buying in bulk too

[bright sparks]

is there a reason for buying organic. I would also not do some homemade stuff if it cost me alot. I can feed 6 people (4 older kids) and all my daycare kids for wayyyyy under 200 dollars a week. I cook every single day.

first, prepackaged food isn't bad for you if your choosing the right stuff.
coupons and price matching does make a huge deal
also not going to the store every day is huge too
and buying in bulk too

Most prepackaged food is not optimal for you. I appreciate that everyone has their own opinion on organic foods and for some it is not of importance, but for me it is. I do not wish to put pesticides and herbicides in my body and I want to give my kids the best possible start in life from my own perspective and beliefs in nutrition. I also will not eat farmed fish, red meat or processed foods as they are just flat out unhealthy, do the research it is horrifying, bearing in mind though that some will tolerate one thing differently to someone else so it is a personal thing also.

I'd love it momofnerds if you could back up what you say with examples of good prepackaged foods. I do by some as listed in my original post but they are not everyday foods so not the end of the world if consumed occasionally. Also I'd love to know exactly what you feed your crew for under $200 a week so I can see the error of my grocery shopping trips.

[Artsand crafts]

I forgot, I also buy several frozen organic veggies that I will end of cooking and it is cheaper.

[Artsand crafts]

For snacks, what about home made popcorn; roasted pumpkins or sunflower seeds; baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, celery sticks, etc with dip; dried fruits and nuts; home made cocoa or coconut chia pudding (I saw the recipe somewhere on internet), celery sticks with peanut butter; edamame with salt and maybe lemon. Even we are not gluten free, these are some of the gluten free snacks I have served dck and my family. I will be making the cocoa chia pudding soon. It sounds good.

[bright sparks]

For snacks, what about home made popcorn; roasted pumpkins or sunflower seeds; baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, celery sticks, etc with dip; dried fruits and nuts; home made cocoa or coconut chia pudding (I saw the recipe somewhere on internet), celery sticks with peanut butter; edamame with salt and maybe lemon. Even we are not gluten free, these are some of the gluten free snacks I have served dck and my family. I will be making the cocoa chia pudding soon. It sounds good.

I have a friend who makes chocolate pudding from avocados and swears her kids dont know any different lol. I also have a new recipe to try for brownies that includes black beans which would be a whole lot more filling.

[Artsand crafts]

Kale chips, cheese, there are also different alternatives to rice cakes in the health super store, like quinoa, corn, etc cakes (the ones that are kind of puffed crackers). Your children can also spread cream cheese, peanut butter, or hummus on them.

[bright sparks]

Kale chips, cheese, there are also different alternatives to rice cakes in the health super store, like quinoa, corn, etc cakes (the ones that are kind of puffed crackers). Your children can also spread cream cheese, peanut butter, or hummus on them.

kamut rice cakes are delicious and I love kale chips...make them myself

[2cuteboys]

Try to grow vegetables that you can can or pickle, to get you a little further into the year. I did pickles, beets and pickled carrots last year and my kids loved them - the carrots worked much better than the pickles, and aside from the boiling, they were easier. I didn't buy the actual canning supplies either - just boiled in a big ol pot and used silicon oven gloves to move them. You can get cans second hand and buy the lids/middle part separately. I found some on sale at save-on last year too.

I'm also going to try to can tomatoes this year, as they grow quickly and (usually) you can get a lot. We use a lot of canned tomatoes as well, so it's something that would be budget friendly for us. If you use a lot of tomatoes, costco has a box of Kirkland organic diced tomatoes - eight big cans (I want to say 28 oz? Not sure though) for under $10. They sell some natural rice blends that are pricey compared to plain white rice, but the same brand/type at the grocery stores is much more expensive. My dad is so skeptical of costco for things not actually being cheaper, and it's true, but sometimes things actually are, particularly I've found for the natural or organic stuff.

Also google "ewg dirty dozen" and "clean 15" for produce. The clean 15 is a list of fruits and veggies that don't tend to take on pesticide residues and such, so it's safer (and cheaper!) to purchase those non-organic.

[bright sparks]

Try to grow vegetables that you can can or pickle, to get you a little further into the year. I did pickles, beets and pickled carrots last year and my kids loved them - the carrots worked much better than the pickles, and aside from the boiling, they were easier. I didn't buy the actual canning supplies either - just boiled in a big ol pot and used silicon oven gloves to move them. You can get cans second hand and buy the lids/middle part separately. I found some on sale at save-on last year too.

I'm also going to try to can tomatoes this year, as they grow quickly and (usually) you can get a lot. We use a lot of canned tomatoes as well, so it's something that would be budget friendly for us. If you use a lot of tomatoes, costco has a box of Kirkland organic diced tomatoes - eight big cans (I want to say 28 oz? Not sure though) for under $10. They sell some natural rice blends that are pricey compared to plain white rice, but the same brand/type at the grocery stores is much more expensive. My dad is so skeptical of costco for things not actually being cheaper, and it's true, but sometimes things actually are, particularly I've found for the natural or organic stuff.

Also google "ewg dirty dozen" and "clean 15" for produce. The clean 15 is a list of fruits and veggies that don't tend to take on pesticide residues and such, so it's safer (and cheaper!) to purchase those non-organic.

Thank you so much....I do buy the tomatoes from costco and they save a lot of money. I grew an insane amount of tomatoes last year, to many really, and I have everything to jar them but chickened out after reading up on how easy it is to cock it up and have them contaminated with bacteria. My friends mum has already said that this year she will teach us both how to do it so I look forward to that.