Okay so a lot of people love to come up with excuses as to why they can’t eat a raw food diet (and yes at times this includes me) or at least an 80% raw food diet. Whether or not you want to eat 100% raw or not we all know good and well that foods in their natural state are going to be supportive to the body, so let’s all take a look at what we can do to eat good amount of our food raw even if we are on a budget.
It wasn’t until I created financial challenges at different times in my life that I had to get inventive/creative with how I would continue to eat the way I felt was the best for my body.Â
It isn’t always the easiest thing to do – buying a box of organic macaroni and cheese would save money and perhaps time.
However, how would a highly heated, cooked and processed meal feel inside a body that knows well and good the feeling of eating live foods – more than likely, other than the best ever.
So what is one to do in this situation?
Well wisdom will definitely tell us, What is in the Way often, is the Way.
Meaning whatever is in the way, probably is the way to your freedom.
There is some golden nugget within that challenge. And it is up to you to reclaim it.
And that struggle can become the fertilizer for your life’s seeds or your desires to manifest your purpose and mission here on Earth.
Consider it a blessing and ask for the golden nugget behind it to become stronger, wiser and better because of it.
So now that we Spiritually have our heart around the situation, let’s get into the nitty gritty.
You are at your local health food store or market and you find that most everything has gone up in price since your last visit. “Hmmm..that’s interesting,” you say to yourself.
How shall you juice when 1 organic cucumber is about 3 bucks!
Well for starter’s you look for produce and plants that are on sale. Next you find the discount bin.
At my local health food store there are discount bins. Are they right out in the open?
Not really, they are usually hidden down on the ground in baskets, not marked really well.
However, the price cut is about 30% off of the top dollar produce.
Will you always find the perfect avocado? Perhaps not but often I find bags of lemons, zucchini and other vegetables that are perfectly ready to be juiced, blended or made into tonight’s dinner.
The key is using them quickly.
The store often must get rid of produce that they feel will not last much longer.
I am NOT suggesting to buy the stuff that looks haggard and bruised up, this stuff will often be moldy and not helpful to your health. However a imperfections can be cut out and you are good to go.
Next, shop the bulk sections.
My health food store has a bulk section of super food powders, herbs and supplements.
We also have soaps in bulk and the like. This will save you countless dollars.
The cost of the bottle, box and label is often what jack’s the price up. Their are bags there, that I can fill up on Chlorella, Greens Powders, Vitamin C, Rose Hips and the list goes on.
I don’t recommend nuts and seeds in the bulk bins as they often oxidize quickly making the oils go rancid.
And Third: Be mindful of what goes in the trash. For example, today I was getting ready to make a marinated, raw broccoli and brussel sprout dish.
I took the broccoli and cut off the big, thick stem as I was not going to need that for my recipe.
I looked at all that goodness and thought, what can I do with this before it just gets chucked into the trash or into a compost?
Well, I could certainly juice this plant material. So with that said, I took the broccoli pieces with left over dandelion green stems and other vegetables in the crisper and off I went to make a large green juice for lunch.
Now I have a marinated dish going in the dehydrator and a yummy juice in my belly that I can feel good about.
It shows the universe I am being smart about my money as well as showing up for myself in the way of healthy choices.
I took one step towards health and being smart about my investments and the universe gave me the creativity and power to create it all.
Next, often green juice powders can be more cost effective and time efficient than growing your own wheat grass/barley grass : )
If that is your thing awesome and if you have the room and setting for it I say, go for it!
If you don’t, show the universe you are still willing to make the commitment to your health.
If you buy raw, air dried barley or wheat grass you can make at least a dozen green drinks for yourself.
It eliminates much of the clean up and you are still getting the nutrients you so deserve. You can also use these green powders for enemas and douches. More on that and the benefits in another post.
The Dehydrator:
Although it is an investment in and of itself; if you have one this is a gateway to saving cash.
It can cost about 10 bucks for a bag of raw, sprouted crackers. Instead for that same 10 bucks you could be well on your way to making a couple dozen of those same, simple crackers in your own dehydrator.
Perhaps adding some left over greens to make them even more nutrient rich than the one’s at the store.
If you don’t have a dehydrator, simply put your oven on the lowest setting and as you show up and show the universe you are willing to do what it takes for your health great things happen.
Lastly, but certainly not least. Let’s tune into the wild foods around us.
We can learn how to forage for food or get the help of someone else that knows the plant kingdom well.
There are dvds/books out there to help you identify plants as well as local forager’s to connect with.
These plants/fruits have way more nutrition, strength and power.
This translates into your body and also connects you with your surrounding atmosphere.
Why is this important? For one thing it gives you more intuitive power, more magic and more connection.
It can also activate the healthy dna in your body and often the foods in our local environment have the antidotes to our ailments.
I trust this gives you some insights on how to make and eat raw or healthy on a budget. Keep these simple tips in mind/heart and share your helpful tips below!
Thanks for stopping by the Sacred Backyard!