Shop on a budget and still eat healthy, nourishing foods by following these 7 tips:

1. Plan ahead. A budget-conscious shopper has a plan in place. While there are few coupons available for whole, fresh foods, you can still be strategic by reviewing the sale items and planning your weekly menu accordingly.
2. Create your grocery list and stick to it.
3. Fill your cart with vegetables and fruit from the produce section. This will help you gain nourishment while staying on budget. For every meal, fill your plate with:
   • 80% plant-based: vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, leafy greens, nuts and seeds.
   • 20% animal products/proteins: meat, dairy and eggs.
4. Be careful and only venture into aisles for whole food staples such as brown rice, black beans, nuts and seeds. Avoid pre-packaged goods that are costly and full of harmful additives.
5. Instead of purchasing boxed snacks, cookies and chips, take the opportunity to schedule one or two afternoons a month where you can bake your own goods and freeze for future consumption.
6. If you’re struggling to prioritize where you spend your money, you can begin by asking yourself if the item is a “want” or “need” in your life. If it’s a “need”, then it is must be prioritized as such. This may mean giving up something else to fulfill the need.
7. Check into the option of a CSA or door-to-door organics company to deliver fresh fruit and vegetables. These options can provide cost savings in the long run.

Decide to make healthy shopping part of your lifestyle; dedicate the time and effort needed to sort out your personal budget and plan accordingly. Once you get your feet wet and complete a few shopping trips, you’ll better understand how to meet the needs of your family while achieving your financial goals.

It’s my great pleasure to serve and support you in health and happiness.  I’d love to hear from you; feel free to connect with me: connect@angelagaffney.com

Cheers to your health and happiness! 

XO,


Recipe:

Mexican Casserole

Ingredients:

Casserole:
3 small tomatoes on the vine, chopped
1 small zucchini, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
3 tbsp cilantro chopped
½ tsp granulated onion
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp Cholula hot sauce
1½ tbsp butter
3 cups pre-cooked brown rice
24 oz can vegetarian refried beans
Olive oil to coat baking dish

Topping:
1 avocado
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add butter to melt. Add tomatoes, pepper and zucchini and sauté for 5-7 minutes until tender. Add all spices and stir until vegetables are thoroughly coated. Lightly coat the bottom of a 9×13 pan with olive oil. Add a little of the tomato and vegetable sauce to bottom of pan. Spread 2 cups pre-cooked brown rice over the bottom of the pan. Pour half of the tomato and vegetable mixture over rice. Spread the refried beans on top of rice layer. Add 1 cup of brown rice as next layer. Coat the top layer of rice with remaining tomato sauce as final layer of the casserole. Bake at 375 until beans are bubbly, about 25 minutes. While the casserole is baking, stir together the avocado, cilantro and a dash of sea salt. Add one tsp of lime juice and stir. Add additional salt and lime juice to achieve your preferred flavor. Serve casserole onto plates and top with avocado mixture.

Recipe compliments of Angela Gaffney 

The New Year has arrived and if you’re like most Americans you’ve created your list of resolutions and goals for 2020.  This is a fantastic step in the right direction!  I suspect some of you may want to lose weight, get organized, sleep better, or get fit; but before you get started on your goals I need to ask you a few questions.  First, how many goals and resolutions are on the list?  Are you being reasonable about what you want to accomplish?  And have you set specific plans, timelines, and action items to support you in this endeavor?
 
Approximately half of the American population creates a New Year’s resolution.  A whopping 8% of these people actually achieve them.  I share this with you because I believe we can make this number a much greater success!  Achieving your resolution is more about creating consistency than anything else.  We get into routines and sometimes it can be tough to get out of them.  In order to break the routine and achieve our goals we must take small, consistent steps forward every day.

There are a few principles to follow when creating a successful long-term plan:

1. Set yourself up for success.  In order to create a doable goal you must consider your lifestyle, responsibilities, activities, personal habits and why you haven’t already accomplished this goal for yourself. It’s taken a while for you to get to the place you’re in right now, and change will take some time, too.  Plan accordingly and give yourself love, care and patience through the process. 
2. Create specific action items and timelines. Once your goal is set a plan and timeline will keep you on track.  For instance, if your goal is to lose weight you’ll want to start by creating a supportive environment.  You’ll have a hard time sticking with a healthy eating plan if the pantry is lined with Doritos and King Dongs.  You’re first action item in this scenario is to clean the junk food out of the pantry and replace it with a healthier alternative.  After cleaning the pantry, you will need to head to the grocery store to purchase healthy food.  The third action item might be for you to plan out a weekly menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner options.  You know yourself best; decide which action steps will support you in achieving your goal, set timelines to achieve them and stay the course.
3. Change your tune.  I heard this line a lot through my teenage years!  It means to change up your attitude and the story you’re telling yourself.  Because whatever we put into our minds and feed with repetition will soon be our reality.  Decide how you want to operate in this life and make it happen.  If your goal is to be fit but you haven’t worked out in 13 years, it’s time to create a new outlook.  Wake up and start every day with “I am a fit and strong” and then act on the action items and timelines you’ve set for yourself.  Above all, be kind to yourself.  It does no good to beat yourself up for the past; create a positive outlook, build a supportive environment, surround yourself with a supportive team of people and go after your goal.  You can and will make this happen!
4. Reverse happens.  It is human nature to do well for ourselves and then completely fall off the wagon and have a moment where our decision didn’t support the end goal.  I imagine if we were all perfect, and willing to live without growth we would never reverse our course.  But we’re human beings, we feel stressed at times, we are triggered by events, and for various reasons we’ll make decisions that steer us off track.  When this happens (notice I didn’t say IF, but when) please know that this is normal, and there’s no need for hardship, guilt and disappointment.  View it as a learning opportunity to assess life, figure out why you made the decision you did, and get right back on track to healthy living.  Life is our friend; she has no ill will against us but does provide learning opportunities every day.  Treasure this opportunity to grow and prosper.
5. Time to CELEBRATE!  Change begins when we become aware of what we want life to be.  We accept what we’d like to be different in our lives, and then we work hard to set our goals, create specific action plans, learn from our supportive and not-supportive decisions, and take small steps every day to get there.  It’s not easy, it can be demanding of our time, and we learn a lot about ourselves along the way.  Wouldn’t you agree with me that all of this effort, time and exploration deserve some acknowledgement?  Please take time to celebrate your successes, both big and small.  Successes include the times you fall off track and learn from the experience, as well as the times when you knock it out of the park with your action plans.  Celebration could include quiet space to write in your journal about your experience, or a self-care day of snow shoeing and massage; whatever suits your fancy, but you must celebrate in order to acknowledge the changes your making and continue to stay on track. 

It’s my great pleasure to serve and support you in health and happiness.  I’d love to hear about your success; feel free to connect with me: connect@angelagaffney.com

Cheers to your health and happiness! 

XO,

Recipe:

No Guilt-Nosh

Ingredients:

1 cup dates
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw walnuts
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp flax meal
1 tbsp water
Shredded coconut to coat the no-guilt nosh

Directions: 

In food processor blend all ingredients until you can form balls out of the dough. Roll each ball in coconut and put onto parchment paper. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Enjoy!

Recipe compliments Angela Gaffney “The Daily Essentials Cookbook Collection Lunch”