Thursday, January 23, 2014

SCD Diet on a Budget


Today I wanted to write a little about how to do SCD on a budget...

I would like to say it's very easy to do SCD on a budget, but to be realistic it's tough. We unfortunately have had a few rough streaks with work and getting laid off and we are currently trying to pay down our debts. So needless to say I don't have endless gobs of cash to spend at the grocery store. But I will share a few tips and tricks that have helped me...

#1. Find a grocery store that has a good butcher, and reliable fruits and veggies. Check the circular's weekly for their deals and stock up on items you know you'll use.

For me I have a few different places that I like to go to- unfortunately no Trader Joe's nearby. But we do have an Aldi, which I like to stock up on their fruits and veggies that are on sale that week. They have pineapples for $1.29 semi regularly. They also have decent prices on nuts, and I usually stock up on their frozen green beans as well. I also get my Organic Milk at Aldi for my SCD yogurt. The other place that I go to near where I live is called Adam's Fairacre Farms, it's kind of like a Farmers Market with other groceries. I like their meats the best for our area, and if you aren't shopping the sales they can be a very expensive place to shop. But they have weekly sales on organic meats, and the non organic are usually local and a better quality. So I buy a lot of meat when they have what I like on sale. Buy it in bulk since you are going to be eating a lot more meat than you are used to, and you want to buy it when it's at it's best price. Remember that certain items like Squash can have a long shelf life, so if it's on sale buy a few to last you a while. 

#2. Organize a meal plan. Come up with a list of all the meals you would like to make for a week, and make a list of everything you need. 

If you need inspiration look on Pinterest and search SCD recipes- I personally have an entire board for recipes that are SCD legal, or almost legal with a few tweaks. My user name is spurloo **My tip** I check to see what proteins are on sale for the week before I make my meal plan, and I try to use sale items for my recipes.

#3. Use your Crockpot! 

I loved using my Crockpot for the chicken soup for the intro diet so much, and I use it all the time now. One of our favorite dinners is throwing chicken breasts (even frozen) into it in the morning with some coconut milk, some red peppers, garlic, and other spices you are ok using, and viola! An easy chicken curry stew/soup depending on how much coconut milk or water you add. I also have thrown a London Broil into it, with carrots, lots of garlic, green beans, a few tomatoes, and a little water. Leave it on low to cook all day and you come home to an amazing flavorful pot roast!

#4. Sams Club or Costco can be your friend. 

I buy my 5 lbs of carrots at Sam's for less than $3. I also buy bananas there and wait for them to ripen. I tend to buy 2 of the bunches each trip since I use banana so much. The large package of eggs is also an amazing deal. I eat at least 2-3 eggs a day, sometimes more. So buying 7 dozen seems a little crazy at first, but you'll be glad you did. 

These are some of my tips to saving $$ on the SCD Diet. Hope this helps! I constantly am trying to save $$ and live healthy, so as I come across more info I will try to share!