Happy New Year’s! I only made a couple resolutions for this year, but one I do have in the back of my mind is to START EATING BETTER AGAIN! Ha! I was going to start calling 2009 the year that made my butt fat. The holidays were brutal – you know, with all that good food to eat. You can’t pass up the mashed sweet potatoes with all their marshmallow gooey-ness or the cookies that only come around once a year with their powdered sugar. But, I told myself, “Christine, lets eat now and we will work it off coming of the new year”. And that is what I intend to start doing by eating healthier for a great start to a New Year!

Can healthy eating be done frugally? Of course! First, plan your menu around the grocery sale’s ad. This is a huge saver for me. Right now, squash and asparagus are on sale. Yummy! I have squash to adorn my Thursday’s plate with that yummy teriyaki chicken.

Then, I make sure my plate is filled with 1/3rd veggies, 1/3rd grains, 1/3rd meat or meat alternative. Sometimes, I can even go 2/3rd veggies. I love my veggies! Many of times, I include a green salad with my meals. Top it with a simple vinegarette and cracked pepper.

Buy quality choice meats but slice them up at dinner instead of opting for a big cut on the plate. I did this in our family not only to save money, but to save on health. My family was consuming too much red meat. Not healthy. So now we will cook a couple steaks and slice them. Each person consumes about 1/2 a steak and doesn’t ever complain that there is not enough.

Healthy snacks – cut up those veggies when you come home and bag them to make them for easy grabs. Buy nuts and dried fruits at Trader Joes or Fresh & Easy (they are much cheaper at these places) then your local store. Put a bowl of fruit on the table. Kids love to go for what is available at a moments notice.

As you can see, it is easy to go healthy on a frugal budget. Give it a try. Not only can you save money but you can feel great at the same time from having better health!

This weeks Menu Plan Monday (graciously hosted by Orgjunkie.com):

(The underlined text are the healthy portions that I eat. The rest my family consumes.)

• Sunday: Baby back pork ribs, baked beans, and macaroni salad (um… ya, not tonight)
• Monday: Marinated steak, baked potato, and steamed broccoli with lemon pepper
• Tuesday: Homemade Macaroni & Cheese and a green salad full of veggies, cranberries, and toasted pumpkin seeds (and a small portion of that pasta)
• Wednesday: Tacos filled with black beans, lettuce, tomato, avocado, green onions, and olives
• Thursday: Teriyaki chicken, brown rice, and veggies (probably zucchini and yellow squash)
• Friday: Chili dogs and fries (I think I’m gonna have my self a salad and a couple of toasted baguettes)

You all have a great start to the week! 🙂