Clean Eating on Budget

Eating clean on a budget is NOT hard. We've established that it can be done and thankfully you don't have to break the bank to do it. You may have to do some planning around the seasons .. and well with Fall upon us, for me that is THE EASIEST to save money. WHY?

Soups & chili.


SUPER versatile and also the ingredients wont break your wallet and you can freeze them for pennies on the serving!

For example: This is my amazing (21 day fix approved) Chili recipe. 

I made some this week (even though it's 90 degrees still in West Texas) and here is the break down: 

Ingredients:

1 medium onion                                                                                       ($0.50)
vegetable broth                                                                                        ($1.29) 

tomato paste                                                                                           ($0.70)

can of black beans ($.90) / bag of hard black beans                                        ($1.50)

can of kidney or cannellini beans ($.90)  / bag of hard kidney beans                  ($1.50)

1 lb of ground turkey                                                                              ($4.99) 

^^^ Now i use fresh dried beans and soak then overnight then cook them in the crockpot on low for hours before I add my other ingredients .. WHY? For $1.50 a bag (so an added cost of $1.20) I get 3x the amount and NONE of the added sodium or processing!

The other ingredients are spices: (cumin, chili powder, garlic) 

I ALWAYS have these on hand because I make my own seasonings for everything ...  if you need to add these to your pantry, try places like the dollar store and big lots -- they are like 2-3 dollars cheaper EACH than the grocery store!! 

SO I put all this in the crockpot and stir on occasion and voila! 

All in all this 1 list of ingredients made TWELVE servings of turkey chili. That breaks down to spending $10.48 for the whole crockpot .... WHICH IS $0.87 A SERVING and 10 more meals I DO NOT have to cook!! 

Happy Fall!! 

Best,

Chelsea

facebook.com/chelsea.eckelkamp 

How & Why to Eat Mangoes

Mangoes

Did you know ... 

• Mangos are one of the most popular fruit in the World
• The paisley pattern is based on the shape of a mango
• A basket of mangos is considered a gesture of friendship in India
• Legend says that Buddha meditated under the cool shade of a mango tree
• Mangos are related to cashews and pistachios
• Mangos provide 100% of your daily vitamin C, 35% of your daily vitamin A and 12% of your daily fiber

How to Decide Which to Buy? 

Don’t judge a mango by its color! Squeeze gently to judge ripeness. A ripe mango will “give” slightly and a firm mango will ripen at room temperature over a few days. You can also speed up the ripening by putting it in a paper bag at room temperature. OR once ripe, mangoes can be moved to the refrigerator to slow down ripening for several days!

How to Cut a Mango

Check out this great video I made on how to cut a mango. There are 2 ways really, both effective and both delicious! 

Black Friday Sales

Online shopping > In Store Shopping ...

Seriously, going to the stores this time of year gives me anxiety that I just choose not to deal with!

BUT, I did just save 85% on some new Beachbody products (new programs, equipment, weights and toys). If anyone else likes good deals... and online shopping you should check out this FAB sale link real quick before things sell out!

It's ABSOLUTELY worth browsing through! 

https://www.teambeachbody.com/Shop/HolidaySpecials?referringRepId=481991

For me the biggest part of my fitness journey has to be the changes I've made in my eating habits so far. Most mornings I enjoy my Shakeology for breakfast after my workout, but on the weekends I like to save my shakes for lunch so I'm not tempted to eat out while running errands. Which leaves a huge hole for breakfast foods in my weekend routine.

And in that hole ... PANCAKES! These bad boys are 21 Day Fix approved and they were super scrumptious!

Enjoy!

Recipes Update!

One of my major speed bumps in my health and fitness journey has always been my nutrition. I always thought that as long as I exercised I could eat whatever I wanted ... then late 20's rolled around and that was so NOT the case!

As part of my total dedication and commitment to my team (and to myself!) I am starting to put together a list of recipes. All of which I have personally tested. It will take some time to get them all up and moving, but it's going to happen! I'd like to add 1 a week <-- putting my goal out there for you all to help keep me accountable! A lot of the meals are going to be 21 day fix approved right now, as that is the beachbody program that I have been sweating it out to the past 2 1/2 months!

Each recipe will have a super simple picture that you can copy/paste/print/share with the main highlights of how to make each things -- Now, off to make some 21 day fix approved pancakes!!