Healthy Peanut Butter Cups

Healthy Peanut Butter Cups

These homemade peanut butter cups are healthy and are a copycat of Reese's. Easy to make with 3 ingredients, are gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free too! :: DontWastetheCrumbs.com

The fact that I’m posting a candy recipe might seem odd given that this is a real food blog…

… and typically candy isn’t considered real food.

… and that I’ve shared in the past how we limit the candy that our kids eat.

(We’ve drawn a hard line against hydrogenated oils (it’s probably in your coffee creamer!) and high fructose corn syrup (check your granola bars!) and almost all candy has one or the other. We’re also trying to eliminate white sugar from the house whenever possible.)

But before you write this candy recipe off, let me preface it with this: these healthy peanut butter cups require just 3 real food ingredients that you probably have in your pantry.

Did you catch that my fellow peanut butter and chocolate lovers? You can make PEANUT BUTTER CUPS that rival the junk-filled candy and won’t make you feel guilty for eating them.

In fact, since these peanut butter cups don’t have any added sugar, are naturally high in protein AND contain coconut oil (which is known to promote weight loss, fight viral infections and tooth decay), you could even say these peanut butter cups are healthy!

And you wouldn’t even be lying!

Healthy peanut butter cups? Yes, please! Copy Reese's peanut butter cups with three simple ingredients.

No gluten.

No sugar.

No dairy.

No calories.

WHAT?!

Just kidding…

Want to make a guilt-free treat? These healthy peanut butter cups are perfect! Because chocolate. Um Yum!

On the calories.

I’m sure these homemade peanut butter cups have calories in there somewhere, but I didn’t count them so I don’t know how many there are. My main concern is that the food I eat is REAL food.

These peanut butter cups absolutely are, and that’s all the permission I need to eat them.

Kidding again… who needs permission to eat chocolate and peanut butter?! Not us…

Try these copycat Reese's peanut butter cups! Healthy, simple, and beyond delicious.

Let’s talk about these healthy peanut butter cups because after testing one (OK FINE A LOT) of batches, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to make these rock your socks off. First let’s talk about how to make them…

How to Make Healthy Peanut Butter Cups

Aside from your ingredients, you need two main tools: a muffin tin and silicone muffin liners.

• I used a super old muffin tin that I bought when I first moved out of the house, but if you’re in the market for a muffin tin, I HIGHLY recommend this one from USA pans.
• As for silicone muffin liners, I have and love these.

If you’re Type A like me when it comes to all the chocolate layers and peanut butter layers being nice and even and symmetrical, you’ll want to also use a mini spatula to help get the chocolate and peanut butter out of the measuring spoons. It’s not absolutely necessary, but it really does make the process a lot easier.

Watch for Icky Stuff in Your Ingredients

Peanut Butter

These peanut butter cups ARE healthy as-is, but you’ll ruin that if you use peanut butter that contains hydrogenated oils (here’s why we don’t eat it). Be sure your peanut butter contains only these ingredients:

• peanuts
• palm oil (optional)
• salt (optional)
• sugar (optional, but try to stay away from these varieties)

Coconut Oil

You’ll notice that the recipe calls for coconut oil, but I assure you, the peanut butter cups DO NOT taste like coconut.

I used virgin coconut oil to make these. This kind of coconut oil is solid a room temperature, which helps keep these delicious cups from melting in your hands. Literally.

The best pricing on coconut oil is to buy it in bulk, and I do that through Tropical Traditions. Whenever their gallons are buy one get one free, I take advantage!

If there’s not enough money in the grocery budget this month for a bulk purchase, I HIGHLY recommend checking out Thrive Market. They have a special deal just for Crumbs readers where you can get a 15 oz jar of virgin organic coconut oil for FREE. Get the free coconut oil AND a 30-day free trial to Thrive Market when you spend $29 or more (free shipping on orders $49+). Click here to check out this amazing deal!

Chocolate

Quality chocolate is usually expensive chocolate and there’s no good way around that. So, my advice is to look for chocolate chips that don’t have soy lecithin in them. In short, soy lecithin is a waste product in the creation of soybean oil. You can read more about it on this post, but we avoid it whenever possible.

Since chocolate can be pricey and it can be tricky finding a good brand, I usually stock up when it’s on sale or at it’s lowest price. Stockpiling certain items is one of the methods I use to keep my budget down and my pantry full of real food.

Looking for a healthy alternative to chemical laden treats? Try these real food peanut butter cups! Only three ingredients and NO junk.

How to Get the Chocolate on the Sides of the Healthy Peanut Butter Cups

My first batch consisted of a layer of chocolate, and then a layer of peanut butter. This is fine and dandy for the taste buds, but if we’re trying to mimic the candy, it should at least look like the candy, right? Here’s how you do that:

• Measure the chocolate into the silicone cups
• Using the back of the measuring spoon, smear the chocolate just up along the sides of the silicone cup

Voila! You just gave your peanut butter cups sides and made your peanut butter completely disappear inside the chocolate.

Best Method for Storing Healthy Peanut Butter Cups

These homemade peanut butter cups don’t have icky preservatives and other junk making them shelf-stable for eternity, so you’ll need to store them in the freezer or fridge.

The instructions for these peanut butter cups recipe says to freeze, which you should when you’re in the process of making them. However, you don’t HAVE to store them there.

I personally store mine in the freezer just because it’s WAY TO TEMPTING to open the fridge and see a healthy copycat version of Reese’s peanut butter cups staring back at me, but if you can resist the temptation, you’ve got superpowers. Go for it.

Have you ever wondered if you could make peanut butter cups at home? Try this super simple recipe for a HEALTHY treat!

For the same reason we store these in the fridge or freezer, you’ll want to eat them fairly quickly. This isn’t a problem though, because a) peanut butter, and b) chocolate – right?

Extra Healthy Peanut Butter Cups

Now if you’re on a super health kick, or feel like you need justification for eating peanut butter and chocolate, you can boost the protein content by 10 grams by adding a scoop of hydrolyzed collagen.

(You know how healthy bone broth is, right? It’s because gelatin is produced when you cook the bones, and as it turns out, gelatin is just cooked collagen! Adding collagen to these homemade peanut butter cups is like getting a boost of grass-fed protein in your homemade candy! I only buy my collagen from here.)

My favorite way to eat these peanut butter cups is just how they are, BUT my husband likes to add them to homemade vanilla bean ice cream for a “Reese’s” ice cream sundae. YUM!

• ½ cup chocolate chips (I tested with milk chocolate and semi-sweet; use whatever kind you’d like)

1. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with 12 silicone liners. Set aside.
2. Combine chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high in 15 second intervals, stirring well in between each session. Stop cooking when the mixture is very smooth. Be careful not to overcook, as the chocolate will become thick and goopy.
3. Measure 1 tsp of the melted chocolate into each silicone cup. Using the back of the measuring spoon, gently push the chocolate up the sides of the silicone cup about ¼ inch.
4. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes. If you are using an all natural peanut butter and at one time the oil had separated from the nut butter (or still is!), stir very well so the oil is incorporated and place this in the freezer too.
5. Remove the muffin tin and peanut butter from the freezer. If you want a thin peanut butter layer (seen in the pictures), scoop 2 tsp of peanut butter into each muffin cup. If you want a thick peanut butter layer (YUM!), scoop 3 tsp of peanut butter into each muffin cup.
6. As best as you can, spread the peanut butter to the edge of the muffin cup and level the top. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
7. Remove the muffin tin from the freezer. Working fast and on just one muffin cup at a time, measure 1 tsp of chocolate into each muffin tin. Use the measuring spoon to get the chocolate all the way to the edge and level the top. The chocolate will harden fast, since the peanut butter is frozen, so work fast to ensure a completely smooth top (or just eat the ones that aren’t quite as pretty).
8. Store in the freezer.
9. Store any leftover chocolate sauce in the fridge. Re-warm in the microwave and top ice cream for homemade magic shell!

I used to eat peanut butter cups by eating the chocolate off the sides, bottom and top and saving the peanut butter for last. How did you eat them?

Original article and pictures take dontwastethecrumbs.com site

Healthy Mason Jar Recipe Ideas

Healthy Mason Jar Recipe Ideas

Mason jar meals are not only easy, they’re pretty too! Today I’m sharing 5 of my very favorite healthy mason jar recipe ideas. To see each recipe idea, click the back and forward buttons below. Be sure to save the ideas to your Facebook page or pin them on Pinterest!

Original article and pictures take www.smartschoolhouse.com site

Healthy Lunchbox Meal Plan Week 3

Healthy Lunchbox Meal Plan Week 3

A week of delicious, easy, and healthy lunchbox meal plans that are perfect for your preschooler or elementary school child with options to modify for a toddler-friendly lunch.

Frances starts school tomorrow so she is helping me debut this week’s healthy lunchbox meal plan. She is actually showing Ellie’s lunch (so, shh…don’t tell Ellie she took a few bites while I was trying to snap this picture).

Packing a #lunchbox for your preschooler? Try 1 of these 4 healthy lunchbox meal plans via @holleygrainger.Click To Tweet

Now that I’ll be sending 2 lunches each day and because the girls don’t always love the same foods or need the same quantity, I’ll make sure to include any notes on the meal plan. I’ll also include any preparation methods that are friendlier for toddlers. For example, Frances’s carrots tomorrow are steamed versus raw because raw carrots can be a choking hazard.

Let’s connect! Comments and NEW Newsletter

Thanks for following along each week. If there is a lunch you particularly love or if you have suggestions or ideas that have worked well for your little ones, please let me know in the comments below! Also, don’t forget to sign up for my NEW newsletter debuting NEXT MONTH!! (If you clicked out of the popup, just scroll down to the very bottom of the page and there is a place in the bottom right corner to enroll.)

Have a fun short week of school!

Week 3: Healthy Lunchbox Meal Plan
(Note: 4-day week)

As I photograph the lunchbox each day, I’ll be sure to come back and update the post so you can pin or save each one. Also, don’t forget to check Instagram and Facebook for the lunchbox picture of the day.

TUESDAY

• Main dish: Ham and cheese roll-up (1 slice ham and 1/2 slice Muenster cheese)
• Fruit: Unsweetened apple sauce
• Vegetable: Raw carrot sticks (For toddlers, steam in the microwave for 1 min before packing)
• Whole Grain: Double Chocolate Mini Muffins
• Dip: Ranch

WEDNESDAY

• Main dish: Nonna’s Vegetable Beef Soup* (recipe coming soon)
• Whole grain: Crackers…(Used pretzels instead)
• Fruit: Watermelon
• Dairy: Greek yogurt tube
• Happy: Sticker

THURSDAY

• Main dish: Sunflower Seed Butter and Strawberry Wafflewich
• Protein: Hard-cooked egg whites
• Fruit: Grapes
• Dairy: Greek yogurt…(omitted since they ate this for breakfast)
• Happy: Note

FRIDAY

• Main dish: Homemade Lunchable (turkey, cheese, crackers)
• Vegetable: Cucumber slices
• Legume/Dip: Hummus
• Fruit: Apple Spaghetti with Strawberry Apple Sauce* (recipe coming soon)
• Happy: Stickers

And if you’re looking for more inspiration, try one of these posts:

Week 1: Healthy Lunchbox Meal Plan

Week 2: Healthy Lunchbox Meal Plan

31 Healthy Toddler Lunchbox Ideas

Sign up for my newsletter HERE

A week of delicious, easy, and healthy lunchbox meal plans that are perfect for your preschooler or elementary school child with options to modify for a toddler-friendly lunch.

Frances starts school tomorrow so she is helping me debut this week’s healthy lunchbox meal plan. She is actually showing Ellie’s lunch (so, shh…don’t tell Ellie she took a few bites while I was trying to snap this picture).

Packing a #lunchbox for your preschooler? Try 1 of these 4 healthy lunchbox meal plans via @holleygrainger.Click To Tweet

Now that I’ll be sending 2 lunches each day and because the girls don’t always love the same foods or need the same quantity, I’ll make sure to include any notes on the meal plan. I’ll also include any preparation methods that are friendlier for toddlers. For example, Frances’s carrots tomorrow are steamed versus raw because raw carrots can be a choking hazard.

Let’s connect! Comments and NEW Newsletter

Thanks for following along each week. If there is a lunch you particularly love or if you have suggestions or ideas that have worked well for your little ones, please let me know in the comments below! Also, don’t forget to sign up for my NEW newsletter debuting NEXT MONTH!! (If you clicked out of the popup, just scroll down to the very bottom of the page and there is a place in the bottom right corner to enroll.)

Have a fun short week of school!

Week 3: Healthy Lunchbox Meal Plan
(Note: 4-day week)

As I photograph the lunchbox each day, I’ll be sure to come back and update the post so you can pin or save each one. Also, don’t forget to check Instagram and Facebook for the lunchbox picture of the day.

TUESDAY

• Main dish: Ham and cheese roll-up (1 slice ham and 1/2 slice Muenster cheese)
• Fruit: Unsweetened apple sauce
• Vegetable: Raw carrot sticks (For toddlers, steam in the microwave for 1 min before packing)
• Whole Grain: Double Chocolate Mini Muffins
• Dip: Ranch

WEDNESDAY

• Main dish: Nonna’s Vegetable Beef Soup* (recipe coming soon)
• Whole grain: Crackers…(Used pretzels instead)
• Fruit: Watermelon
• Dairy: Greek yogurt tube
• Happy: Sticker

THURSDAY

• Main dish: Sunflower Seed Butter and Strawberry Wafflewich
• Protein: Hard-cooked egg whites
• Fruit: Grapes
• Dairy: Greek yogurt…(omitted since they ate this for breakfast)
• Happy: Note

FRIDAY

• Main dish: Homemade Lunchable (turkey, cheese, crackers)
• Vegetable: Cucumber slices
• Legume/Dip: Hummus
• Fruit: Apple Spaghetti with Strawberry Apple Sauce* (recipe coming soon)
• Happy: Stickers

And if you’re looking for more inspiration, try one of these posts:

Week 1: Healthy Lunchbox Meal Plan

Week 2: Healthy Lunchbox Meal Plan

31 Healthy Toddler Lunchbox Ideas

Sign up for my newsletter HERE

Original article and pictures take www.holleygrainger.com site

Healthy Homemade Vitamin C Gummies Recipe

Healthy Homemade Vitamin C Gummies Recipe

I remember when vitamin gummies first became commercially available. I thought they were the coolest things since sliced bread. Knowing what I do now though, I’ll gladly pass on them.

This post is from contributing writer Jamie Larrison.

The Nasty Truth About Vitamins

Conventional vitamins, gummy and regular, both contain loads of yucky ingredients like corn syrup and refined sugar. And those “natural flavors?” Natural strawberry, raspberry and vanilla flavors commonly come from castoreum, a secretion from a beaver’s anal sac. Yes, you read that right.

What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You

Studies have shown that not only do conventional vitamins not work nearly as well as believed; they can actually hurt you. Vitamins found in food aren’t isolated and synthetic like their chain health store counterparts. This study found vitamin C in citrus 1210% more bioavailable than isolated ascorbic acid!

Superstar Ingredients

There are several reasons why these gummies are so great. Gelatin helps combat inflammatory and degenerative diseases, relieves joint pain, and builds strong hair and nails. Don’t just let the kids have these, though! Gelatin (use the coupon KS10 for 10% off!) is chock full of collagen for healthier skin. Want to help nix cellulite and stretch marks too? Done and done.

Orange peel, hibiscus and rosehips are all very high in vitamin C. Rosehips are rich in bioflavonoids, which help the body better absorb and utilize vitamin C. They also strengthen connective tissue and capillaries. Vitamin C is required for the biosynthesis of collagen (use the coupon KS10 for 10% off!), which is perfect since we’re pairing it with this gelatin!

My son loves these gummies so much that I keep a steady supply on hand. I feel good knowing that not only does he love eating them, but they are completely safe and nutritious. The beetroot is optional but gives it more color.

This recipe provides about 50 mg total of vitamin C, most of the daily recommended 60 mg. Steeping the herbs vs. boiling the herbs preserves vitamin C. Heat the steeped liquid only enough to dissolve the gelatin. If you have cold-dissolve gelatin you can use that instead. See the comments below for more info.

Want to eat two one day and skip the next? Check out our post on how often you have to take vitamin supplements to find out that and much more about your health!

Does making your own supplements intimidate you? Is this a baby step you can implement?

Resources:

Vitamin A Toxicity, Holistic Squid

The Truth About Vitamins and Supplements, Brian Clement

Vitamin C, National Institutes of Health

Rosehips, Nutrition Data

Nutritional Herbology : A Reference Guide to Herbs, Mark Pederson

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post to Amazon, Tropical Traditions, and Mountain Rose Herbs from which I will earn some commission if you make a purchase. See my full disclosure statement here.

Original article and pictures take www.kitchenstewardship.com site

Healthy Homemade Gummy Bears

Healthy Homemade Gummy Bears

Ditch corn-syrup ridden, super sugary candies for these Healthy Homemade Gummy Bears. They’re easy to make and only require four ingredients!

Ask anyone who knows me what my favorite candy is and they’ll tell you: gummy bears. I don’t know what it is about these cute little treats, but I love ’em. When I found out I was allergic to corn, I was devastated by the fact that I could no longer have popcorn and then further saddened when I found out that pretty much every gummy bear brand out there makes their gummies with corn syrup. Pretty much every time I’m in a convenience store, I head to the candy aisle and pray that I’ll miraculously find a brand that makes their gummy bears without corn syrup.

I did find one brand of organic gummies at the airport of all places, but they are hard to track down and frankly, cost more than I want to spend on gummy bears. So, I did what any foodie with food allergies does best and looked into making my own.

I’d been wanting to create my own gummy bear recipe for a while, and this month’s Recipe Redux 7-Ingredient Or Less theme finally gave me the push I needed to actually do it!

So I bought myself this gummy bear mold…

…and got to creating these Healthy Homemade Gummy Bears!

I tossed around some flavor ideas, but finally settled on classic cherry and lemon. Look how cute they are! Almost too cute to eat. Almost…

The cherry flavor only requires 4 ingredients: 100% cherry juice, lemon juice, honey and gelatin. The lemon flavor only requires lemon juice, water, honey and gelatin. You pretty much just heat everything on the stove, pour into the mold, freeze and voila – healthy candies at the ready.

It doesn’t get much easier than that.

For more simple recipes, check out all the other Recipe Redux bloggers below. Every recipe in this link up will contain 7 ingredients or less!

Alright, onto the recipe!

Before you go, don’t forget to enter the Thrive Fitness + Vega GIVEAWAY!

Let’s Chat:

What’s your favorite type of candy?

Favorite flavor gummy bear – and go!

Original article and pictures take fitfulfocus.com site

Healthy Homemade Apple Chips.

Healthy Homemade Apple Chips.

Homemade apple chips are a sweet treat that’s healthy, too! Try these out for a fun fall snack!

Crispy, sweet apple chips – is there a more perfect fall snack? These little treats are easy to make, and you don’t need a dehydrator. You can use your oven!

I actually tried dehydrating for the first time last month, when I made oven-dried tomatoes. I had a few ideas about what else to dehydrate – zucchini chips, sweet potato chips, some kind of fruit leather…but in the end, apple chips won. We love apple chips, and since it’s September and apples are EVERYWHERE, I thought this would be a good seasonal recipe.

I’ve seen a few different recipes for homemade apple chips, and the baking time seems to vary. I had to bake these chips for longer than I expected. I think the trick is to keep a good eye on them. If your oven runs hotter or cooler, your baking time may be different from mine.

I decided to dust these with a blend of coconut sugar and cinnamon, and they were delicious! So easy to make, and a very tasty fall snack.

These homemade apple chips are:

• crunchy and sweet
• a healthy gluten free treat
• naturally allergy friendly

These are really tasty, and it’s very hard to eat just one!

Have you dehydrated anything in your oven before?

Original article and pictures take i0.wp.com site

Healthy Eating for Children Quick Tips Video

Healthy Eating for Children Quick Tips Video

Feeding Your Toddler Cheat Sheet and Food Diary

Feed your Toddler a Healthy Diet with Confidence.

Join more than 1520 parents who are confident feeding their toddlers a healthy diet because they are in Dr Orlena's community. Be the first to hear about new classes, courses and products.

Welcome to my new weekly video. Healthy Eating for Children Bite Size Videos.

Each week, I’ll do a short, 1 minute video with a healthy eating for children tip.

Be sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel. Give the video a ‘thumbs up’ and share it with your friends.

Click here to watch the video on Youtube.

Feeding Your Toddler Cheat Sheet and Food Diary

Feed your Toddler a Healthy Diet with Confidence.

Join more than 1520 parents who are confident feeding their toddlers a healthy diet because they are in Dr Orlena's community. Be the first to hear about new classes, courses and products.

Original article and pictures take snotty-noses.com site

Healthy Dessert for Clean Eating – Chocolate Melt Over Banana

Healthy Dessert for Clean Eating – Chocolate Melt Over Banana

1

Welcome back to Best Clean Eating Recipes!

You will like today’s healthy clean eating dessert. It was sweet and simple, and one of my favorite desserts to make. Not only was it fuss-free–took less than 15 minutes–it was absolutely delicious! If you’re a chocolate-lover, you’re good to go.

Many people are surprised that Clean Eating allows the consumption of chocolate.

They must be confusing Clean Eating Diet Plan with Weight Loss Diet Plan. Yes, Clean Eating may help with weight loss, but it focuses more on healthy-living by consuming natural, clean foods that benefit the human body. Real dark chocolate, which has been dubbed a “super food,” is one of the healthiest foods on earth, and therefore a significant part of Clean Eating.

According to this article from Women’s Health Magazine, various research has proven that regular consumption of dark chocolate helps with cardiovascular health, weight loss, disease prevention, stress relief, sun protection, increased brain activities and respiratory problems.

Plus, it tastes good.

And speaking of tasting good and being healthy, here’s today’s clean eating dessert recipe:

Clean Eating Dessert – Chocolate Melt Over Banana

Ingredients:

– 1 medium banana, sliced

– Approx. 1/2 cup of organic semi sweet dark chocolate morsels (I highly recommend SunSpire Chocolate Chips)

– 1/2 tea spoon of cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 325 F

2. Lay banana slices on a cookie sheet

3. Top each banana slice with 2-3 chocolate morsels

4. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until chocolate have melted

5. Splash cinnamon (optional)

Enjoy!

Clean Eating Dessert – Chocolate Melt Over Banana

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Lay banana slices on a cookie sheet

Thank you again for visiting Best Clean Eating Recipes!

I hope you enjoyed today’s clean eating dessert as much as I did.

Have a great day!

Original article and pictures take www.bestcleaneatingrecipes.com site

Healthy Choices On a Budget

Healthy Choices On a Budget

Ever get the feeling that it’s so expensive to buy healthy products? From food to cleaners to personal care products, everything that seems so cheap usually is unhealthy.

Sometimes – especially for families with tight budgets – it may not even seem financially beneficial to start detoxing your home.

I have fantastic news for you, though … healthy purchases aren’t as expensive as you may imagine. You don’t have to break the bank when buying healthy products! It’s entirely possible to make healthy choices on a budget. I know from experience.

My Top 3 Tips

As a cheapskate, I’ve spent the past eight years searching for ways to buy healthy products and maintain my family’s single income budget.

So how do I do it? I’m ready to share my Top 3 secrets:

1. I know what I need to buy – and what I don’t need to buy.

Because of a busy schedule, I’m not too thrilled with making my own products from scratch.

I know they work. I know they can save a lot of money. But I almost always forget about making them until I’m desperate and buy something at the store.

Some people absolutely love to make their own personal care products, cosmetics and cleaning products. I wish I was so resourceful — because those homemade products are safe and affordable.

Since I have a hard time finding or making effective, natural cleaners, I’ve stopped making them. And I’ve stopped looking for them. (Oh, how I spent years looking ones that were safe and affordable!) I love to clean with Norwex microfiber cloths because they’re safe (you can’t get much safer than cleaning with water!) and they make my cleaning so quick and easy.

I did have to look at my Norwex products as an investment. (And I definitely had sticker shock at first glance!) But once I made my initial purchases, I haven’t had to replace them in two years. My microfiber cloths are still going strong, and I absolutely love how I don’t have to worry about ever buying or making cleaning sprays! In my opinion and experience, they were well worth the cost — and I was a skeptic.

The same is true of my favorite safe personal care products and cosmetics. The price may be more than a cheapy drugstore brand, but they last a long time, and I know exactly what works well.

2. I think about the value of what I’m buying.

I used to think that fresh food was much more expensive than processed food. Then I started doing the math.

I can buy 3 pounds of organic apples for $5. At my overpriced grocery store, I can buy 5 pounds of organic carrots for $5. I could buy non-organic, fresh produce for even less (3 pounds of non-organic apples are about $3.50). There is no way I could buy 5 pounds of potato chips — or candy bars or any other sort of processed snack food — for $5. I know, because I just checked my grocery store’s sales flyer, and I could buy 1 1/2 pounds of Ruffles potato chips for $6. Or, I could buy 1 1/2 pounds of sugary graham crackers for $6, too.

And if you’re thirsty, a gallon of Pepsi costs $4 … a lot more than a gallon of water, a little more than a gallon of non-organic milk, and a couple dollars less than a gallon of organic milk.

Once I figure the real price of food, healthy living isn’t nearly as expensive as it’s often perceived.

This immediate value of healthier choices doesn’t even account for the possibility of much lower medical bills once healthy changes are made.

Image by cohdra

3. I’m willing to shop around.

As a bargain shopper, I may love almost every single item at Whole Foods or Earth Fare (I think I could probably spend a $500 gift card just in their personal care aisles) – but I don’t shop at those stores.

When I know I need a new product or refill, first of all I figure out what I want to buy. I do my research and know the brands I want to look for.

Then I start hunting. I check my favorite scratch-and-dent store. (The amount of organic products I’ve found there at a fraction of the normal cost absolutely amazes me.) If I’m stopping by the grocery store, I scour their closeout carts. For whatever reason, great organic brands of food and personal products are typically marked down to very reasonable prices. The problem with both of these stops is that I never know what I’ll find – so I’m willing to stock up if I find something for a great deal.

After I’ve checked my favorite places to find an amazing bargain, then I’ll look at discount stores. I love a local discount store (Marc’s in Ohio), but I’ll also check Aldi and Walmart.

If I’m not pleased with the selection, then I head online either to Vitacost (they always have what I’m looking for, and most times I can find a great sale), Amazon, or I try to search for a deal with online coupon codes. And I’m just starting to look into prices through Azure Standard.

When shopping for food or personal care products, I know what I’m looking for … and then I look for it. I don’t settle for the first price unless I’m desperate for time or the product.

Typically this shopping process isn’t extensive – I just make it part of my regular shopping routine. Over time I know what brands I prefer and naturally think of them when I’m shopping for groceries.

How have you made healthy choices on a budget? What are your top frugal healthy living tips?

This post is underwritten by Discountrue Deals With Distinction. The opinions and text are all mine.

Original article and pictures take accidentallygreen.com site