Fresh Is Cheaper

from Men's Fitness November 2013 issue:

"Contrary to popular opinion (and that little voice you hear in the Cheetos aisle), packaged snacks and side dishes aren't cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables.  According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the average price of unhealthy snacks is $0.67 per serving, compared with $0.34 for fresh fruit.  For instance, a pack of M&M's costs $0.75 and adds up to 230 calories.  Half a cup of grapes will run you $0.46 at just 50 calories.  "The notion that packaged snacks are cheaper is an urban myth that deserves to be put out to pasture once and for all," says the CSPI's Margo Wootan, D.Sc."


from my 10/23/12 Post Food Challenge:
     

I hear all the time about how you cannot eat healthy on a budget....which is completely not true.  When our family eats healthy with home cooked meals we spend less money than when we buy the processed or bought out foods.  The real reason folks choose unhealthy options is that it takes more effort.  Honestly though, it really doesn't even take that much more effort....I cooked an entire weeks' worth of non-processed, home cooked meals Sunday morning before church.  It doesn't have to take a tone of dollars, time, or effort....just planning and dedication to actually do it!  This week's challenge is to eat at home instead of grabbing something on the way home.  To plan your grocery trip rather than just grab as you go.  To set aside an hour this week to cook next weeks' meals (meats and grains can be cooked ahead of time...veggies can be cooked in a steamer or microwave in 10 minutes the meal of).