Weeding out processed foods....need help!

I would really like to weed processed foods out of my diet and my children's diet. At least while we are eating at home. Is it more expensive to do this? I can only afford $50-$75 per week in groceries for myself (24 year old female trying to lose 20 pounds), a 4 year old, and a 2 year old.

Anyone know of any websites that make it easier to make this transition?

http://www.eatcleandiet.com/

First of all, GOOD FOR YOU! Processed foods are easy to grab and tempting, but most are so bad for you!

I did the same thing, and I actually noticed it was cheaper to buy whole foods. It seems more expensive at first, but I eat less when it's good quality whole foods. My theory is, you're getting more nutrients in the natural foods, and not filling up your tummy with garbage, so you don't need to eat as much. Not sure if that's accurate, but makes sense in my head lol.

Plus, you're teaching your kids good eating habits from a young age, and that's worth way more then any extra money it might cost you.

I don't know of any websites for shopping, but there's a great one called "World's healthiest foods" that might help: http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

Good luck and grats again for your choice. :)

We've given up a lot of the processed food and have eliminated anything with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  We make our own pizza dough in the bread machine.  Healthy Life 100% All Natural Whole Wheat Bread has no HFCS in it, so we use that for sandwiches.  The two websites are good ones.  A source that helped us focus more on the food we were buying was reading "The Real Food Revival" by Vinton and Espuela. 

We shop and stock up during sales.  The chips, cookies, frozen convenience foods, etc. really add up on the dollar side and the bad nutritional side. 

My lunches for work this week have been pico de gallo pinto bean salad, fruit (grapes or watermelon), and lite yogurt with a lowfat-low sugar granola.  The bean salad was made with two cans of pinto beans, a tomato, an onion, a few real bacon bits, cilantro, a small amount of canola oil mayo, and lime juice.  I have been able to get five lunches out of it.  I have to eat dinner in town, so I pack my dinner too.  Tonight I have an egg salad sandwich made with an Eggland's Best hardboiled egg, a small amount of canola oil mayo, a small amount of mustard, and the Healthy Life bread, some more watermelon, and a lite yogurt with granola. 

The fast food can really get you - kids' meals can be fairly inexpensive, but the nutrition is just terrible.  I use the Eat This/Not That guide from Men's Health.  It's available in book version, but I just check out the Men's Health website for the info I want. 

Best of luck to you - it does take some work - but it is so worth it.  My most recent cholesterol number was 132. 

Congrats! Good choice. Your food budget is small, so I would take change slowly. Your major challenge will be getting enough protein in your diet and especially for your kids. The strategy I was told is stay on the perimeter of the grocery store. The areas outside the central aisles contain the fresh produce, dairy & meat (including fish, poultry & eggs). Still you will want to get bread, cereals, rice, beans and condiments from the grocery aisles. Also frozen and canned seafood, such as tuna, salmon, shrimp are easy to fix and often featured in special prices and sales.

If you are holding down a full time job while raising 2 little children, your time (& energy) to "process" whole food at home will be limited. Try to make one change at a time, so you can budget in the chopping, trimming, mixing, cooking, portioning and storing of your meals. Maybe make homemade granola one week--or try making one crockpot meal to alternate with your usual dinners.

If you are eating out much on that budget, you will save a good deal of money by eating at home from the grocery store instead. Fast food is way over priced--you are buying the "service" rather than the food.

I highly recommend paying a visit to hungrygirl.com and cookinglight.com.  Both have some really good light recipes. 

I saved a ton of money moving to a diet based more on whole foods.  Processed foods are generally a lot more expensive I found.  I work full-time and I'm a single mum so time is obviously at a premium!  But I find that a lot of dishes can be made in bulk and frozen into portions... bolognese sauce for pasta springs to mind.  If you have access to a slow-cooker you can pop in all the ingredients in the morning and the dish is ready by the evening.  Slow-cooking is a good way to use cheaper, less popular cuts of meat like stewing/braising steak.

My other money-saving trick is to buy dried beans and chickpeas, soak and cook the entire packet and then freeze the results once cool.  I worked out yesterday that 1kg of cooked beans cost me just 38p ($0.72)... and that's good quality, lean protein.  I use them in casseroles, soups, beanburgers, all kinds of things.   I'm not vegetarian but by reducing the meat dishes to just 2 or 3 a week it saves a lot of money.

Other staples that are dirt cheap, very versatile and really healthy... porridge oats, potatoes, pasta, canned tomatoes, lentils....  I try to avoid buying imported fruit and vegetables but stick to seasonal stuff because it's always cheaper.  And my last recommendation is to invest each week in a different herb or spice.  Wholefoods can be transformed into amazing things with just a pinch of this or that!

Good luck and really well done for making your and your children's diets more healthy.