If you’re on a budget, here are a few tips to help you succeed on the Frugivore Diet:
- Find a good place to shop: As already discussed, the best tip to help with your budget is to identify an affordable produce spot. You might have a few stores that you end up frequenting. I go between 99 Cent Only stores for great deals on some basic staples, Trader Joe’s or Sprouts for a consistent variety of good quality produce, and a local Hispanic market that has great deals on some of the tropical fruits we love.
- Focus on the most affordable plants: Whole-plant staples such as bananas, potatoes, apples, oranges, rice, and beans are almost always affordable options. My local 99 Cents Only stores carry these staples regularly. A bag of rice or a pound of dried beans costs 99 cents. A bag of organic apples or a bag of baking potatoes can be purchased for $2. Meals built around these ingredients can be made very cheaply.
- Don’t be afraid to substitute: If you don’t have one ingredient on hand, feel free to substitute. Black beans are almost always a good substitute for kidney beans and vice versa. Dried herbs can substitute for fresh. Substitute seasonal fruits for more pricey fruits that aren’t in season near you.
- Plan for your budget: If you are cooking just for yourself it can be easy to make a pot of soup stretch for dinners for the entire week. You can always stretch a pot of soup by including baked potatoes with your soup meals. Bake enough potatoes to last the week and they will be quick and easy to warm up at suppertime. If you are feeding a family, you might need to plan a bit more carefully. Many meals in this book, including the One-Pot Wonders and Bountiful Bowls, are made from the same basic ingredients. If you get a good deal on bananas you can make banana bowls for breakfast and smoothies for after school. If you cook up a large pot of beans you could make a salad with beans for supper one night, a Bountiful Bowl of beans and rice the next night, and baked Taquitos the next.
