Under the Median: Big Lots 20% Off Healthy Food Haul

Today was that magical day - Big Lots Friends and Family Weekend. I look forward to this quarterly event like a kid in a candy shop. I deliberately use this opportunity for additional savings to restock my pantry with healthy food.

Now some may not see the words: Big Lots and healthy food as being synonymous. But, that is not so! You can find healthy options at Big Lots for tremendous prices, especially at 20% off. Let's take a look at what I got today and then I'll reveal the total at the end of the post.

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Flax Seeds

So, what's so healthy about flax seed? Plenty!

The Ancient civilizations of the Fertile Crescent were the first to cultivate flax, using it to make linen. It wasn't until many centuries later that the benefits of flax became widely known. By the 1940s, after being replaced by cotton as the choice of clothiers far and wide, this wonderful plant fell out of fashion.

Here's why flax is a powerhouse in the arena of health.

Like fish oil, it contains omega-3 fatty acids. This means you can get the benefits of fish oil, without the added cholesterol.

Fiber, both soluble and insoluble, keeps your food moving through your system and your colon clean and happy.

It's chock full of lignans, which are powerful plant estrogens, protecting our body from the effects of aging. Similar to the estrogen our body naturally produces, the plant-based version helps prevent certain cancers, relieves hot flashes, reduces bone loss, lowers your blood pressure, and gives you a happier outlook on life.

How do you use flax?

Although many people ingest flax in the form of flax oil, there are a couple of problems with this approach. Flax oil goes rancid very quickly when exposed to light and heat. Additionally, flax oil is the most expensive variety of all flax products.

I prefer to purchase the whole seeds and grind them daily in an inexpensive coffee mill, which I bought years ago for under $20.

I like this one. I've used a Mr. Coffee coffee grinder for years now. I have one grinder for coffee and one grinder that I reserve for grinding small amounts of herbs, spices, and flax seeds.

I sprinkle a Tablespoon each day on my breakfast cereal, salad, or soup. It has a pleasant, nutty flavor. After you grind it, keep the excess in the fridge, so that the oils don't degrade. Use it up within a couple of days. CAUTION: Experts advise against consuming more than a quarter of a cup each day.

Coconut Flakes

Coconut is pretty high in fat. So, I don't use it a lot. But, sometime your summer muffins or fruit salads just scream out for the fresh taste of a little coconut. Heck, I think we can all admit that a sprinkle of coconut on top of your breakfast oatmeal can just spell nirvana!

If you are going to indulge, Bob's Red Mill is always a safe way to go. This package has all the words that I am looking for! Unsulfured! Unsweetened! No preservatives!

What does all this mean?

Unsulfured - sulfur dioxide is a preservative, added to lengthen the shelf life. Although GRAS (Generally regarded as safe) by the USDA, you don't need it in your diet and it can make some chemically sensitive people quite ill. Finding unsulfured fruit can be a challenge, however, because this chemical is quite ubiquitous in the preparation of dried fruits.

Unsweetened - The easiest way to control the amount of sugar in your diet is to look for ingredients that are labeled as unsweetened.

No preservatives - Okay, this covers everything in addition to sulfur dioxide. Bob's Red Mill doesn't add anything to your food that doesn't need to be in there! I love this company and look for and purchase their products on a regular basis.

One last note: Bob's Red Mill products are regularly carried by all Big Lots locations and they are available at terrifically low prices! Yes!! You can only imagine how happy this makes me!

Diced Green Chiles

I love green chiles and use them in a lot of recipes. In the summer, I purchase fresh peppers. I even freeze them in small bags to use in the winter. But, I always try to keep a can or two of fire roasted chiles on the shelf as a "back up" for when I run out.

Tomato Products

I use a ton of tomato products! But, I label read like a crazy lady. I don't buy any canned goods unless they contain very little sodium. So, when I find items that are labeled as salt free, no salt added, or are just naturally low in sodium, I buy them in bulk.

Today, I spent:

$3.60 for 10 - 6 oz. tomato paste - 36¢ each.

$4.32 for 6 - 12 oz. tomato paste - 72¢ each.

$4.48 for 12 - 8oz. tomato sauce - 32¢ each.

That's a LOT of tomatoes! This haul will last us about three months, until the next Big Lots Friends and Family Weekend. Clearly, I use a lot of tomatoes.

But what's so great about tomatoes? Plenty!

Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant.
Tomatoes prevent damage to your eyes and skin.
Tomatoes reduce your chances of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Tomatoes lower your blood pressure,
Tomatoes increase your fiber intake and reduce constipation.

In addition to all that, they are incredibly versatile and taste great! The heat used in the canning process actually increases the bio-availability of the lycopene! The only drawback is the sodium content of most cans of processed vegetables. However, salt free versions are not only becoming easier to find, they are also coming down in price. So, there's no reason to not enjoy using canned tomatoes, as long as you look for the varieties which contain no added salt.

Corn

This is an example of how thinking ahead will save you money. These will sit on my pantry shelf for a little while, because it's July and sweet corn season is just beginning! We'll eat Illinois sweet corn fresh from the farmer's market every night that we can for the next six weeks, until the season begins to wane to an end.

But, in winter, when I run out of my stash of corn that I have taken off the cob and frozen, I like to have a few cans of corn waiting in the wings to use for family meals. There is seriously nothing better than a good bowl of potato corn soup when the weather is cold outside!

Once again, check out that beautiful label! "No salt or sugar added". It's magic to my ears! If there's one thing I want you to learn from this post, it's that you must label read if you want to eat healthy!

Tortillas

Okay, this is one product that I brought home which could be argued as unhealthy. I actually agree. It has far more than my "gold standard" of five ingredients or less on the label. It is made of white flour and has preservatives.

Having admitted all that, I don't eat them. But, my boys do. They use them to wrap up leftover stir fries, bean burgers, casseroles, and a whole host of other unclaimed food, mainly to take to work. There are some battles that I fight. This is not one of them. Plus, for 80¢ for 10 of them, it's a cheap lunch.

Herbs and Spices

These are not organic. But, if that's important to you, Big Lots has a very nice organic selection of their name brand spices. Today, I shopped from the regular spice selection. I've actually been stocking up on herbs and spices. So, I didn't need much. I opted for a large container of minced onion (this size is a new offering for Big Lots) and two smaller Italian seasoning containers. The large container was $3.96 and the smaller ones just 80¢ each. Both are frequent additions to my weekly cooking.

Vinegars and Sauces

This is one area of the store in which it is absolutely critical that you label read! If you don't, you will wind up filling your body with a whole lot of sugar, oil, salt, additives, and preservatives. But, if you are careful, you can find some items, which will add depth of flavor and interest to your daily meals.

Lime Juice - $1.20 - Although I'm a fan of reaming fresh lemons and limes, sometimes you just can't swing the extra price. So, the bottled varieties are great in a pinch. I would have gotten the twin lemon juice of this variety, but when I got to the store, they were all out. So, I bought just lime juice. Once again, label read to be sure that the variety you buy has no added sugar, salt, preservatives, or food coloring.

Rice Vinegar - $2.00 - This vinegar has actually gone up $.50 in price from the last time I bought it. I use it in homemade no-oil salad dressings. It has a light flavor and blends really well with citrus juices. CAUTION! They also sell a version with added salt and spices. Don't get this one! The sodium level is astronomical and it limits you in what kinds of additional flavors you can add to it.

Mustard - $.80 - Yep. It's got some added salt and I think it's actually a little less at Aldi. But, I wasn't going to Aldi today and the price was close enough. I use plain yellow mustard a lot in cooking. It pretty much meets my label reading rule of 5 ingredients or less and all ingredients in plain English.

Apple Cider Vinegar - $3.16 - We use this medicinally more than anything else. It's great for reducing inflammation. But, it also comes in handy for great marinated summer salads. CAUTION: Look for a brand which is unfiltered and contains the Mother (that's the sort of filmy whitish stuff in the bottom of the bottle). The Mother feeds the vinegar and gives it the associated health benefits.

Balsamic Vinegar - $2.32 - It's not Grand Reserve, which is aged for 12 years and as thick as syrup, but this is a great everyday vinegar. I make dressings out of it every week.

Let's see how much I spent and then I'll give you a special bonus idea for the balsamic vinegar: My everyday oil free dressing. It's called "3-2-1 Dressing". I can't take credit for it. But, I'll give credit where credit it due.

Total Spent: $47.35

That's a lot of stuff for under $50! I was very, very pleased with not only my savings, but also with the quality of the merchandise that I found today at Big Lots.

BONUS!

3-2-1- Balsamic Dressing Recipe

My everyday dressing recipe is simple. It's called 3-2-1 Dressing and I give credit to Jane Essylsten.

1 part real maple syrup

2 parts mustard (your choice. I like dijon)

3 parts balsamic vinegar.

Stir, shake, mix (however you want to combine the ingredients) and serve. Easy peasy and so good!

Your Turn!

What are you favorite real food items to get at Big Lots? How do you use Big Lot's great prices to stretch your food dollars? Leave your advice in the comments section.