Monday Lunch
On my plate:
- Smoked salmon sandwich with vegetable cream cheese, tomato and broccoli slaw
- Sliced red pepper
Smoked Salmon
Take a Bite!
Yum!
Since my mid-day meal included smoked salmon, which I rarely buy because it is so expensive, it made me think about what aspects of my diet would change if I were a millionaire and had tons of money at my disposal to buy all sorts of fun foods.
Here are the changes I would make to my food purchases if money were no object:
- Purchase only organic fruits and vegetables (not just the “dirty dozen“)
- Buy pre-sliced vegetables and fruit salads
- Buy only organic meats and milk (we already try to do this, but are sometimes swayed when the prices seem to skyrocket)
- Purchase pricier lean meats like bison
- Buy more gourmet nut butters
Naturally Nutty
- Enjoy more seafood (crab claws, lobster, shellfish, scallops and pricier fish would be consumed regularly)
- Eat more gourmet cheese
- Eat more fancy nuts
- Enjoy different kinds of expensive chocolate daily
As you guys know, Ryan and I are very budget conscious and try to limit the amount of money we spend on our trips to the grocery store. Saving money and bargain shopping is actually kind of fun for me (I get this from my mom who bargain hunts like it’s her job!), but wouldn’t it be amazing not to have to think about a budget when it comes to fueling your body with healthy food?
Question of the Afternoon
- If you had unlimited funds, what foodie items would you spend your money on?
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I would buy all organic for sure and would eats LOTS of Sushi! That has to be my favorite healthy food. I would be buying tons of fresh fish and stone crabs! yummmmy
This is one of my favorite things to think about! I already buy organic dairy, eggs, meat, and the dirty dozen of produce, but if funds weren’t an issue, I would buy organic and local EVERYTHING at the farmer’s market, and would splurge more often on the world’s tastiest cheeses, olives, and wines!
I’d definitely buy 100% organic if I had the money….and I love the chocolate one too 🙂 Plus I’d probably eat out at some crazy restaurants- like Per Se and Le Bernadin, both of which are like $300 a person!!
oh me too! and i think i’d eat at season’s 52 at least once a week!
Cheese would definitely be my #1 because anything out of the ordinary is ridiculously expensive! I would go for the expensive chocolates too 😉
isn’t it SO annoying!? i always want to buy a new fancy-looking block of cheese but they’re AT LEAST $7… and that’s often on the LOW end!
Go on self-guided chocolate tours of various cities. I’ve only done this in LA, Boston, Chicago, New York, Paris, Seattle, and (obviously) DC so far.
OK, maybe that’s a lot. But I still want to get to London, San Franciso, somewhere in Italy, Montreal, etc. to do more chocolate crawls.
hahaha yes, maybe that’s a lot. 😉 but i don’t blame you for wanting to do more! they sound like a blast.
I’d probably buy more seafood and specialty things. Definitely some expensive chocolate as well.
All of our fruits and veggies are already organic here….so that’s not a big problem! =P
I would buy more seafood too. Plus get some cooking lessons to make outrageous meals!
go organic for sure! {it’s sad that the healthier option almost always is the more expensive option}
and heck, if i’m imagining a world where i’m a millionare, gazillionaire…i’d hire a personal chef!!!
I now have the Barenaked Ladies’ song stuck in my head “If I had a million dollars (if i had a million dollars)…” over and over and over again so THANKS. 😉
But really, if I did have more money, my food list would probably be pretty darn similar to yours – I try so hard to buy organic these days but sometimes it’s so hard with the price difference (especially if you have an ethnic grocery store nearby – produce is hella cheap there but they haven’t even heard of organic, haha.) Oh, and I’d upgrade my dogs’d diet, too. (to Honest Kitchen’s dehydrated dog food – they love it, it’s amazing for them, it’s so. intensely. expensive.)
I almost never eat sushi anymore because it’s so expensive, so I’d probably eat that more often.
Then, I’d get a personal chef to go out and get all that stuff you mentioned in your list and then cook my meals for me. 🙂
Justin’s Nut Butters and Vita Tops and Think Thin bars! And, you know, organic milk and veggies 😉
First of all, I would buy a juicer, so I can enjoy fresh juice every day! We belong to a CSA program that supplies only organic produce, so I’m already doing that! Although I like your idea of pre-chopped/sliced veggies.
That’s so funny Julie — I have been eating goat cheese + smoked salmon sandwiches (on a sandwich thin too!) lately because I splurged on a pack at WF, and was thinking the same thing!! Wouldn’t it be nice to eat that way all the time…heh. But I have figured out that you can splurge on the nicer stuff (smoked salmon, organic meats, nut butters) a little more often if you keep the majority of your diet vegetarian. I’m sure you already knew that, but it’s fun being able to buy *less* meat but make it count when you do have it!
If I had a million bucks…I would buy every single grocery item from Whole Foods 🙂
I think I’d buy organic as well.. and a lot more fish!
I’m obsessed with Naturally More pb, too. so much so that I don’t think I can go back to the regular stuff.
maybe I’ll just save NM for my pb fingers (or spoonfuls) and buy the other stuff for mixin’. 😉
I’m totally with you on the bison! I splurged on it occasionally and I love it! I’d go 100% organic and order a larger CSA box. I’d also make sure all of my meat is from quality sources. I’d probably go to one of the farms where you can purchase large amounts of organic meat to freeze. And of course a chef to cut of my fruits and veggies because I hate doing that!
I would do the same as you: organic fruits & veggies, organic dairy, local grassfeed beef products, free range chicken eggs, all that good stuff! We’re feeding a family of 6 on one income so we can only do organic when it’s on sale, so I have to the best can with what we can afford at this time…but still NO processed foods. Despite our tight and rather large grocery budget, we are still able to eat quite clean. 🙂
So funny because I was just talking about this topic this morning. Eating healthy can be really expensive! I can see why so many people are over weight- it’s expensive to only buy healthy food. I’m lucky that I can afford it, but so many people can’t- especially trying to feed an entire family.
Anyways..if I had unlimited funds to spend on food– LOTS of sushi 🙂 & panera like everyday for lunch- I cannot get enough of their chicken noodle soup, and of course the bread 😉 & I think I would have to try to OWN peanut butter & co- lol! Or at least have a store here in Florida 🙂
Great question! I already eat about 70-80% organic produce, but I would splurge on 100% organic produce if I could afford it (some things are just too expensive!). Like other folks, I would probably buy more fish, too, as well as Siggi’s yogurts–those things are divine, but I just cannot justify spending $2.50 on a tiny container of yogurt!
Now I have the billionaire song stuck in my head! I wanna be a billionaire so frickin’ bad…:)
I’d buy more expensive cheese, breads, nut butters, nuts, seafood, and organic fruits/veggies. Plus, me and my hubby would go out to eat at more expensive restaraunts where the food is fresher/organic–plus I’d help buy someone else’s groceries for a month or two 😉
OH MY GOODNESS! okay.. i would buy all organic product like you, buy an unlimited supply of nut butters (like you) buy LOTs of FlatOuts and Joseph breads, buy LOTS of PB2, buy LOTS of SUn Warrior protein powder, and LOTS OF BANANAS 😀
I agree on the smoked salmon! I used to hate it but I recently discovered how AMAZING it is! I’d also buy all organic, fresh seafood rather than frozen (which I only do occasionally) and lots of Ezekiel products! 🙂
I would absolutely buy all organic. It’s so fun imagining being able to truly afford any kind of food I wanted and not have to worry about “breaking” the week’s budget…And trying different kinds of expensive chocolates daily would be an absolute must!
hot bar at whole foods!
I would buy all organic produce, and go crazy at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, buying organic cereals, cheeses, and fun snacks!
Where do you get your broccoli slaw? Do you make it or buy? It looks like a fun sandwich topper!
I agree with you about buying only organic fruits/veggies/meat. I always buy organic milk, because the price is fairly reasonable, but the rest of that stuff can be KILLER expensive! The first time I had organic, free-range, grass-fed beef from Whole Foods, I honestly thought I died & went to heaven – it was so good and tasted so different than the random ish I usually buy at the grocery store. But it’s a special treat, since it was like $28 a pound.
Seriously, though, if I was a millionaire, I would hire a personal chef. No question about it 🙂
I’d buy all organic…and have a huge selection of gourmet ice creams sitting in my freezer!
I would definitely buy more gourmet nut butters. I love Naturally Nutty! Like you, I would also purchase organic meat all the time, as well as all organic fruits and veggies.
I’d buy a private jet to fly me to Whole Foods, where I’d do all my shopping. Until they build the Charlotte Whole Foods… then my driver could handle getting me there and back 😉
I would move to Seattle and buy all my groceries at the Pike Place Market. I went there this past summer and I could have spent all 5 days in the Market.
If I had the big bucks I’d have a farm and employees to grow my own food and milk my own cows. I’d also have a test kitchen to play with recipes while keeping my real kitchen clean.
I think we’d eat out five time a week instead of three, lol! And at better restaurants, like driving to NYC just for lunch. Or a helicopter!
All organic produce and sushi galore. I’d actually probably try to live sustainably off my own land. Cows, chickens, goats, fish, gardens galore, etc.
Oh if only! I would buy all organic and eat more scallops and fresh shrimp and salmon. Luckily, I live in Wyoming so my family has started to buy a 1/4 of an entire bison twice a year. We get a mix of ground bison, bison ribs, bison steak, bison t-bones, etc. I haven’t been able to eat beef for nearly five years now so having a bison steak is just heaven! I also eat gluten free and ALL of those foods are so expensive, I would definitely splurge on the “safe” stuff!
I would only shop at Earthfare. Oh and I would have a personal chef!
Probably the entire Whole Foods store and a frozen yogurt store on the side 😉
Cheese, cheese, cheese! I went to buy a mozzarella ball yesterday and quickly tossed it back when I saw the$10.50 price tag! I’d also buy more organic foods. And I wouldn’t have to choose between two boxes of cereal at nearly $5 a pop – I’d buy both! 🙂
Definitely would spend my money on seafood. Fresh seafood!
If I was a millionaire I would buy everything 100% organic. I would also eat more salmon and seafood that I just don’t buy often because it seems so expensive. I don’t really buy anything organic right now because there is such a difference in price that I don’t want to shell out the extra money but I think I am going to try and buy some organic items, especially the dirty dozen items.
Stichelton cheese, exotic fruit and about 100 items from Balducci’s!
I’d eat at LEAST a pint of blueberries every day! Other than that I’d probably honestly eat out all the time–a lot of restaurant meals have a better nutrition profile than anything I could create myself and are quicker and tastier too.
if money wasn’t an issue, I’d hire a chef who specializes in only healthy and organic food and someone to shop for me so I wouldn’t have to worry about the hassle of it all 😉
Special dark chocolate! I love browsing the chocolate selection, but some of them are so fancy and expensive. I’d also buy organic, fresh produce.
I’d have a personal chef cook me healthy gourmet meals made from the finest high quality foods, always. I would eat more seafood too and dessert is a must =)
btw, that’s a cute cheat sheet. another easy way to remember organic buys is the following rule: If you can bite into it, it’s best to buy organic. If it has a peel, save your cash!! ex. apple vs. banana
I would buy sugar free natural coconut water and Perrier and drink it every day! All my foods would be organic and my chicken( well I won’t eat it now b/c it’s not organic) & fish that I eat would be local as well. I could start to buy greek yogurt, specialty coffees and various nut butters,definitely invest in coconut butter, coconut flour too…oh and protein powders! Ya my fridge is pretty bare these days, college drains the funds, nice to dream…great discussion question!
you should look into a soda stream! you can make your OWN sparkling water at home!
I would buy more condiments like fancy mustards, tapanades, pricy olive oils and vinegars. Like you I’d also buy more nut butters, cheeses, and seafood. I’d spend more money at the eco-conscious, all-organic Roots Market and buy organic whole wheat flour, turbinado sugar, agave and organic tofu. I’d also frequent farmer’s markets a lot more and load up on locally grown/made goods. It’s nice to dream!
Julie, what kind of smoked salmon did you get? I’ve been wanting to incorporate that into my life, but wasn’t sure what to try first!
i just bought a little package of it from whole foods (packaged at the store)… it was from their seafood section. very tasty!
I think I would jsut try every item at Whole Foods that I wanted! Tons of Bobs Red Mill flours, different yogurt brands, and pricey fruits and veggies. It’d be great!
I would buy MASS amounts of greek yogurt, nut butters, blueberries and raspberries, and protein bars/powders! Sooo expensive :/ they hurt my wallet fasho.
I’d eat salmon almost ever night if money were no object. I love salmon! I’d also buy everything organic, and I’d dominate the bulk bins. I might just buy a whole bin. 🙂
I totally agree with your list! Especially the cheese and chocolate! And more wine! 😉
hire a chef who would later teach me how to cook everything in a very simple way ..