2. Practical, affordable solutions
"It's expensive!", "I don't have time!", and “It’s too complicated!” There are lots of excuses when it comes to eating well. The key to getting around these obstacles? PLANNING. You’ll save time and money by putting a stop to impulse purchases and frequent, impulsive trips to the restaurant.
5 tips for trimming your grocery bill
- Draw up a grocery list based on your week's menu and what you have on hand at home. Most importantly: stick to it at the supermarket!
- Look at the flyers, use coupons and stock up on non-perishable products: pasta, legumes, and canned fish.
- At the grocery store, bend down! The most expensive products are at eye-level and at the ends of the aisles.
- The more "processed” a product is, the more expensive. Do the work yourself as often as you can.
- Remember: what’s really expensive is not what you buy, but what you throw out!
5 tips for eating well in a flash
- To avoid the eternal “what’s for supper tonight?” question, create a menu on the weekend for the following week. Dig through your recipe books and browse cooking sites to find out ways to use what’s in your fridge.
- Double or triple your recipes, then refrigerate the leftovers for lunch the next day, or put them in the freezer for another evening.
- Work as a team! Ask the kids and your spouse for a helping hand: setting the table, getting the food out of the fridge, measuring ingredients, washing up, etc. Putting on some nice music transforms the activity from a chore into family fun.
- Get an electric slow cooker. It is a handy option for tasty meals that are ready when you get home. You’ll feel like a chef dropped by while you were out!
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Always keep multi-use foods on hand for putting together quick meals, like omelettes, pasta, main dish salads, grilled sandwiches, homemade pizza, etc.
- In the fridge: eggs, milk, cheese, a variety of fruit and vegetables, yogourt, pesto.
- In the freezer: different kinds of breads (e.g., tortillas, paninis, pizza crust), chicken breasts, ground meat, nuts, frozen fruits and vegetables.
- In the pantry: pasta, pasta sauce, legumes, couscous, canned fish.
