As the year comes to an end, have you started thinking about your New Year’s resolutions? Like many others, you might be aiming to eat healthier and save some money. You can achieve both by incorporating these five grocery resolutions into your routine.
1. Instead of buying pre-made frozen meals, I’m going to start making my own to stash in the freezer. Sure, it’s easy to grab a TV dinner like Lean Cuisine or Marie Callender’s for a quick meal, but these are often loaded with sodium and are overpriced for what you get. Making a similar amount of food at home usually costs less.
Preparing your own freezer-friendly meals is simpler than it sounds. Cook a large meal, say chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, and green beans, and portion it out into lunch-sized servings. Using Tupperware with dividers is the best way to freeze meals like these. Bento containers are a great option and they are BPA-free as well.
Some easy-to-make and freeze meals include French bread pizzas and burritos. For the pizza, slice up some French bread loaves from the grocery store, spread on your favorite pizza or spaghetti sauce, add cheese and any toppings you like. For the burritos, cook up some beans, rice, cheese, and meat (or skip the meat to save more). Roll the mixture in a large tortilla, wrap it in aluminum foil, and you’re set.
These homemade options are cheaper and healthier since they don’t contain hidden sodium or unknown ingredients. You can even freeze peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a quick snack on the go.
2. I’m planning to have two meat-free days each week. While some people cut out meat from one meal a week, going two full days without meat is pretty manageable. This small change can save up to $100 a month, depending on your family’s size and meat consumption.
You don’t need to be a vegetarian cooking expert to whip up delicious meatless meals. Try dishes like pasta, quiche, veggie pizza, burritos with beans, rice, and cheese, baked potatoes, salads, quesadillas, minestrone or potato soup, vegetarian chili, and veggie stir fry. You’ll probably be surprised how easy it is to replace the meat in your usual recipes for a meal or two.
Cutting back on meat not only saves money but can also contribute to a slimmer waistline thanks to reduced protein intake.
Stay tuned for three more grocery savings resolutions in Part 2.