As the year draws to a close, have you started considering your resolutions for the new year? Like many, you might be planning to adopt healthier eating habits and save money. You can accomplish both these objectives by incorporating these five grocery resolutions into your routine.
1. Instead of buying store-bought quick frozen meals, I am determined to prepare my own food for the freezer. It’s easy to grab a TV dinner like Lean Cuisine or a Marie Calendar meal for a quick lunch or dinner, but these are usually loaded with sodium and overpriced for the quantity you get. Despite their convenience, creating a similar quantity of food at home can often cost you less.
Making your own freezer-friendly meals is not as hard as it might seem. Grab a large home cooked meal, maybe chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, and green beans and distribute it into lunch-sized portions. The best way to freeze meals like these is using Tupperware, especially the ones with dividers to compartmentalize the food. I suggest these Bento containers which are also BPA-free.
Easy-to-prepare meals that can be stored in the freezer include French bread pizzas and burritos. The pizza requires slicing some French bread loaves from the grocery store, covering with your preferred pizza/spaghetti sauce, topping with cheese and any other desired toppings. For burritos, just cook up some beans, rice, cheese, and meat (skip the meat for further savings). Roll the mixture in a large tortilla, wrap in aluminum foil and you’re good to go.
These homemade versions are not only less expensive, but also healthier for you as they don’t include hidden sodium and unknown ingredients. In a pinch, you can even freeze peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a quick bite when you’re on the move.
2. I am committed to having two meat-free days each week. While some people eliminate meat from one meal a week, it’s really not difficult to go two full days without it. This small change can save you up to $100 per month, depending how large your family is and how much meat you consume.
You don’t have to be an expert vegetarian chef to create delicious meatless meals. Try these tasty dishes: pasta, quiche, veggie pizza, burritos with beans, rice and cheese, baked potatoes, salads, quesadillas, minestrone or potato soup, vegetarian chili, and veggie stir fry. I bet you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to switch out the meat in your usual recipes for a meal or two.
Skipping on meat not only saves money but can also lead to a slimmer physique due to the reduced protein intake.
Stay tuned for three more grocery savings resolutions in Part 2.
