Here' s the final installment of the Tips for shopping for nutritious and healthy food on a budget series. After learning about how to save money at the store in segments one and two, part three helps you focus on planning your trip to the store and save at home. Click on the links to read part one and two of the healthy eating on a budget series.
Be A Food Saver. Freeze leftover rice, cooked pasta, sauces, and fillers like taco meat or seasoned diced or sliced chicken. These items can be warmed up or thawed for other meals. Didn't use all the tomato sauce or pizza sauce with that recipe? Pour it into a small baggie or container and freeze to use in a dish later. Slice up ripe bananas before they go bad; store in a baggie and stash in the freezer to make smoothies later.
Plan to Save. Schedule time for meal planning and map out meals for an entire week that allow for leftovers. Include healthy snacks as part of the meal planning. Use the meal plan when making your grocery-shopping list. Post the menu on the fridge. It will eliminate dinning out or ordering take-out, which in turn will encourage you to eat healthy at home. Planning your snacks will help nix trips to the vending machine. Healthy snacks will also help prevent blood sugar from spiking, which can lead to overeating later. Making a menu and corresponding leftovers and snacks may seem like a burden at first, but the pay off is significant. And after four weeks of creating menus, you'll have tons of meals and snacks that you can rotate into meal planning.
Create Your Own Take-Out. Purchase plastic containers to store leftovers and premade lunches. Mark the containers with its contents for easy lunch box packing during the morning rush. Keep a list of leftovers on the fridge so that your family knows what's available for lunches and quick dinners.
Make Protein A Side Dish. Plan vegetables for the main course, like a large dish of green beans or salad. Think of protein as a side dish. Chicken breasts, for example, are large enough to be considered two servings. Consider cutting the breast in half after cooking and save the other half for another meal, or split the oversized serving between family members.
Make Your Own "Fries". Save money by making fries from scratch. Cut up sweet potatoes, yams, red potatoes or russets into the shape of fries (or cut up as cottage-style fries) and bake. Consider combining two types of potatoes for a tasty medley. Season with salt, pepper, cinnamon or garlic.
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