Fitness and nutrition go hand in hand, but it can be hard making the right choices when shopping at the grocery store. Here are a few tips to stick to your list and shop without breaking the bank.
Make A Plan & Stick To It
Reduce your isle wandering and impulse buying. Take the time to sit down and plan a week's worth of meals. This will allow you to plan for leftovers and cut down the number of trips to the store every week. Save yourself time and money by reducing your potential to impulse-buy.
Your chances of sticking to your healthy eating plan are higher when you have selected and prepared meals ahead of time.
Make A Grocery List
Once you have your meals mapped out, your next step is to create a grocery list. Commit to buying only what is on your list. If you have a hard time staying on track in the store, try online shopping if available.
Money Saving Tips
Buy Whole Foods - process and package yourself and save
Buy In Bulk - oats, nuts, and seeds are all great items you can purchase and bulk and easily store
Buy In Season - look and see what fresh produce is in season at the grocery store and local farmer's market
Sample Meal Plan
The videos for these recipes (and more!) can be found on chefabbiegellman.com.
Meal planning doesn’t have to be complex, and neither do healthy recipes! The proof is in the pudding—or in this case, the parfait! Here’s a day’s worth of dishes that are totally doable for almost anyone:
Breakfast: Savory Oats With Fried Egg. Recipe below.
Lunch: Grain Vegetable Salad With Tuna and Vinaigrette.
In a bowl, toss 1/2 cup chopped vegetables, 1 cup mixed greens and 1/2 cup cooked brown rice. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together 1 Tbl of olive oil, 1 Tbl of vinegar or citrus juice, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Toss the dressing with the salad, then top with a 5-ounce can of (drained) tuna.
Snack: Fruit and Nut Butter. Piece of fruit (example: apple or pear) and 2 Tbl nut butter.
Dinner: Lentil Bolognese With Zucchini Noodles. Recipe below.
Snack/Dessert: Easy Yogurt Parfait. Mash ½ cup of plain yogurt with ½ cup fresh berries, then top with 2 Tbl chopped nuts. Optional: Add touch of honey or maple syrup.
Recipes
SAVORY OATS WITH FRIED EGG
This hearty breakfast is a great way to use up leftover vegetables, so don’t be afraid to mix and match. Use whatever veggies you like! Makes one serving.
3/4 cup water 1/4 cup dry quick-cooking steel-cut oats (or 1/2 cup cooked steel-cut oats or rolled oats) pinch of salt pinch of pepper 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1/4 cup red pepper, diced 1/4 cup zucchini, diced 2 Tbl onion, diced 1/4 cup kale, chopped 1 large egg
1. Bring water to boil. Add oats, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 3 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat and stir in salt and pepper.
2. Heat nonstick pan or skillet over medium-high heat, then add 1 tsp oil. Add vegetables and cook for 2–3 minutes, until softened. Spoon vegetables over cooked oats.
3. Add remaining 1 tsp oil to nonstick pan, then add egg. Cook until egg white is no longer translucent. Serve over oatmeal and vegetables.
LENTIL BOLOGNESE WITH ZUCCHINI NOODLES
Even meat lovers will love this plant-based twist on an old favorite. Feel free to swap in whole-wheat noodles, especially if you have some left over! To make it quicker, use canned cooked lentils (drained) instead of the dried version. Makes four servings.
2 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil 2 carrots, peeled and diced 1 onion, diced 1 stalk celery, diced 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes 4 cups vegetable broth 1∕8 tsp black pepper 2 Tbl plain Greek yogurt 1 Tbl balsamic vinegar zucchini noodles (zoodles)
1. Heat soup pot or deep pan over medium heat and add oil. Add carrots, onions, celery and salt. Sauté until translucent or slightly golden, about 8–10 minutes.
2. Add lentils, tomatoes and broth, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and leave until lentils are cooked through, about 25–30 minutes.
3. Mix in pepper, yogurt and vinegar. Continue to simmer until sauce reaches desired thickness.
4. About 3–4 minutes before ready to eat, boil zucchini noodles until desired doneness. To serve, top cooked zoodles with sauce.
Comments