Have you noticed fast food restaurants advertising a 99 cent menu or inexpensive kids meals? They make it seem so simple to drive through and pick up a meal for the family for little to no money. It’s hard to combat quick, easy and cheap in our society of hardworking and busy families. The problem is the food in the take-out bags lacks nutritional value and is packed with empty calories. Let’s talk about grocery shopping tips for meal planning so you are shopping smart and prepared for the week ahead.
Grocery Shopping Tip #1: Plan Your Meals
Grocery Shopping Tip #1 might be the most important. Take 30 minutes before you load into the car and have a meal plan. There is nothing worse that getting home from a grocery shopping trip and realizing that you forgot to get 1 teaspoon of some random ingredient. So, PLAN AHEAD! Hop online to the Wellthy Soul Pinterest site and grab a healthy and delicious recipe that is kid approved and made from real food. Pick two new recipes a week and rotate them into the weekly mix of family favorite meals. While grocery shopping, consult your list to confirm you have all of the ingredients you need to make your weekly meals. Bonus Tip-Seasonal fruits and veggies are always cheaper and more flavorful so find recipes that include in-season produce.
Grocery Shopping Tip #2: Fill Your Cart with Foods that Expire
Once you have your cart, you are now on a mission to fill it up with fruit, veggies and lean meats. Skip the packaged food and pack your cart with real food. If it will go bad in a week, put it in your cart. Buy food that you know you and your family will enjoy but also food that is easy to prep. Suggestion: don’t try a jackfruit for the first time and expect to have an enjoyable experience figuring out how to eat that thing; you want to buy easy to consume fruits and veggies. Find joy in purchasing food that is purposeful and useful to your mind, body and soul. Allow fuel-providing and nutrient dense foods to inspire your family’s weekly diet.
Grocery Shopping Tip #3: Shop the Bulk Section
This tip is for the conservationist out there! Did you know you can buy obscure ingredients in the bulk section for a fraction of the price? You can measure out as much of the spice, grain, or nut as your recipe calls for and pay only for the amount needed in your recipe. There are all kinds of organic and non-GMO ingredients in the bulk section and that’s why it made the grocery shopping tip list! Next time you are in the grocery store, check it out.
Grocery Shopping Tip #4: Buy Non-GMO Frozen Food
I can never find fresh, non-GMO corn on the cob at my regular grocer. My family enjoys the sweet flavor of this veggie, but I hesitate to buy it because corn and soy are the top two vegetables that are genetically modified organisms in the United States. Avoiding GMOs when shopping at the grocery store is one of my personal goals since I don’t always know what foods the kids are eating when I am not around. An easy grocery shopping tip is to buy the fruits and veggies I want in the frozen foods isle. Read the bags and make sure they say organic or non-GMO, then add the fruits and veggies to your cart.
Grocery Shopping Tip #5: Divide your Foods
Once you get home, divide your foods. Make sure you have plenty of clean containers or zip lock bags and separate items into smaller portions so quick snacks are a breeze. For raw animal protein, divide that up as well. If you get two pounds of lean ground beef but only need one for a meal, freeze the other pound for later in the week. This trick will also make lunch planning much easier. Having quick, nutritionally dense snacks on hand can help you avoid pre-packaged foods and stay focused on your healthy lifestyle.
Finally, it’s time to meal prep
- Cook your proteins for the week
- Chop and divide vegetables and fruit
- Separate your grains into containers or baggies
- Organize each meal in a storage container then refrigerate
When your life moves fast, you may feel stressed and find yourself with very little extra time. Having prepared food on-hand will ensure your nutritional success. Carve out an hour to cook your proteins and chop and divide veggies. Next, separate your grains into containers or baggies and organize each meal in the fridge in storage containers. The more you can precook, the better. Having as much of the work prepped will make dinnertime, as well as lunch, much easier. You will have a much better chance of staying on meal plan if you have done the planning and preparation.
Do you need a meal plan designed specifically for your body and based on your current biological needs? After bloodwork and urinalysis, Wellthy Soul’s Care Team will help you to eat well for your body’s current needs. Complete the waitlist form here.
Wellthy Soul is a premium holistic wellness company that provides high touch, high care weight improvement coaching services for busy individuals. Wellthy Soul takes the guesswork out of long-lasting weight loss by offering a total mind, body, and soul approach focused on the personal accountability required to deliver lasting, transformational change for the clients in our care.