5 Tips for Budget-friendly Summer Meal Prepping
Hey Angels and Alphas,
If you’ve taken a lot of trips to the grocery store lately, you’ll be the first to notice – the dollar isn’t what it used to be!
In the United States, fish, eggs, meats, and poultry, have increased nearly 15 percent in the last year, while fruits and veggies have jumped nearly 8 percent.
But just because store prices are raising doesn’t mean you should stop putting healthier food choices in your cart. For example, by buying in bulk or purchasing in-season produce, you’ll be able to save some money without sacrificing your health in the process. The fact is, you can eat healthy and balanced diets regardless of what your budget is. With that said, let’s take a look at 5 tips you can use today to start keeping costs low at the grocery store.
A note about meal prepping…
By batch prepping all your meals for the week ahead, you’ll make sure that food doesn’t get to sit around in your pantry unprepared. If you’re not wasting food, you’re not wasting money either. For smoothies, you can place ingredients in your freezer container so that they’re ready to blend. Burritos, wraps, and sandwiches can be frozen and then thawed out for easy consumption.
And cooking a whole grain at the beginning of the week and adding that to your soups and salads is a very cost-effective way to save some time. As a general rule, you should be meal prepping.
This will ultimately help you better manage all the resources that go into your healthy meal prep, including time and money.
TIP #1 – DON’T HOLD BACK ON REWARD PROGRAMS AND COUPONS
Grocery stores love having you as a customer. They go as far as incentivizing you to come back through rewards, memberships, discounts, and more. Make sure you’re all signed up for these!
And here’s an old but useful tip: look to your grocery store’s flyer for the weekly discounts. And if you want to keep things digital, plenty of apps can help give you cashback and savings at the grocery store.
TIP #2 – ORGANIC ISN’T ALWAYS BEST
When one of your priorities is keeping your budget in check, you should have a more holistic focus on your diet. Are you getting enough fruits, veggies, and protein every day?
If you can answer this with a resounding yes, even if it’s with conventionally grown produce and meats, is ultimately better for you than going without these things.
If you’re trying to make the switch to conventional produce, you should remember to wash and scrub under running water to decrease the pesticide residue that may still be around. You should also consider cutting all the exterior leaves out of leafy veggies to cut down on contamination.
TIP #3 – FREEZER PRODUCTS HAVE LOWER PRICES
Frozen veggies and fruits will often come with a lower price tag, especially if that produce is typically out of season. This can be very helpful when Autumn and Winter roll around.
Since it’s picked and frozen at its peak ripeness, frozen produce can also hang onto its nutritional benefits for a much longer time. And while you can’t really put your finger on it, there’s something about frozen fruits that makes smoothies, cobbler, and yogurt taste amazing.
TIP #4 – CHOOSE COST-EFFICIENT PROTEINS
Poultry and meat have both been inexpensive ways to get protein into your diet. But with their prices soaring around the globe, they’re no longer so easy to justify during weekly grocery orders.
To make sure you’re getting enough protein, don’t forget to include bean and lentil dishes into the mix. Peanut butter, milk, and yogurt are all amazing sources of quality protein that can easily be added to any protein smoothie.
TIP #5 – ALWAYS TRUST THE FLAVOR STAPLES
New recipes can usually call for unique ingredients and spices, but if you’re prioritizing your budget, look at all the essential seasoning needs you have and stack up on them.
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika will go a long way to enrich the taste of chicken and fish. Chili powder and paprika are also amazing in chilis and stews, while garlic and ginger powders will brighten almost any plate of homemade curry.
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