Monday, March 30, 2015

In these days of rising prices, feeding a family is costly even if you prepare most meals at home. Savvy Moms know enough to leave the kids at home when grocery shopping, and they try to avoid temptation themselves by shopping only on a full stomach.

Registered dietician Kathleen M. Zelman, a regular contributor to WebMD, recently posted five more ways to eat better while saving money on groceries:
 

Plan ahead – Read the grocery store ads and plan the week’s meals around whatever is on sale. Look for sales on ‘family size’ packages of meat or chicken and freeze half to provide a second meal later. Use coupons clipped from Sunday’s paper or posted on the store’s web page to help you save even more.

Make healthy choices – Chips, cookies and sodas cost plenty but have little nutritional value. Keep sparkling water in the fridge and add a splash of fruit juice. Keep carrot sticks and other fruits and veggies in the fridge for quick and easy snacking. Make a batch of homemade cookies as a treat once in a while to avoid preservatives and other chemicals – and if you must buy packaged snacks, stick to pretzels or popcorn. A regime like this will not only save money, it will also cut back on calories.

Save on protein foods – Try meatless dinners once or twice a week. Foods like mac and cheese, cheese-and-spinach lasagna, and cheese-and-veggie omelets or quiches are often family favorites. Experiment also with inexpensive meat and fish substitutes like tofu or imitation crab.

Buy produce in season – Corn, tomatoes, melons, and stone fruits are cheaper in summer, while winter yields sale prices on squash, eggplant, oranges and apples. Take advantage of seasonal prices when meal-planning. Experiment with roasting root vegetables and making your own fresh fruit crumbles to make the most of nature’s bounty – on the cheap.

Waste not, want not – Keep a close eye on what’s in the fridge and don’t let foods spoil or go to waste. Too many veggies? Make soup or stew. Stale bread? Make French toast for breakfast or croutons to add crunch to a salad. And if you don’t already do so, start packing those small servings of leftovers into tasty brown bag lunches.

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