Healthy Grocery Tips That Won’t Break the Bank!
It’s a running joke in our house that often I “eat to get the job done.” I am less concerned with the preparation of my food or bold flavors and more concerned with nutritional and caloric content.
OBVI, I don’t live this way the entire week. I make yummy meals that are very healthy, and I enjoy myself out at dinner a few times per week. But, in order to keep the grocery bill down and hit my fitness goals, there has to be a little give and take here and there.
I’m writing this blog for two reasons:
- to share some grocery tips that help you eat healthy without breaking the bank and
- to simplify meals to make meal prep and macro goals less complicated
These two honestly go hand in hand, so let’s get started…
How to save $$$ at the grocery store…
We are not breaking the bank in the name of fitness and goals. If you are #ballinonabudget, I get it. The good news is I don’t buy the lie that eating healthy is more expensive. It can be if you compare your meal to the dollar menu, but that’s not the case for most people. If you want to get out of Trader Joe’s as cheaply as possible while aiming to buy healthy food, here are your guidelines:
Protein:
- You can buy conventional chicken breast and ground beef relatively cheaply per lb. I love purchasing ground beef when it’s on sale and freezing what I don’t need for future meals.
- Tuna and salmon packets are high in protein and healthy fats. I love to make salmon bowls with veggies and soy sauce.
- Frozen meats are also an excellent and affordable option. For last-minute dinners, I keep frozen turkey burgers from Trader Joe’s in my freezer.
Produce & Grains:
- FROZEN VEGGIES & FRUIT ALL DAY. Seriously. Buy them. Easy to prepare; you don’t have to worry about buying fresh produce that could go bad. Let’s be honest; this happens every week to all of us.
- Canned beans, peas, and other veggies are a great option, too, but frozen is the best option.
- Grains: oh, yummy grains. Excellent source of fiber and B vitamins. These are so cheap, especially when bought in bulk. Oats, brown rice, lentils, and whole wheat pasta can be kept for months and are a healthy source of carbs. Keep these on hand at all times.
- Spices: These will be your best friend to add flavor and pizazz to your meals. My favorite is garlic powder, chili powder, sea salt, and oregano!
- Sauces: mustard, tamari, hot sauce, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, all of these can be bought once and used for months to add flavor to meals, and they are mostly low in calories
You can build several healthy meals by combining ingredients from the list of foods above. I save money at the grocery store every week by following these steps. You can personalize your list depending on your budget. For example, I always buy organic meats and produce, but that’s a personal preference, not a must.
To make things simple for me during the week, I always use minimal ingredients and meal prep items ahead of time. This helps to minimize unnecessary tracking and expensive grocery trips. There must be a compromise if you have a physique goal and a budget.
What steps will you take to ensure you are buying high-quality foods? How will you prepare these meals in advance for easy tracking and consumption throughout the week?
It may seem overwhelming initially, but the more reps you put into grocery and meal planning, the easier it gets. You may not want to “eat to get the job done,” but adopt the mindset that food nourishes and fuels us. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy our food, but it does mean there may be a learning curve to combine the two. Review these useful grocery tips the next time you plan your list. Experimenting with new foods is the best way to learn what works best for you and your goals!
