The Food Marketing Institute has recently reported that 71% of us are
cooking at home more often these days. That means more people are sitting in
rush hour traffic rummaging through their cupboards and fridge in their minds,
trying to figure out what's for dinner.
Naturally, home cooking has fewer calories and more nutritional value
than restaurant meals but are you maximizing your savings or adding to your
stress when you eat at home?
The average
household wastes 14% of the food they buy due to poor planning and wastage. If
you spend $100 a week on groceries, 14% is the equivalent of three homemade
gourmet lunches.
By planning your
meals you only shop for the fresh items you need for the week, thus reducing
wastage and worry. Any extra portions can be labelled with the date and frozen
right after you make them so they avoid becoming funky experiments in the back
of the fridge.
When you plan
meals, make sure to include enough foods from each food group, with special
attention to fresh vegetables and fruits for every meal as well as snacks.
Always keep an eye out for sales on grain products like rice, pasta and
couscous and oats so you can stock up and have them as staples for every meal.
Frozen fish,
frozen vegetables and even frozen fruit are also good to keep on hand for quick
entrees, side dishes and smoothies when you haven't had a chance to buy fresh
ingredients.
Meat is
definitely the most costly mealtime staple but re-thinking how you use it can
be better for your wallet and your waistline. With books like In Defence of
Food by Micheal Pollan, it's becoming increasingly popular to think of meat
as a condiment for vegetables as opposed to the meal's focal point.
Diversify your
cooking skills and learn techniques to stretch your food dollar. For instance,
braising or slow cooking cheaper cuts of meat is an easy way to save on meat.
Or, better yet, swap out meat for lentils and other beans once or twice a week
for even greater savings – and health benefits.
Soups, casseroles and salads are all great ways to pepper in a little
meat instead of serving it in one big chunk.
The benefits of
meal planning are numerous and getting started is surprisingly simple. All you
need to do is jot down your meals before you go grocery shopping, know what you
have on hand, and write out your shopping list so you buy only what you need.
To expedite this process consider enlisting the help of professional menu
planners (aka someone like me!) who can take the planning off your plate while
teaching you the basics.
