Savvy Grocery Shopping

So this made me think, how can I be more grocery shopping savvy? I love grocery shopping and cooking, but cooking for one can create a lot of leftover ingredients. So I set a few guidelines for myself to help cut grocery spending by minimizing food waste. And I thought my list just might come in handy for you too.

#1. Eat what you have. When I buy a whole tub of something for one recipe I need to find other ways to use it before it expires. For example yogurt. It’s delicious, it’s just not a staple for me, but I could mix it with sliced fruit for a tasty afternoon snack. Cheese too. If I buy mozzarella for a pasta dish, the rest could be used in a salads or wraps during the week.

#2. Bread. When I buy a loaf of bread there is always waste. If it’s whole-wheat or sourdough I should freeze half the loaf as soon as I get it home. Also, I love local artisan breads, but they dry out fast. From now on I’m using the waste for breadcrumbs. 

#3. Plan your meals. You don’t have to write down everything you’ll eat in the week to come, but if you have an idea it will keep you from buying everything that looks good. I eat lots of produce, and I know that I can easily eat two apples a day, but without planning my meals for the week I always seem to buy too many veggies. The brussels sprouts look good, the green beans I love, and can’t pass on squash.. Do you see where I’m going? So having a plan helps. For this week’s lunch and dinners I bought brussels sprouts, broccoli, and chopped up a mixed grill of sweet potatoes, acorn and butternut squash. I also snapped raw green beans for snacking (hummus + beans = delish).

#4. Eat leftovers or shrink the recipe. I can only eat leftovers for so many days, and I find cooking therapeutic so I don’t mind being in the kitchen every night (when my schedule allows).   I try to make enough for dinner plus an extra serving for lunch the next day, nothing more. If I do cook a lot of something, like soup, then I portion it out and freeze it. A couple weeks later it’ll make for a quick and tasty lunch. This weekend I made a roasted vegetable and lentil stew, 4 servings.

#5. Shop often. Okay, I know some people aren’t fond of grocery shopping, but I love it! If you under-estimate how much produce you can eat in seven days, just make a mid-week week stop at the market. It’s better to shop often then have waste.

So, after a bit of a scrub down, and restocking my fridge with fresh, ready-to-eat foods I feel so much better. No waste, and lots of good eats.

After

And that steamy tupperware in front.. that would be my quinoa and roasted squash and sweet potatoes. Yum!

I hope you’re all enjoying Superbowl weekend. What a game!! So far my favorite commercial was Career Builders, casual Fridays where the whole office is working in underwear.. gross. What was your favorite commercial?

Question:
What are your suggestions for savvy grocery shopping?