February 9, 2013

Eat Well. Live Well.

Bags, Boxes, Cups, Straws, Napkins, Packets, Wrappers, Cardboard Containers.

"It's cheaper."
"It's quicker."
"I don't know how to cook."

I roll my eyes to EACH of these statements. If you plan and prepare it right, eating in saves a lot of cash and trash, is tremendously faster, and is MUCH better for you. The last three weeks have been really quite life changing for me. This semester of school is much slower paced than the last, so I'm able to strategize on living the way I want to live. One of the first steps I have taken to living well is Eating Well.

Here are my top ten ways to Eat Well.

10. CALL YOUR MOM.
All of those favourite recipes that are your favourites...get them. I'm sure for your well being, Mom will go over with you how to make the meals, what foods to buy, and her secrets of your favourite dishes. PLUS you'll get to call Mom. Nothing beats that! But if calling mom isn't an option, don't fret, my friends, there's always the youtube!

9. JUST SAY NO
When you are at the mall and you are hungry, just say no. You can come home to a warm home cooked meal in your crock pot. It's as simple as that. A friend wants to go out for supper? Invite them over and unthaw..wait for it...2 pieces of lasagna. I'm a bit biased on this one, because I don't like going out to eat. I don't like spending money on food that may or may not be tasty. I don't like the long waiting time, uncomfortable chairs, and as a picky eater I'm either embarrassed by all the changes I request in my order, or I'm extremely disapointed when I find an icky item (like onion) on my food when it's not in the menu description.

8. CHOOSE LESS FAT
Seriously, the low sodium options are always better. Especially with salad dressings, I'm what they call a picky eater, yet I can't tell the difference in taste or texture, so buying the low fat dressings are a great option. I'm always on the watch for when ground turkey goes in sale too, because it is a great alternative to greasy ground beef.
(Mind you, turkey bacon is never a substitute for the real thing).

7. FLIP FLIP FLIP.
Every week I have the Sobey's flyer e-mailed to me, but if that's not your fancy then go to your driveway and pick up that paper bundle of joy. Seriously, I can save a good 20 dollars a week just by perusing the flyers. What's on sale can determine my meals for the week. Do your research, it really pays off to spend 5 minutes Flipping. Also, if you're a student make Tuesday your grocery day, because saving 10% is awesome.

6. CAL-CU-LATE
I know it sounds dorky, but using a calculator when I shop can actually help me a lot. Don't worry, you can pretend to be texting while you use the calculator application on your phone. By using a calculator you can find out if the big yellow sticker price is actually a good deal or not. If crackers are 3/$5.00 at Walmart, and BuyOneGetOne at Sobeys, you can use the magic of a calculator to compare!

5. DON'T BE TEMPTED
So you're in a store and they have shelves filled with a favourite food of yours, but it's not on sale. Don't be tempted, don't buy it. Chances are the shelves are overfilled with it, because it will go on sale in a few days. It's nice to splurge once in a while, but if it's an item you use often, then wait for it to go on sale and then stock up. I also support the lame option of getting a rain check. When my favourite cheese is on sale, but not on the shelf I get a rain check for 4 blocks so that I can come back at my leisure and get half price cheese.

4. MAKE IT BIG
What ever you make, make it big. Every Saturday I set aside about an hour and I make a big batch of food. One weekend was Chili, one weekend was Stew, last weekend was turkey soup, and this weekend was Lasagna. Making a large amount is cheaper and saves more time than making food everyday. Don't forget dessert! All of these tips apply for dessert. Restaurant and fastfood desserts are extremely overpriced for what they are. If you make a big batch of dessert, freeze it, or store it, then you just might be satisfied. Today I was about to reach for the packet of Subway cookies when I remembered that I had homemade score bar bites in the fridge. mmm mmmm.

3. CROCK IT UP.
Seriously if you have a crock pot, you don't even have to endure the 2 minut microwave wait. It takes at least 10 minutes to drive, order, and wait for fast food. Plus, the amazing aromas will really make you feel at home.

2. FREEZE FREEZE FREEZE
To make it more convient than fast food try freezing parts of your big batch of food. In the morning I'll grab a frozen ziplock bag or plastic container of food, and either let it defrost until meal time, or I stick it in my crock pot. Also, when freezing meats, it helps to divide it into portions. For example when I buy packages of bacon, I cut the strips in half and freeze 6-8 mini strips in a bag, that way I can just unzip it and throw it in a frying pan when I want just enough for a breakfast or club sandwich.

1. MAKE IT FUN
Whether cooking in the kitchen, roaming through the asiles, or flipping through the flyer...make it fun! Play music while you cook! Make a game out of grocery shopping, maybe by seeing how close you can get to your budget without going over! And try drawing pictures instead of writing out a grocery list. What ever you do, make it fun, and make it work for you.


 I promise that if you put in a little effort planning and prepping, 
you can eat fast, inexpensively, and most importantly: well.

1 comment:

  1. Great tips, Annie! I ALWAYS get rain checks. My friends used to laugh at me, but now some of them do too.

    My employer gave all of the teachers gift cards to Carrefour (a supermarket kind of like Walmart) for Chinese New Year and when I'm back from Thailand, I plan on seeing if I can find a crock pot. I didn't realize you use one, too. Do you have any delicious crock pot recipes you can share? I'd really appreciate it! (I plan on pinning a bunch! Haha)

    ReplyDelete