15 Grocery Hacks For When You’re Trying To Eat Healthy
#1 Buy in-season fruit when it’s cheap, and freeze it for later.
"You can often find deals on in-season fruit. Buy in season, stock up, and freeze whatever you're not going to eat. You can use the frozen fruit in homemade smoothies or juices in the coming months. Buying smoothies and juices on the go can definitely add up."
#2 Or center your weekly meals around whatever’s in-season.
"I always choose a couple in-season veggies to center my meals around for the week. Get multiple uses out of your veggies!"
#3 Buy things like whole grains, beans, and spices from the bulk bins.
"You can find exceptionally nutritious base ingredients for not a lot of money, even at stores that are considered âpricey'. For example, with a few dollars you can buy a pound of organic split peas, lentils, beans, or many whole grains, etc. When cooked, a pound of any of these is quite a lot and any one of them can act as the foundation ingredient in soups or just as a way to make a salad more substantial."
#4 And invest in a set of transparent jars or containers to store those bulk groceries.
"By using glass jars, you're saving on packing and they put the ingredient in front of your face, which helps to inspire and not waste!"
#5 Wash your berries and rinse them with white vinegar and water to make them last longer.
"Wash your berries the day you get them, it keeps them from getting moldy. Mix one cup of white vinegar and two cups of water and immerse the berries. Then remove them into a strainer and run cold water over them. Store in a tupperware with a paper towel at the bottom and the lid resting on top to vent the berries. I can honestly get a week out of my berries now as opposed to a day or two before."
#6 Invest in a slow cooker for easy, healthy large-batch meals.
"On Sunday's you can make a big pot of one of the thousands of healthy crockpot meals, portion it out for the week, and bam! Healthy dinner solved for the week! Basically I spend $15 to $20 for five to six healthy dinners (the most expensive part is the meat, but for an all-veggie dish it's super cheap) and about 45 mins total prep time from start to finish. Pinterest is a great free place to get some easy, yummy and healthy crockpot recipes!"
#7 Hit up your local farmer’s markets for fresher and cheaper options.
Don’t buy precut veggies. Save money and chop them yourself.
"It might take you a bit longer, but it will ultimately save you a pretty penny."
#9 Roast an entire chicken at the beginning of the week.
"I roast a chicken almost every Sunday for dinner. Then I take it all off the bone and have it for lunch the entire week. You can put it on salad, in a wrap, or make chicken salad. A whole roasted chicken costs about $7. The bones and skin from the chicken go into a ziplock bag in the freezer. When I have three carcasses and a gallon size baggie of veggie cut offs, I throw it all into a pot and make chicken stock. It's so easy."
#10 Buy bags of frozen veggies to use in your meals.
"Frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh, and last longer. I keep lots of them around for steaming, sauteeing and incorporating into soups and omelets."
#11 Stock up on eggs in your refrigerator. They’re cheap, high in protein, and can be used in a ton of healthy recipes.
#12 Find ways to use old produce.
"As soon as your produce starts to go soft, throw it in the freezer. When your apples go mealy, make applesauce. When your bananas go brown, bake muffins. Spotty tomatoes can be sauced and frozen. If you have excess herbs, you can make pesto and freeze that too."
#13 Buy frozen veggies and roast them instead of boiling them.
"They retain more nutritional value when roasted, and you can save money buying them frozen!"
#14 If you have the space grow spices and veggies in your own garden.
#15 Keep stocked on rice and beans.
"It's a cheap, filling meal and you can always throw veggies in with it."
