How many times a week do you stock up on groceries?
Before you go shopping, do you check your pantry, fridge and freezer? This is a valuable step to avoid double or triple buying of food. Are you one of those people with a second freezer in the garage, a stash of dry food in the basement or whose cupboards are full of unidentified food products? If so, are you using them wisely?
Having basic, nutritious ingredients on hand is a great way to space out your trips to the grocery store. Check out our favorite pantry essentials here.
If you like to take advantage of large format savings, chances are you already have a frozen protein on hand as a base for your meal. However, did you know that you can also freeze:
- leftover coffee (for your next iced coffee craving?)
- coconut milk a leftover tub of spinach that is close to wilting
- cooked quinoa, barley or pasta
- avocado or guacamole (no more blackened avocado halves)
- shredded cheese
Alternatively, to extend their shelf life, you could also decide to make marinades...
However, having too much is like not having enough. We end up forgetting what we bought and our losses are greater than expected. Remember the time we ate the same lunch for a week because we had to pass on the vegetables or tortillas before they went bad? You don't want to repeat that.
So, our expert dietitian encourages you to keep an inventory of the foods you keep in your home. Ideally, repeat the exercise every season. Freezing helps, but not forever!
In short, optimize your budget and your menu by judiciously planning how to take advantage of your stocks: those in the freezer as well as those in the pantry.
