Is it possible to reduce your grocery bill and eat healthy?

Since the beginning of 2022, we have all noticed the price of our grocery bills skyrocketing! Almost no food is an exception; food is becoming more and more expensive. With inflation reaching record highs and salaries not keeping up, we'll need to arm ourselves with new tricks to limit the cost of the grocery list.

That being said, it's not necessary to compromise our physical (and mental!) health to reduce the bill. Here's how:

Waste: Enemy #1

Did you know that the average Quebec family wastes around $1,100 worth of food per year? 63% of these foods could have been eaten. Besides not properly enjoying these purchases, disposing of food generates greenhouse gases even worse than CO2. Reducing waste is a win-win for both you and the planet. Here are some tips:

1. Plan each meal carefully, incorporating ingredients that will be useful for several recipes throughout the week. Buy only what you need for the recipes, nothing more!
2. Ensure proper food storage. For example, carrots immersed in water can last for weeks, while wrapping spinach in an absorbent cloth keeps them crispy for longer.
3. Place less fresh foods at the front of the refrigerator to make sure nothing is forgotten at the back.
4. Freeze your vegetable trimmings to make homemade broths, as well as overripe fruits for smoothies and desserts.

Focus on Nutrient-Price Yield by Choosing Certain Meat Cuts

When it comes to animal proteins, the cut can make a big difference. For example, ground beef remains very nutritious while being more affordable than a steak, and when it comes to fish, haddock is both protein-rich and affordable. Did you know that buying a whole chicken is more advantageous? For instance, our grain-fed organic whole chicken costs about $9.35/kg, while the chicken breasts are $12.8/kg.

Pro Tip for Maximizing the Whole Chicken

• Boil a whole chicken at the beginning of the week (with some vegetable trimmings preserved in the freezer)
• Enjoy a part of the chicken for dinner
• Strain the liquid and keep the homemade chicken broth
• Shred the rest of the chicken and add it to a homemade vegetable soup made with the chicken broth OR
• Slice the rest of the chicken and use it in sandwiches or salads for lunches, and use the broth in a homemade stew.

Cook in Quantity and Freeze!

In 2022, one of the best ways to save money AND eat well is to avoid unnecessary take-outs. The best way to remedy this problem is to cook recipes in batches that will come in handy when you're short on time for cooking. Cooking several recipes at once and freezing them will save you a lot of time. Need inspiration? There are hundreds of batch cooking gurus on YouTube!

Pro Tip:

Plan ONE day per month for batch cooking. Spaghetti sauce, lasagna, chili, shepherd's pie, pozole... This will allow you to plan the recipes, shop for groceries, cook, do the dishes, and use the oven ONLY once!

Buy Frozen

Buying frozen meats and fish will save you multiple trips to the grocery store and save you money! By keeping a stock of basic products in the freezer, you'll always have something on hand to prepare a last-minute meal!

Shop Online

We're preaching to the choir, but online stores often offer better deals than grocery stores. For example, we often offer promo codes, and our themed boxes are always advantageous. Has any grocery store ever offered you a 10% discount because you spent over $350? Our unconventional business structure allows us to offer more competitive prices. Moreover, our prices are very competitive compared to grocery stores that offer our types of proteins (health food supermarkets), and everything is delivered to your door for free.

Beware of the "Health Halo"

This is where eating healthy can become expensive. If a healthy diet means "healthy snack bars, protein powders, "natural" cereals, cold-pressed juices, canned energy drinks, pre-made smoothie mixes, and prepared healthy dressings," then the bill will indeed add up quickly. However, a healthy diet is filled with real whole foods that don't need labels like "low-fat," "keto," vegan, "low-sugar," or "salt-free."

The key, both for your health and your budget, is to keep it simple. A basket filled with real, quality whole foods such as animal and plant proteins, seasonal vegetables (organic when necessary), basic grains and cereals (brown rice, oats, barley), less processed dairy products, and quality oil for dressings is truly all our bodies need!

Check out our economical box!