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

Since the start 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. Since inflation is experiencing a record increase, but salaries are not keeping up, we will have to arm ourselves with new tricks to limit the cost of the grocery list.

That being said, there is no need to compromise our physical (and mental!) health to reduce the bill. Here's how :

 Waste: enemy #1

Did you know that a Quebec family wastes an average of $1,100 worth of food per year? 63% of these foods could have been eaten. In addition to not adequately benefiting from these purchases, landfilling food generates greenhouse gases even worse than CO2. Limiting your waste is a win-win for you, as well as for the planet. Here are some tips:

1. Plan each meal carefully, incorporating ingredients that will be useful for several recipes throughout the week. We buy what we need for the recipes, no more!
2. Make sure you store your food properly. For example, carrots submerged in water will keep for weeks, while spinach stays crisp longer when wrapped in absorbent cloth.
3. Place less fresh foods at the front of the refrigerator to ensure you don't forget anything at the bottom.
4. Freeze your vegetable scraps to make homemade broth, as well as your overripe fruit for smoothies and desserts.

Focus on nutritional yield/price by selecting certain cuts of meat

In terms of animal protein, the cut can make a big difference. For example, ground beef remains very nutritious, while being more affordable than steak, while in terms of fish, haddock is very protein-rich and affordable. Did you know that it is cheaper to buy a whole chicken? For example, our whole grain-fed chicken will cost you around 9.35/kg, while the breasts will be 12.8/kg.

Pro tip for maximizing whole chicken

• Boil a whole chicken at the start of the week (with some vegetable scraps stored in the freezer)
• Enjoy some chicken for dinner
• Pass the liquid through a sieve and save the homemade chicken broth
• Shred the rest of the chicken and add it to a homemade vegetable soup, made with chicken broth OR
• Slice the rest of the chicken and eat it in sandwiches or salads for lunches, and use the broth in a homemade soup.

Cook in quantity and freeze!

In 2022, one of the best ways to save AND eat well is to avoid unnecessary take outs . The best way to solve this problem is to batch cook recipes that will help you out when you run out of time to cook. Cooking several recipes at the same time to freeze them will save you a lot of time. Are you lacking inspiration? There are hundreds of batch cooking “gurus” on YouTube!

Pro tip:

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

Buy frozen

Buying frozen meats and fish will save you several trips to the grocery store, but will also save you money! By keeping a supply of basic products in the freezer, you will always have a few things on hand to make a last minute meal!

Buy online

We preach for our parish, but online stores can often afford to offer better deals than grocery stores. For example, we often offer promo codes and our theme boxes are always advantageous. Has a grocery store ever offered you 10% off because you purchased more than $350? Our unconventional business structure allows us to offer more attractive prices. In addition, our prices are very competitive compared to grocery stores that offer our types of proteins (“healthy” supermarkets) and everything is delivered free to your door.

Beware of the “ health halo”

This is where eating healthy can be expensive. If healthy eating means “healthy granola bars, protein powders, “natural” cereals, cold-pressed juices, canned energy drinks, pre-made smoothie mixes, prepared healthy salad dressings,” it’s true that the bill will add up quickly. However, a healthy diet is filled with real whole foods, which do not need less fat , keto , vegan, less sugar, or no salt labels .

The key word, both for your health and your budget, is to keep it simple. A basket composed of real, quality, complete foods, such as animal and vegetable proteins, seasonal vegetables (organic when necessary), basic grains and cereals (brown rice, oats, barley), dairy products less processed, a quality oil for salad dressings, that's really all our body needs!

See our economical box!