How to save money AND eat healthy at your Grocery Store

Shopping at the grocery can be an overwhelming task when you are trying to eat healthy and save money. Many of you end up shopping when you are hungry and put more items in your buggy than needed. Instead of going to the grocery store un-prepared, I am going to teach you how to get the most and healthiest for your money.

First of all, eat before you do any type of food shopping. If you go into the grocery store hungry, you are more likely to put more snack type items into your basket. This is what you do not want to do.

Secondly, make a list and check it twice. I find that the easiest way to get what you need without filling your buggy with unhealthy, unnecessary items is to plan out your meals and snacks for the week. I like to write down what I am going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day of the week and then I search for healthy recipes to make these meals. I like to go to the grocery store only one time a week. I need to make sure that I get everything I need for the entire week and I always have lean cuisine or healthy choice or kashi meals as a back up.

Thirdly, be a coupon clipper. Because healthy food is often times more expensive than things like ramen noodles, cookies, and candy, you have to clip any coupons that you can to save money.

Here is a sample grocery list for one or two people for a week:

Sunday night dinner- fish taco night with spinach salad and salsa

Monday breakfast- breakfast burrito
Monday Lunch- roast beef and apple melt on thin bagel
Monday dinner- grilled pork tenderloin with apple and shallot sauce, steamed broccolli, baked sweet potato

Tuesday breakfast- 1 scrambled egg, 1 slice turkey bacon, 1 whole wheat english muffin, 1 slice reduced fat cheese
Tuesday lunch- grilled turkey and cheese with a medium pear
Tuesday Dinner- Ground turkey breast tacos

Wednesday breakfast- breakfast burrito
Wednesday Lunch- roast beef and apple melt on thin bagel
Wednesday dinner- BBQ Ground turkey breast burger on whole wheat bun with homemade baked fries

Thursday breakfast-1 scrambled egg, 1 slice turkey bacon, 1 whole wheat english muffin, 1 slice reduced fat cheese
Thursday lunch- grilled turkey and cheese with a medium pear
Thursday Dinner- Homemade baked chicken and potatoes with salad
Friday breakfast- 1 egg, 1 egg white scrambled with a laughing cow cheese and slice of turkey bacon (crumbled into the eggs and cheese), 1 whole wheat english muffin
Friday lunch- Cobb salad
Friday dinner- homemade whole wheat pizza night

Saturday- whole wheat pancakes
Saturday dinner- out to eat

SNACKS-

Fruit (I typically buy the fruit that is on sale)
Yogurt and homemade granola
1 serving of Almonds and 1 low fat string cheese
All natural almond butter (1 Tbsp) spread on 1/2 whole wheat mini bagel
Cereal (high in fiber)
Fiber one bar
1 laughing cow cheese and 1 serving reduced fat triscuits

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