Do you spend a lot of money buying weekly groceries that you have to throw out? Grocery shopping for a party of ONE, can be tricky! It took me awhile to get the hang out buying groceries for myself, but here are some tips to budget and buy what you need each week without the waste!
1) Plan meals for the week:
Keep track of how many meals you will be home for at the beginning of each week. It is much easier to know how much food you need to purchase when you are aware of how many meals you need to prepare! Are you going out for dinner 3-5 nights this week? Do you have lunch plans? If so, you can adjust accordingly.
2) Versatile ingredients:
Put grocery items on your list that are ingredients that pair well in multiple dishes! For example- spinach, romaine lettuce, baby kale are great for salads, but can also be delicious ingredients in a stirfry, or wraps and sandwiches. I also like to stock up on peppers to use in tacos, burritos, eat as snacks (to dip with hummus), personal pizzas and even fried rice. Get items that you know you can use in a variety of meals to avoid tossing away at the end of the week. Eggs, tomatoes, and avocados are also great ingredients that mix well for breakfast, lunch and dinner meals!
3) Stock our pantry with essentials:
Canned soup, pasta, flour, canned chickpeas, black beans, canned tuna, and freezer veggies are great to have on hand! When you’re in a rush, or home from a late night at work, the last thing you want to do is prep a million ingredients for a meal. I like to keep frozen salmon fillets in my freezer that I can easily put on the stove or bake in the oven for a healthy meal after work. I pair the fish with frozen veggies that I cook in the microwave for a balanaced meal that’s ready in 20 minutes or less. Canned, dried, or freezer foods are your friends when you cook for one!
