How to Save Money By Cooking in Advance!
It came out of nowhere. I was feeling fine. I had already exercised, worked, gone to the grocery store and cleaned the house. All of the sudden, my throat started aching. Soon I felt horrible.
Luckily, I had already prepared breakfast for the week, lunch for the week, and two dinners. As it turned out, I had caught my husband’s upper respiratory infection. I was going to be down for a few days. If I had not prepared these meals in advance, I might have found myself eating fast food. This would have cost me extra money and provided me no nutritional value.
Maybe this has happened to you before. You have intended to have a healthy week. You went to the grocery store and purchased your healthy meals. Then life happened. You or your family got busy or sick. The meals didn’t happen. Preparing these meals in advance will save you time. money, and the temptation to “grab a quick bite out”. Here are some tips on how to plan ahead.
1. Prepare your menu for the week before going to the grocery store. Make sure you not only include breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but also snacks.
2. Make sure that you have protein and fruit or vegetables in every meal. This really isn’t as hard as you might think. I start with breakfast. I make a crust less egg quiche with vegetables added for breakfast. I make at least 4 servings at a time and divide them up in tupperwares. This way, they can be quickly grabbed and reheated in the morning.
3. Prepare it in advance. No matter what you may tell yourself, it is so easy to get busy and tempted to cheat on your healthy lifestyle. Make sure snacks are even prepared in advance. I like to have grapes and string cheese available for even the children. Divide them up in zip lock bags. When you have to run errands, you can grab these on your way out the door.
4. Keep a water bottle available at all times! I am really big on drinking water. Most people are dehydrated. Often when we think we are hungry, it is actually thirst. You will be amazed at how much water you sip on during the day if you just keep the bottle with you. If you have children, make sure they keep a water bottle on them as well.
We make eating healthy so much harder then it has to be. We think we need to plan extravagant meals when in reality, we just need to plan ahead. Does planning all of your meals for the week sound overwhelming? Start with one. Make small changes. It will go a long way.