How to Shop Our Values & Eat Well at the Same Time: Part 1

May 13th, 2009 by Outreach Department

In the May/June 09 issue of More Than Food, the Co-op’s newsletter, Mary Shaw begins to help a friend think about ways to keep her grocery bill lower. As promised, she continues the conversation with her friend here…

A friend of mine came to me with a dilemma.  She was spending way more than she wanted on her weekly grocery bill, but couldn’t see how to spend less money without compromising her own food values.  We decided to make this a project together.  First we identified her food values, then we looked at a week’s worth of dinner menus and the bill for that week. Read on to see her menus before we made any changes, and also the changes we came up with to reduce her food bill, while keeping the quality of her meals intact.  Keep reading to see what she and her partner ate for one week.                                                                                                                                                                 

MONDAY:

Sautéed Tempeh with Orange-Ginger Glaze, Brown Basmati and Wild Rice, Steamed Asparagus and Carrots with Sesame Seeds.                                                                                                                           

TUESDAY:

Roast Chicken from the Co-op’s Rotisserie, Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream, Steamed Orange Cauliflower and Broccoli.                                                                                                                                         

WEDNESDAY:  

Shrimp Tacos with Sprouted Corn Tortillas, Salsa, Sour Cream, Avocado, Cilantro, and Refried  Black Beans with Red Pepper, Onion, Garlic, and Grated Smoked Goat Cheese.                                           

THURSDAY:  

Chicken and Corn Chowder made with the leftover Rotisserie Chicken, Mesclun Greens Salad with Avocado, Toasted Sesame Seeds, and a Balsamic  Viniagrette.                                                              

FRIDAY:  

Grilled Salmon with Herbs de Provence Rub, Black Japonica Rice, Artichoke with Garlic Mayo-Butter, and Mesclun Greens Salad with Avocado, Goat Chevre, Red Onion and Balsamic Vinaigrette.           

SATURDAY:  

Halibut in Seeds of Change Tikka Masala Sauce, Brown Basmati Rice, and Steamed Asparagus. 

SUNDAY:

Buffalo Meat Balls with Feta, Onion, and Herbs topped with Red Sauce, and served over Polenta, and Mesclun Salad with Avocado, and a Balsamic Vinaigrette.      

The total bill for these menus was well over $200 and very typical for a week’s worth of shopping.  Her goal is to cut this amount in half and still enjoy quality meals.  We agreed that she would try the following changes for week two.

 

• She decided to shop a couple of times a week instead of every day, which would require her to think ahead and do some menu planning.  
• She would look at more vegetarian options for dinner, and limit fish to once a week, and animal protein to once or twice a week.  
• This would mean including more beans as a main course for her meals.  She frequently uses canned beans as a side dish which is about six times as expensive as buying dry beans and cooking them from scratch.  
• We agreed she would change some of her meat choices to less expensive cuts like the chicken thighs instead of breasts.

Check our next blog entry for her week two menus and feedback on how these changes worked for her, and if she saved money incorporating them into her routine.