5 Ways to Save Money on Groceries!

Being a chef has it's ups and downs; I have all of these new dinner ideas in my head, but...I am not made of money and some ingredients are expensive!!  Since we are going to be living on one income shortly, I have been thinking of ways to save money.  Here are five ways to save money on groceries:

1) Buy whole chickens: Roast them off in the oven in the beginning of the week and use the meat for a variety of things, casseroles, enchiladas, etc.  Make stock for the week with the bones!! 

2) At the end of the week gather up all of the veggies that are almost goners and some of the stock you made with chicken bones and make soup!  Add leftover rice or grains from the week, or beans for some protein. 

3) Stay away from pre-cut and packaged items: they are WAY more expensive than buying the whole thing.  Think: Butternut squash cubes; it is so easy to cut a squash in half and roast it yourself at a fraction of the cost.

4) Use those weekly ads: Stock up on non-perishable items when they go on sale.  This requires some menu planning, you do not want to buy something just because.  Think: Pasta sauce (my fav is Muir Glen Organics), canned goods, pasta. 

5) Use your bulk bins: Henry's, Sprouts, and Baron's all have bulk items that are a fraction of the price of their packaged relatives.  Think: Steel Cut Oats, Rice, Lentils, Trail Mix! 

The key to saving money on food is planning, thinking about your weekly menu will help you take advantage of sales and you will be able to use leftovers to create new dishes!

My quest to buy grass-fed beef!

The most inspirational thing I took away from the film Food, Inc. was, "We can vote, three times a day." We choose products every time we go the grocery store and it is basic supply and demand.  If Organic, antibiotic free, grass-fed products are demanded; farmers will respond. 



My goal is to sometime in the next month or so, buy a whole or half of a grass-fed cow.  I feel like by spending a few extra dollars per month, I will be giving my family a healthier future.  I do not want Logan to grow up eating meats that have been tainted with antibiotics and raised in a feed lot.  Cows were supposed to be grazing the fields and eating...GRASS! 

There are some local options in Fallbrook and some even here in Temecula.  There is also a farm called Open Space Meats and they serve all of the local Sprouts markets. 

I encourage everyone to do a little research and learn about the foods we eat everyday, you might be suprised!!

Check back soon to see how everything goes!!!