By Janet Seiber, RD, LDN

How can you save money at the grocery store and still eat healthy? The best way to make the most of your time and money is to make a plan. There are no hard, fast rules for meal planning, but there are some guidelines to help you along.

• Set aside a time to plan meals. Think about how many days of planning ahead would be optimum for you. Some plan weekly, while others plan for fewer days if that makes it easier to stick to the plan. You may want to use a calendar to plan your meals and post it to the refrigerator. Sticking with a plan is a lot easier when it is written out in front of you. A plan keeps you from duplicating meals and keeps you from getting bored. This also is a great time to get your family involved by asking them which types of meals they would enjoy this week.

• Select recipes with healthy ingredients. Aim for servings of whole grains, vegetables, lean meats or vegetarian protein sources, fruits and low-fat dairy. Use the food pyramid as a guide. Picture your plate as 2/3 or more vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans and 1/3 or less meat. Ensure vegetables are added to one-pot meals, sandwiches or pizzas. A variety of colors will increase the nutrient content of meals, plus it will look more appetizing.

• Consume a variety of foods. A balanced diet is achieved by consuming a variety of foods. The same meal over and over can get boring. Try different types of meals: poultry (chicken or turkey), red meat (lean pork or beef), fish, one-dish meal (pasta or stir-fry), seasonal meal (entrée salad or stew) or meatless meals.

• Look up current recipes at home. Do any of them need a healthy makeover to increase the nutrient quality? Avoid recipes with too many ingredients. Look for fresh ingredients that make the recipe higher in fiber and lower in sodium.

• Make a shopping list from the selected recipes for the week. Taking a shopping list with you to the store reduces the chance of forgetting that one ingredient you needed in order to make a certain recipe and also reduces the chance of picking up extra items you probably don’t need. A list also keeps you focused on the aisles that contain the food you need, keeping you from wandering down aisles you don’t need.

There are a number of ways meal planning will benefit you and your family.

• Eating healthy meals will increase the nutritional quality of your diet and promote good health.
• Shopping from a list will reduce the number of trips to the store and avoid impulse buys, in turn, saving you money.
• Eating at home is still less expensive overall than dining out.
• If the meals are planned already, you will not have to spend time deciding what to eat each day and will reduce your chances of stopping to pick up a high calorie, high fat dinner.

Now, start planning on how you will spend the time and money saved from meal planning!

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