What does this mean? If planning to make baked chicken legs for dinner, but you notice there is a whole chicken in the freezer, consider altering the meal plan to incorporate the chicken you already have. When meal planning, be flexible to allow for changes in the meal plan to use up what is already on hand. These options are similar in nutrition, make a great kitchen staple for easy meals, and are easy to buy in bulk to take advantage of sale prices.Ĭheck foods you have stored in the pantry, cupboards, fridge and freezer. Bell peppers or zucchini for tomatoes, mushrooms or eggplantĪnother nutritious and often more affordable option is to buy frozen or canned fruits and vegetables.Potatoes or parsnips for carrots, sweet potato or beets.Spinach or beet tops for kale, collard greens or bok choy.Carrots or cabbage for celery, snow peas or kohlrabi.Broccoli or cauliflower for zucchini, asparagus, green beans or brussel sprouts.Here are a few suggestions for vegetable substitution: Vegetable substitutions are possible in most recipes. Vegetables like carrots, potatoes, onions, cabbage and sweet potatoes also maintain a similar price year-round. Some fruits like apples and bananas are priced about the same throughout the year. If a recipe calls for a vegetable or fruit that is not in season or does not fit in your food budget, consider substituting the fruit or vegetable with one that is budget friendly. Be flexible on types of vegetables and fruit.For more information on steps to freezing vegetables for future use, read Freezing Fruits and Vegetables. Buying cobs of corn during the winter months can be expensive, but if you buy and freeze them when they are plentiful at farmers’ markets in the fall, you can enjoy a very good price and delicious corn throughout the winter months. Buy extra of these vegetables when they are in season and freeze for future use. Read What’s in Season on the Prairies for a complete list of fruit and vegetables grown in Manitoba. Generally speaking, in Manitoba, root vegetables along with different kinds of squash are in season during the fall/winter months while produce like berries, cherries, cucumbers and tomatoes are in abundance during the summer. This is a good way to save money and to ensure variety in meals and snacks throughout the different seasons. Plan meals around foods that are in season and available in abundance at your grocery store. Poke or nourish bowls using leftover chicken, rice/noodles, and vegetablesįor other meal ideas, read Easy Meals for Great Leftovers from Eat Right Ontario.Sandwiches using leftover turkey/chicken with a side salad.Soups using leftover vegetables, rice or chicken.Burritos with leftover rice pilaf and shredded chicken.Here are some ideas for meals that can be created from leftovers: It is often less expensive to buy bulk quantities of ingredients, allowing cooking of larger quantities that can potentially save money by creating two meals rather than one. These leftovers can be used in new meal ideas for the following day(s). By consciously roasting extra vegetables and doubling the rice pilaf recipe along with roasting a whole chicken, there should be enough for leftovers. What does this look like? As an example, on Monday night, a family may choose to eat a dinner of chicken with roasted vegetables and rice pilaf. Any food that won’t be eaten within one or two days should be frozen for future use.Ĭonsider “cooking once and eating twice”. Leftovers can be used the following day for lunch or in creating new dishes. When planning meals, deliberately make an extra large batch to create leftovers that will save time and money later on in the week. Plan for and make good use of leftovers.Read Menu Planning for more tips on planning your meals. Once the food items you wish to purchase have been identified, plan balanced meals around those foods. Knowing which foods are going to be on sale and where they can be found will save time and money. Read Comparing Prices and Promotions for more information on pricing. Prior to planning meals and snacks, look through flyers, ads and coupons on hand to decide where you will shop to get the best prices.
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