Trim Your Grocery Bill and Your Waistline!

Looking for a simple way to save both money and calories? Try to stick with the food sold in the areas on the periphery of the grocery store. Here you’ll find staples such as fruits and vegetables, meat, fish and eggs. If you keep the packaged goods found in the other aisles out of your cart, you may effectively decrease your bill and your weight!

Check out the Meals Matter Web site for free meal planning and preparation tools, including recipes, a daily meal planner, shopping list, cookbook (a nice alternative to recipe cards), and a pantry staples list.

Need ideas for fresh, new recipes to make with these healthy staples? So many delicious fruits and vegetables are in season (and therefore cheap!) at this time of year, so why not pick up a bunch? Get the benefits of garlic, spinach and peppers in this super easy Vegetable Parmesan Bake.

The sweet potato was ranked the most nutritious vegetable in a study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Not only is it packed with fiber and vitamins, it’s also very filling. For lunch, make one in the microwave as you would a baked potato. Or, check out loads of other sweet potato recipes to enjoy this healthiest of vegetables.

Wash it all down with a Pink Strawberry Smoothie containing goodies such as strawberries, a banana, pineapple juice and orange juice.

Stock your pantry well with healthy staples, and be creative. After eating healthier for a couple of weeks, you will likely crave the packaged foods less!