Keep trips to the grocery store at a minimum. Frequent trips to the grocery store can be a thing of the past if you do a little planning and follow these tips to keep your food fresher, longer.

• PLAN YOUR MEALS

If you aren’t sure where to start, explore MyPlate Kitchen, an interactive tool from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. You can search or browse recipes to help you plan and cook healthy meals at home.

• BUY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Get them frozen, canned or fresh, the more colors the better! Keep in mind that, when stored a certain way, some produce items have a longer shelf life. This chart shows how long each type of food should last.

Other staple food purchases include:

• • Lean proteins like chicken, fish, tofu, milk, eggs and yogurt
  • Canned or frozen items like beans, vegetables, fruit, chicken and tuna fish
  • Whole grains like brown rice and whole wheat bread
  • Nuts like walnuts and almonds, and nut butters
• KEEP A GROCERY LIST

As soon as you run out of something, write it on the list. Add foods you can store and plan to consume within two weeks.

• CLEAN OUT YOUR REFRIGERATOR WEEKLY

Keep tabs on the food in your fridge so you waste less and buy less. When you know you won’t eat food before it spoils, freeze it. Eating the food in your refrigerator before it goes bad not only helps limit your trips to the grocery store but also reduces your waste contributions to local landfills and waste disposal programs.

• WHEN YOU ARE MISSING AN INGREDIENT, FIND A SUBSTITUTE

If you prefer to follow recipes, it can be scary to experiment, but many recipes won’t suffer if you use an ingredient that is similar. Replace a certain kind of grain, bean or nut with a different variety or use a fresh ingredient instead of the recommended canned or frozen item.

For example:

Find handy other lists of substitutions here and here.

Follow these tips to reduce the number of trips you make to the grocery store, reduce your food waste, and embark on the path of healthy eating.

Source: ERS

Upcoming Webinar April 30

Join ERS for a webinar discussing this topic and more on April 30th. Find more information on the ERS Wellness Events Calendar or register directly at the Texas DPS Webinar page.