Written By:

Grocery Team Member Olivia Johnson, RD

Prepared Foods Team Member Any Oceguera, RD

Investing in one’s health through nourishing meals does not have to break the bank. This week’s National Nutrition Month theme for Fuel for the Future is highlighting money -saving tips and tricks to allow nourishment to fit into any budget.

Consider these tips for how Lexington Co-op can help you stay nourished at a low-cost: 

Plan your meals and snacks.  

While this takes a little effort up-front, having a plan for meals and snacks can help guide your shopping to utilize sales and minimize food waste (which minimizes money lost!). There are different approaches to meal planning so if you’ve never been a planner before, play around with it until you find a system that works for you.  

Some general things to consider:  

• the number of days you’re shopping for 
• your daily eating patterns 
• if the foods you regularly cook with are on sale 
• meals you’re in the mood for 
• any ingredients you have from your last shop to use up 
• meals and snacks that are reliably good and use kitchen items you commonly have on hand  

Snacking on-the-go Made Easy! 

• Consider buying snacks that are easily grabbable such as bananas, nuts, granola bars, and yogurt.  
• To ensure you’re fueling your body on-the-go, focus on snacks that are rich in:  
  • Protein + fats such as nuts + seeds, cheese, jerkies, or hard-boiled eggs  
  • Fiber found in fruits, vegetables, nuts + seeds, popcorn or bean-based dips such as hummus  
• To best incorporate these nutrients into your snack routine, try combining snacks from each category, such as nuts and seeds with popcorn as a trail mix, or snack on a hard-boiled egg with an apple during busy days  

See what foods you have at home before purchasing more. 

• Before planning meals for your shop, inventory the foods you have in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Consider it a weekly challenge to utilize what you have on hand to reduce food waste and get the most out of your food dollar! 

• Additionally, when looking through the refrigerator, look at any juices or produce that are beginning to lose quality and prepare them to be frozen for use later in the week to bulk up dishes such as curry, stir-fry, smoothies, or soups! 

Use a grocery list and shop sales when purchasing food.  

• When building your grocery list, have your meal plan for the week and the store flyer nearby. Consider if there are any ingredients you can substitute for sales items and check if any of your pantry staples are on sale. Build your grocery list as you write out the ingredients + amounts necessary to prepare all the meals and snacks on your list.  
  • Lexington Co-op’s store flyer is located at the front of each store, at lexington.coop, and emailed to owners each week! There are always many great weekly sales in all departments at Lexington Co-op so there’s lots of opportunity to save on your various needs!  
• Additionally, Lexington Co-op offers a wide variety of bulk items to save money while you stock up. Bring in your old food containers, have them weighed at the registers, and stock up your pantry!  

Learn about community resources such as SNAP, WIC, and local food banks. 

• There are lots of community resources available in the Buffalo area for improving access to food. Learn more in this newsletter or check out 211wny.org to see the contact information for various resources, such as food pantries, in your zip code.  
• If you are a SNAP recipient, take advantage of Field and Fork’s Double Up Food Bucks program when shopping at Lexington Co-op. This program allows SNAP recipients to earn $1 for each $1 spent on produce up to $20 per day, Sign up at any register when checking out. Purchases must be made with a SNAP card to earn “bucks” to use later. Learn more about the program here.