Did you ever stop to think how much food you end up throwing out because of poor meal planning? I know that when I did, I was stunned, and realized I must take immediate action.
Planning pH-balanced, healthy meals that are good for your bones is a lot easier than you might think. And when you put today’s 7 tips into action, you’ll not only have bone-healthy meals readily available, you’ll also end up saving money on your grocery bill.
The trick is to plan ahead so you’ll have everything you need and to reduce waste. Then you can use the extra savings to splurge on organic foods you might not currently buy because they’re more expensive than conventional (or anything else you might want but were hesitant to spend on it).
Plus with the 80% alkalizing, 20% acidifying nutritional plan, as described in the Save Our Bones Program, you’ll end up eating far less animal protein, which is typically the most expensive food.
So today I’m happy to share with you 7 simple tips I’ve been successfully applying.
Let’s get started!
1. Check your pantry, fridge and freezer before you go out shopping.
Have you ever bought a food item that you already have? Then you can’t use it all before it spoils. This is particularly annoying (and wasteful!) with produce like salad greens, for example, where you can’t freeze the extra. So before you head to the grocery store or farmers’ market, check out your pantry, fridge and freezer to make sure you don’t buy what you already have.
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2. Fight impulse buying of unhealthy processed foods that might look attractive on the shelves. Of course you can splurge every once in a while (I know I do!).
Most grocery stores deliberately place processed foods in places where you’ll notice them most, and manufacturers make sure these unhealthy foods are wrapped in attractive packaging.
Of course, a packaged treat now and then is fine – just factor it in to your pH-balanced meals or snacks and add it to your list. That’s very different from impulse buying, though. Or, you can make your own delicious bone-healthy treats, as I do most of the time.
3. Stock up on foods you know you’ll use often.
To be able to put together pH-balanced meals in a jiffy, you’ll need to have key ingredients on hand. Check the list of Foundation Foods in the Save Our Bones Program, and stock up on foods that will form the “foundation” of many of your meals.
For example, when there is a sale on alkalizing frozen vegetables, buy extra so you can reach for them any time you want to whip up an alkalizing stir-fry, soup, or any delicious pH balanced vegetable-based recipe. And to make it even easier for you, the complete list of Foundation Foods is also included in Bone Appétit, the companion recipe book to the Save Our Bones Program.
I like to stock up on almond milk, raw nuts, and all sorts of alkalizing goodies.
4. Make smoothies with fruits and vegetables that may soon become overripe.
This helps prevent waste and makes for a delicious and nutritious smoothie. If you like, you can freeze the fruits to make an icy smoothie. If you need ideas for fruit and vegetable combinations, you can refer to Blender Magic, the bonus collection of bone-healthy smoothie recipes included with Bone Appétit.
5. Try a little imagination when you plan your snacks.
Snacks have a reputation for being unhealthy, and for a good reason! Typical snack foods are almost always processed foods (as described in #2 above) loaded with bone-damaging sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Monosodium Glutamate, and other toxic chemicals.
But healthy snacks can be beneficial. In fact, they’re great to help you balance your pH and provide you with a nutritional (and energy) boost throughout the day. You probably know this by now: t’s more economical to buy whole foods and make your own snacks.
My favorite bone-healthy snacks are included in the 30 Day Meal Planner, also a free bonus with Bone Appétit. The Planner takes the guesswork out of figuring out your bone-healthy meals for a whole month, and has creative, easy-to-make snacks that boost your bone health.
6. Eat Leftovers Or Freeze Them
Creative use of leftovers is key in reducing waste. Leftover cooked vegetables can be made into soup, for example, and with a few flavor changes and additions, they can be tossed in your favorite salads. Some leftovers can be made into snacks, such as wrapping leftover chicken salad into a lettuce leaf.
7. The Most Important Tip: Create A Shopping List
Never underestimate the importance of your shopping list! It keeps you “grounded” against temptations to buy impulsively (which saves you money and saves your bones!), plus it eliminates guesswork regarding how much and what kind of food you need.
Make your list each week as you plan out your pH-balanced meals.
Used in conjunction with the 30 Day Meal Planner and Bone Appétit, a shopping list makes the difference between wasting and making full use of your resources to plan your bone-healthy meals.
See how easy it is? You just need to employ a few key tricks to keep it simple! And, as always, share your thoughts and ideas by leaving a comment below.
Till next time,