So I don’t know about you, but I was pretty freaked out about going to the local grocery store during the height of our COVID-19 lockdown.  Especially in the early days, when people were so concerned about people coughing,  feeling like I didn’t want to touch anything, realizing that anything I DID touch I had to buy. Whether it was a product that I wasn’t really sure about, or a head of lettuce or some other fruit or vegetable that I couldn’t turn over and look closely at to see how fresh it really was.  Learning that actually being able to pick up a food item and look at the nutrition label, perhaps compare it to other similar products…..just wasn’t happening anymore.

So what did I learn during the past 3 or so months? 

I’ve always been into storing food and at least some level of meal  prep, but I learned I could eat really well  - healthy food and enough food - and not have to shop more than every couple of weeks. It’s true, I don’t have  ravenous teenagers opening the fridge every 10 seconds saying  “I’m huuuuuuuunnnnnggrryy”.  But even as an experienced “food store-er and meal prep-er”, I learned a thing or two and was nicely surprised that I only had to go to the grocery store 3 times in 7 weeks. The longest stretch I went was almost 3 weeks! Was I craving a fresh salad by then? HELL YEAH! But was I eating super well, getting all my nutrients, eating meals I enjoyed and feeling fulfilled? Also HELL YEAH! 

Here’s the little things that ended up being big things that I want to share with you:

Fruit and Veggie prep:  once  I got back home from the store, I set out to store many of my fruits and veggies (the ones that normally don’t last very long). For example:

1. Spinach I buy in the “already washed” packages and when I get home they go straight into a ziploc bag or other storage container and straight into the freezer. No fuss, no muss. Then I can pull out cups of them for smoothies or add to any cooked meal.

2. I ALWAYS ALWAYS have berries. I eat them in something or other every day, like oatmeal, smoothies, yogurt, etc. When they’re on sale I buy as much as I can or feel like. When I get home I line a cookie sheet or two with tin foil (so they won’t stick, wash the berries (raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)  and lay them out on the cookie sheet. I wash and slice the strawberries (best to do this before you freeze) then put them in the freezer overnight. Sometimes I leave a day or two’s worth just in the fridge. The next day after they’re frozen, I transfer them into a ziploc bag or other container and have frozen berries to use every day.  For smoothies or oatmeal I just throw them in frozen. For yogurt I will zap them in the microwave to thaw (this also has the benefit of bringing out the juices so it flavors the plain (non-dairy) yogurt I sometimes eat. 

3. For things like   kale or chard  bunches, I take off the twist tie that normally is tying the bunch together, so the leaves spread out and won’t turn bad as fast. I then stick a paper towel sheet in the bag and that helps keep moisture from harming the kale and makes it last just that much longer.

4. I check the “bits and pieces” that you sometimes get on some vegetables that are already showing signs of not doing so well - things like onion leaves or radish leaves that may already be looking “brown” - and take those off. 

5. Buy the produce that tends to last longer: apples, oranges, lemons, limes, ginger, brussel sprouts, zucchini or other squash, beets, yams, sweet potatoes, potatoes (yes, they are good carbs, very nutritious,  and lower in calories than you might think!), carrots (remove leafy tops first),

6. Asparagus was on sale and looked great but that usually doesn’t last long. I took the bunch and put the stems in water in the fridge (changed it up every couple of days if it got cloudy), covered it with a plastic bag and it lasted a good 5 days longer  than usual.

7. Broccoli and Cauliflower: I always freeze some and keep some fresh (or buy a separate bag of frozen). To freeze, follow the same procedure as the berries. 

8. Buy frozen fruits and veggies: frozen fruits and vegetables are actually really nutritious. A lot of people don’t realize that they are flash frozen shortly after being picked so the nutrients are actually saved. In some ways they are more nutritious than some many days or weeks old “fresh” fruits or veggies. Don’t hesitate to buy frozen along with the fresh that you normally do. Pro tip: this can also give you some happiness in winter months, depending on where you live you may not be able to get some of the things you love fresh during these months (mango/pineapple chia pudding or smoothie with some coconut flakes in the middle of winter, anyone?) 

9. I normally make a huge salad once a week or so and store it in an airtight container. I hate making a salad on the daily because it takes too much time. I always make a huge one and it lasts me around 5-6 days. What did I do differently this time? Chopped the tomatoes and cucumbers and put them in their own containers, separate from the lettuce part of the salad. This is because they have more water (especially the cucumbers) and can make a salad turn soggy and brown faster if mixed all up in the  main salad. I then just added them each time I ate my salad. I also bought one extra head of lettuce than I normally would, so I generally had fresh salads for about 9 days or so. Then I just didn’t eat salad till the next grocery shopping extravaganza. I survived. 

10. Extra head of lettuce (for second salad) lasted longer than usual because I chopped off the bottom (that gets brown faster) and any outside leaves that looked like they might get sad and brown soon,   and put the lettuce into a ziploc bag with paper towel in it to help keep excess moisture off. Worked like a charm!

11. Herbs like  cilantro or parsley, I take the twist ties off the bottom,  stick them stems down in a glass of water, fluff them up a bit to separate the leaves so they can get some air, then stick them in the fridge. They last much longer this way than stuck together some where in the bottom of your fridge and you forget to use them but when you DO remember to use them you go find them and find them a rotting mess. Yup, GUILTY,  your honor!

12. I make sure I have enough staples that I use weekly. Things like:  canned or dried beans, lentils, dried peas, pasta. Salsa. Tomato paste and canned tomatoes. Rice. Quinoa. Vegetable broth. Oatmeal. Hemp Seed or powder. These staples last a long time so I easily had enough for probably  month or even more. 

13. Lemons and limes: even though they last quite a while and I do leave a few in the fridge drawer, I also take the time to squeeze the juice out, strain out the seeds, then put the juice in ice cube trays. That way I always have lemon and lime juice around for those pesky recipes that call for “one TBSP lemon juice” or I just pop the ice cube in water and drink it cold or warmed up. 

14. Condiments! I have a lot of different spices in my home and can make great meals and never get bored by rotating the spices for different meal flavors. Penzey’s is my fave source for spices and you can order online. Many of my meals are a mix of some kinds of veggies, a protein source, and usually rice or quinoa, pasta or potatoes. But when you change up the spices it NEVER gets boring. I can eat Mexican, Thai, BBQ, Indian, Jamaican, Italian and more just by adding spices (and the bonus as they are basically calorie-free ways to make your meals come alive. I also personally have a mustard addiction and a Tapatio sauce addiction so there’s that……..

15. Instant Pot for the win! I make things like rice, quinoa, and lentils while I am processing the rest of my groceries and making the huge salad. Then I portion them out and stick the portions in the freezer. 

16. Tempeh or Tofu (which I only eat rarely)  I buy a bit more than I need and again when I get home I quickly portion them out and stick the portions straight into the freezer. 

17. I don’t eat much bread (mostly because I just don’t love it) but I do have a slice of Ezekial bread from time to time and there’s always a loaf in the freezer. I just pull out a slice and zap it in the microwave for a few seconds then toast it up. 

18. I never waste vegetables or fruit. If they are starting to look a little sad, I thrown them in the blender and make a smoothie or vegetable drink. For vegetables I thrown in a wide variety, add a clove of garlic, a tablespoon of Miso, blend it up, pour it into stainless steel beverage containers and keep them in the fridge for homemade, healthy vegetable drink that I have a glass of pretty much most days. It always tastes slightly different but feels like a boost of good health in every glass and it’s a good way to use vegetables that are not quite at their best otherwise. 

19. PRO TIP:  Doing this up-front food prep makes you feel anxious because of the time it takes But it’s worth it, I promise! Because it will save you time later when you’re cooking up healthy meals rather than reaching for some quick, junk-food meal). One thing I do is to use that time to listen to various podcasts that I love, ones which inspire, motivate and teach me something. You can also just listen to music, plan to talk on the phone (speaker, so you’re hands-free) with someone you’ve been meaning to call, or catch up on  your guilty-pleasure tv shows while prepping. My personal fave is the podcasts though. Getting inspired and learning things makes the kinda boring food processing and meal prep fly by and feel like I’ve spent my time in a very worthwhile way! Making salads though…..that’s normally time I use to call someone close to me while chopping all the veggies and cleaning lettuce. Making salad is the kind of task - if you have everything laid out first - that doesn’t take much thought so I can actually focus on the person I’m talking to on the phone. 

20. With all those tips, I found myself surprised that I managed to only have to shop 3 times in 7 weeks! Oh, and don’t forget the toilet paper, enough to last that long! ;)

    What kinds of things do YOU do to save time in the kitchen and make your groceries last longer? I’d LOVE to hear from you and learn something from your ideas and  about what works for YOU!

I hope this was helpful! For more education on nutrition principles, healthy eating, and actionable healthy eating and meal prep strategies check out my courses HERE!

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