To kick-off National Nutrition Month, The North Grove teamed up with the Community Health Team! Kelsey, a dietician, joined us to talk about making the most of your food dollar.
Knowing how to stretch your food budget is more important than ever as the cost of basic food essentials continue to rise.
Here are some of the key takeaways from this informative program!
Keep in mind...
Discussing food choices with others can be sensitive or uncomfortable. Be kind and remember that everyone’s food needs and food budget look different. Change is personal, and we all have different goals!
Making the most of your food at home:
Make a plan: When you are meal planning, check out what you already have at home. Make a pantry list of all of your dried goods, canned goods, condiments, oils and other items that you typically have on hand.
When you have a plan, you buy intentionally. Make a list of what you need to buy once you are familiar with your pantry list.
Check-out Budget Bytes to generate recipe ideas based on any item in your pantry!
Use your freezer: Think about how you can maximize space in your freezer. Did you know you can freeze cheese, or cracked, scrambled eggs? Here’s a tip: 4 tbsp of egg mixture equals one egg!
Label and date anything that you freeze so that it is not a mystery later.
Make a freezer inventory list. Maybe tape the list to the freezer so you always know what you have inside.
Plan for leftovers. If you are one person, cook a 4-serving meal and freeze 3 portions.
Store your fresh food properly: The last thing that any of us want to do is throw away food! To save money and reduce food waste, get familiar with how to store different types of fresh produce.
Tomatoes, bananas, avocados, and many other fruits ripen best on the counter.
Potatoes and root veggies should be stored in a cool, dark place, like a pantry or cabinet.
Try to store different types of produce separately. When produce ripens it releases a gas that causes nearby produce to ripen or spoil faster.
Crunchy green vegetables like celery and broccoli are best wrapped in aluminium foil and kept in the fridge.
For fresh herbs, put the stems in a glass of water (like flowers in a vase) and cover the glass with a large, opened plastic bag and store in the fridge. This creates a humidity tent that will extend their life significantly.
Know your food safety dates: Get familiar with safe to eat dates, especially with meats and dairy.
Best Before dates don’t indicate anything to do with food safety. Unopened food that has passed its best before date is generally good to consume.
Check out this resource for fridge and freezer food safety dates for meats and prepared foods.
Practice your cooking skills: We all have different experience and skills. Cooking is a skill that you can improve on with practice!
Learn new things by watching cooking videos or attending programs like The North Grove’s Food Demo.
Online resources include Cooks Illustrated (short cooking skill videos) and Food52 (a website for cooking questions and answers.)
Use what you have: Make a habit of inspiring meal ideas based on what you already have at home!
How can you turn a can of tomato soup into a balanced meal? Add protein like chickpeas, ground beef, TVP, or pair with a grilled cheese sandwich. Add fiber like onions, celery, mushrooms, or peppers.
How about a frozen cheese pizza? Add more protein, like chicken. Add fiber like mushrooms, basil, tomatoes, peppers, or arugula. To help balance out the carbohydrates in the pizza crust, have some fresh veggies with hummus or ranch sauce on the side!
Have a Plan B: Life gets busy! Sometimes you won’t have the time or energy required to make a complex meal.
Eggs are quick to whip up!
Keep some natural peanut butter on hand to make a quick sandwich.
Turn a can of tuna into some quick tuna melts!
Meatless at least twice a week: Vegetarian proteins are almost always more affordable and healthier for your heart!
Community Health Teams offer a program called Beginner’s Guide to Plant-based Proteins if you would like to learn more about preparing vegetarian proteins like tofu, beans, lentils, chickpeas, and more!
Making the most of your dollar at the grocery store:
Explore your shopping options: Do you know what stores are located in Dartmouth?
Sobeys
Superstore
Gateway Meat Market
Dave’s Fruit & Vegetable Market
No Frills
Walmart
Giant Tiger
Bulk Barn
Dollarama
Shoppers Drug Mart
Lawtons
Costco
Go beyond fresh: If fresh produce is unavailable to you, or not the best choice for your budget, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are a great choice!
When choosing canned, look for ‘low sodium’ or ‘no salt added’ options.
Look for good buys on grains: Day old bread is often 50% off – especially good if you’re going to freeze it!
Choose macaroni instead of more expensive pasta shapes – it has the same nutritional value.
Choose old fashioned oats over packaged oatmeal and make your own overnight oats.
Look for good buys on protein: Protein is not only found in meat. Try out TVP (textured vegetable protein) to replace or stretch ground meat. Other great choices include dried or canned beans, tofu, eggs, milk, and canned fish.
Check the price: Be mindful about the price of items you need. Compare your options whenever possible.
Do you know where to look for the unit price on store labels? Rather than looking at the item price, look at the unit price to compare similar items per 100g.
Know what items are on sale and when and take advantage of coupons!
Flipp is a free website or app you can do to easily scan local flyers and find coupons.
Take advantage of discounted food: Have you heard of Flash Food, Too Good To Go, and Food Hero?
These apps allow you to buy significantly marked down food that has been pre-prepared or has passed its best before date.
By purchasing food through these apps, you’re also helping to reduce food waste!
Making the most of resources in your community:
Explore your fresh food options: Do you know what markets and community organizations are located in Dartmouth?
Alderney Landing Farmers Market (Saturdays from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm)
Square Roots offers affordable produce bundles and tokens for affordable restaurant meals.
Mobile Food Market (Tuesdays from 3:30-6:30 pm)
The North Grove’s Good Food Market (Fridays from 10:00-11:30 am)
Explore options on 211: On 211’s website you can find community, government, and social services near you. They have a section dedicated to food resources!
Share with your neighbours: Try meal swapping! You and a friend each make a large pot of soup or a casserole and swap one or two servings with each other. You only buy one set of ingredients but keep your weekly meals interesting.
Join us for a Community Meal at The North Grove! Give yourself a break from cooking and enjoy a delicious, restaurant-style meal with friends and neighbours.
Family Supper on Mondays from 5:30-6:30 pm (for families with children under 18)
Community Lunch on Tuesdays from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Drop-in Breakfast on Wednesdays from 9:00-10:30 am
Cafe Drop-in on Thursdays from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Connect with the Community Health Team!
Wellness Navigators from the Community Health Team visit The North Grove’s Wednesday morning Drop-in Breakfast once a month!
What is the Community Health Team?
The Community Health Team is a service of Nova Scotia Health in partnership with the IWK. Their team offers free group wellness programs and 1:1 wellness navigation services.
The North Grove partners with the Community Health Team to offer programs like Making the Most of your Food Dollar, Building Better Sleep, Be Good to Your Gut, Self Compassion, and more.
Learn more about their programs online or meet with a Wellness Navigator at The North Grove’s Drop-in Breakfast, the second Wednesday of every month!
The North Grove is proud to partner with more than 25 different partner organizations who offered specialized programs and supports to community members.
If your organization is interested in partnering with The North Grove, please reach out to Hub Services Manager, Caralee McDaniel to discuss how our groups can work together to build a thriving community.
902 464 8234 ext. 1011
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