Can you really make meals that are both inexpensive and sustainable? Of course you can! Every day, it’s all about taking simple steps to reduce your environmental footprint in the kitchen, which incidentally has a shrinking effect on your grocery bill!
Eat fruits and vegetables that are in season
Have you gotten into the habit of checking where your fruits and vegetables come from? Eating local is a wonderful way to support local producers and show that you value all the know-how that they bring to the table. Do this and you’re already moving towards a life of sustainable eating. Here in Quebec, eating local means eating what’s in season! Despite our dry winters, you can eat local fruits and vegetables all year long. Come winter, try adding apples, root vegetables, squash, and cabbage to your meals.
One way to enjoy the abundance of all our harvests and great specials at the same time is to purchase a large quantity of seasonal fruits and veggies and then freeze them, or get to canning! When the season is over, you won’t have to worry about spending more to get the same thing.
Start planning your seasonal purchases with this fresh produce calendar. At the grocery store, check stickers or price labels to see where the produce comes from.
Vegetable proteins: The fundamentals of eco-friendly eating
Meat production—especially beef—has a significant impact on our environment. That said, you don’t need to become a vegetarian to reduce your environmental footprint. One way to go about it involves simply reducing the number of meat-based meals you eat and boosting the amount of plant protein on your plate. Think legumes, tofu, nuts, and grains, all of which are getting quite a bit of attention in a wide variety of recipes these days. Here are a few that your whole family will love:
Tofu bowl with peanut sauce
Tofu banh mi sandwich
Spicy chickpea naan bread mini-pizzas
Indian-style slow-cooker lentil curry to freeze
Pasta and chickpea ragù from Ricardo
These dishes are flavourful, healthy, and super inexpensive to make. There’s really no reason not to eat your veggies!
Add some organics
Organic foods are grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, artificial fertilizers, antibiotics, or growth hormones. Farming this way involves implementing practices that respect our environment and benefit soil health, ecosystems, and biodiversity. Organic meat is raised in a kinder way, without hormones or antibiotics.
Organic production is more expensive and that tends to show up on your grocery bill . . . but not always! Keep your eyes peeled for organic fruits and vegetables, as they often come to about the same price as their non-organic equivalents and—sometimes—they’re even less expensive!
Reel in your food waste
But how, you ask? It’s all about baby steps when it comes to reducing food waste. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Focus on food prep. Plan your meals ahead and they can become tomorrow’s lunch as well, which makes it easier to buy only what you really need. First baby step: make a grocery list that is based on what you’re going to eat all week . . . and then follow through!
Pssst! The TADA! meal-planning app will make your life so much easier and help you save money with IGA’s weekly deals!
Use that freezer of yours. Don’t wait until it’s too late for those leftovers or extra vegetables that you can’t possibly finish before they turn. Make freezing your extras a habit. Future you will thank present you.
Become a fridge MacGyver. Try using everything in your fridge to make a meal!
Compost. As a last resort, you can give your organic waste a fresh purpose when you compost. There are the added benefits of not only reducing the volume of your garbage bin, but also creating fertilizer for your garden. Score!
Click here to learn more about food waste and solutions you can implement today.