Navigating the grocery store can be overwhelming to begin with. But around the holidays, holy moly does it feel like it just gets crazier?!?
Whether you are cooking a big holiday meal or just attending and want to bring a little something along, here are a few of my go-to tips as I navigate the store.
Prep your list BEFORE!
The grocery store is always changing things up to make sure you are constantly aware of sales, new products, or even just new enticing ways to get you to buy something. Especially around the holidays with all the seasonal goodies, it can be tempting to impulse shop the eye-catching or drool-inducing holiday items. But you might end up grabbing more of that than what you originally intended.
Having a list of what you need for your meal and or recipes will help you make sure you grab all that you need. (and maybe a few of the new stuff to try!)
Be aware of your ingredients
I want to preface this by saying this is NOT something you should become obsessed with!! It is all about balance when it comes to
what you are eating. But in order to have balance it takes being aware of what you are putting in your body and making informed decisions.
Checking out the ingredients is a great way to see what exactly it is that you are going to be putting into your food as well as your body. You already know that I'm big on not classifying foods as bad or good. Instead, think of it more as a sliding scale of the more or less beneficial/nourishing for your body. Choosing the more beneficial option when you can is going to serve your body best. And this gives you the balance and flexibility of indulging or choosing the less nourishing options when you are out to eat, eating someone else's cooking, or you want something more convenient.
Exploring your options for when you can make something at home, buy it premade, or even just shop for different brands can help you find variety in the types of ingredients and foods you buy.
My rule of thumb is the shorter the ingredient list the better and check what the top 3-4 ingredients are as they are the most prominent and make a decision from there. When I can I make it at home myself, but if I'm in a pinch and need something I work with the best option I can find! Remember, BALANCE!
Be Realistic
Everything doesn't have to be homemade, organic, and made fresh on the same day. Nowadays there are so many options to help create a fabulous meal without stressing and slaving away all day (unless you want to!!). There are some great pre-made or partially made options available now that have more nourishing and simple ingredients for when you need convenience.
Having an idea before on what you want to spend time cooking/making from scratch, whether that is based on taste, the ingredients, what you enjoy the most, or how much time you have, will help you make decisions on where to buy fresh verses where to buy frozen or premade.
If you thrive in the kitchen making everything from scratch (or a few things to bring with you) then by all means my friend, you do you! I have never hosted a full Thanksgiving meal so I can't speak from experience on fixing all the things but if there are areas where I know that I can have some assistance without sacrificing quality and it saves me stress, I'm there. I want to enjoy my holiday meal but also the time spent with those around me.
Still nervous to navigate the store? Let's book a call to navigate it together!
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