We’ve all experienced major sticker shock at the grocery stores over the last few years, driven by inflation and other factors I don’t fully understand.
Itsa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ hard to predict the changes to come, but with a few strategies, tips and suggestions you might not feel the pinch so much. I’m proposing that you can be frugal and a gourmet at the same time, while still supporting Canadian-made as much as possible.
First, start checking weekly flyers online and plan out a shopping strategy as prices fluctuate from store to store. Luckily, with most stores in close proximity to each other in Penticton – unless you have a Costco membership – itsa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ fairly easy to get from one place to another.
Pasta can be cheap and tempting to buy when on sale. But it doesn’t have to be a bowl of empty carbs. Add in greens, beans, sausage or leftover meat, and you have a delicious and nutritious meal for lunch or dinner.
And if the ticket price for fresh greens takes your breath away, don’t overlook the frozen varieties available. They are frozen at the peak of their ripeness, sealing in nutrition. (The same goes for fruit.) I was astonished at the variety during a recent stroll through the freezer section at Superstore where I purchased a bag of peeled and chunked butternut squash. It was a game changer for a quick and lovely ginger and squash soup, with no battle to cut through its tough exterior.
Take advantage of sale prices. I snapped up several bundles of asparagus recently, when I saw it at $1.99 a pound. I look at these rarities as a challenge to create and cook. Steamed alongside roast chicken, with a drizzle of olive oil, it made a great side dish. And baked into a frittata, I had a meal for breakfast and lunch the next day. When in doubt, blanch and freeze for later.
Vegetables with a long shelf life keep on giving. Cabbage, for example, comes in red, green and Asian varieties and they all last a long time in the fridge. In stir-fries, slaws or braises, cabbage takes to slow cooking and is great no matter what you throw at it: ginger, black bean sauce, cumin, curry, preserved lemon – experiment. (A great hack for green cabbage is to use a potato peeler to shave off just the right amount to add to a taco.)
All the root vegetables have staying power, from celery root and carrots to parsnips and onions. Carrots are one of my favourite things. Grated into a soup, they cook fast. Grated raw makes a killer salad with cumin, lemon juice and olive oil, maybe some parsley, maybe some mint. Roasted, braised, mashed, juiced – you name it – that lovely orange hue (and carotene to boot) is to be celebrated. And you can’t go wrong with potatoes. They come in many colours from big old russets and Yukon gold to red and purple, with shapes such as fingerlings and tiny new potatoes. The larger bags provide more value, if you can keep them in a cool place so they don’t start sprouting.
Large blocks of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses are often on sale, and you can freeze both, as long as you’re using them for melting.
Lately, I’ve spied deals on canned beans, so I’ve been stockpiling them. Chickpeas, black beans, romano and kidney beans, they add an easy heft of protein and fiber when needed. I especially adore chickpeas, not only for hummus but in salads tossed with bright citrus, olive oil and something crunchy like cucumbers and/or celery and herbs.
More frugal still is buying beans and pulses in dried form. I usually choose faster-cooking green and red lentils, and mung beans, not only because they’re delicious, but they don’t require pre-soaking. Just a quick rinse and then itsa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ off to the races with stock, or even water, and spices and greens such as spinach or chopped Swiss chard, added in fresh or frozen at the last minute.
It bears repeating to never underestimate the power of rotisserie chicken. At my local IGA, the deli team roast approximately 168 birds a week, always ready by 11 AM until close. Sourced from nearby Armstrong, each chicken is lovingly sprinkled with a spice mixture to produce an appealing roasty-red hue and roasted to perfection, an ultimate convenience. Have some for dinner, shred the remainder for salad, soup, tacos or sandwiches, and the bones make a quick and flavourful stock that you can add to amp up a soup, rice or braise. Pick up a couple for the family, or unexpected guests, and if you live alone, you can create several meals out of one tasty bird.
