Plan… to rediscover the pleasure of grocery shopping

There are those for whom groceries have always rhymed with chores. And there are those who have seen this pleasure gradually melt away in the face of sometimes discouraging price increases and empty shelves. Despite everything, there may be a way to find your account with a bit of planning.

Habits to reinvent

Jessika Langlois has always loved grocery shopping. She says he smiles, she even used to dance in the aisles while shopping. But recently… She hesitates, before finally admitting that she has lost some of her pleasure.

“I go to the grocery store to buy such and such a deal, I have planned my week and my purchases according to the specials, then there I arrive… and there is nothing left. It means that my way of working no longer works. »

And when she looks at the circular of the grocery store where she usually goes, she experiences a sort of “blank page syndrome” in the absence of the tempting discounts that have always inspired her in the choice of meals.

However, the nutritionist, who signed the books Food Prep for improvised meals and Cook with what we have, is not the type to systematically plan all the meals of the week for his family. “It’s okay for the first few days, but after that, I realized that when I did, there were always unforeseen events that shifted meals, which meant that, in the end, I ended up losing business. »

This is also how she came to set up another form of organization, where her freezer has become a precious ally. There are not many vegetables that you won’t find there, except perhaps cucumbers or lettuce, among the only ones that are impossible to freeze. Celery, carrots, zucchini, turnips… “Sometimes peppers can’t be bought, and other times they’re almost a given,” she says. That’s when it’s worth adding them to his list and keeping them, in his opinion.

“You just have to cut the vegetables into small dice and freeze them first on a plate to prevent them from freezing in large loaves. Onions and mushrooms, for example, we add a small handful to fry something and it gives a lot of flavor to the dish. »

Bet on lists

Marja Monette-Millette loves lists. For everything. His tomb freezer has its own inventory, with contents and freezing dates. “It’s easy to lose control, so knowing what you have allows you to rotate,” especially for meat, says the author of the blog The Perfect Imperfect Mom and the book Perfect planning for imperfect families.

For the past few years, the mother of two young children has sworn by her lists. Thanks to them, no more last-minute stops at the grocery store during the week, due to an oversight (and the stress that comes with it…).

Among her essentials, there is the one on her fridge, where she systematically notes everything that is missing during the week. Then there’s the one she takes to the grocery store, divided into categories to avoid going back and forth between rows, and which she had laminated – a trick that allows her to fill it in with an erasable pencil and clean with a damp cloth when they get home.

And if she prefers this paper version rather than a list on her phone, for example, it’s because it allows her to avoid all sorts of distractions – notifications, messages… – that would lengthen her time at the grocery store. “I have a personal challenge: in 30 minutes flat, I’m out, she said. I get there, I know what we’re going to eat, I’m organized and I don’t let myself be influenced, so it takes me less time, I spend less and it makes it a lot less stressful. »

She also manages to get her groceries early in the morning, when it’s still quiet, and as soon as possible after the start of the weekly discounts, when the shelves are most likely to be stocked.

“I think we also have to relearn how to not necessarily want to have access to all the food all the time, as we’ve been used to,” says Eve-Lyne Auger, author of the book. Devour the legumes and creator of the online vegetarian cooking magazine La Fraîche.

In his opinion, one should not be afraid to dare to substitute foods, which can have very interesting results. Whether it’s to replace strawberries in your oatmeal or to prepare a recipe. “You can make Mexican tacos with squash, it’s super good! Or with chickpeas”, illustrates the one who has been a vegetarian for ten years.

“What happens is that if we get caught up in the foods we turn to all the time, that’s when the grocery cart becomes really expensive,” says Eve-Lyne Auger.

Ten tips for a smart grocery store

Do you want to make lists before going to the grocery store? Here are some proven tips to keep in mind.

Recognize the real discounts

Jessika Langlois recommends always checking the price per 100 g or per 100 ml, because that’s how you can see if you have a good discount. And remember: “Just because it’s in the flyer doesn’t mean it’s a good discount,” says Marja Monette-Millette.

Take advantage of deals

Some foods are worth buying in quantity when they’re on sale. But watch out for expiry dates! “With pasta, you can’t go wrong because they can easily be half price,” says Jessika Langlois. The same goes for rice, canned fish protein (whose price has risen a lot, she notes), canned tomatoes and legumes. The nutritionist also likes to buy salt-free broths and tortillas at a discount (which keep for quite a long time in the pantry or can be frozen).

Don’t be influenced

No matter the price of a food, you should never buy more than what you consume, insists Jessika Langlois. “Do I eat it? That’s the question we have to ask ourselves because it may be discounted and cheap, if our family doesn’t eat that much of it, it will end up going out of date at some point. »

Vary without complicating life

Marja Monette-Millette believes that too much emphasis is placed on diversifying menus and ingredients. “Are we eating chicken three times this week?” It’s correct ; I took advantage of a special that was well worth it and declined it in three menus – quesadillas, a club sandwich and roast chicken. It’s still three dinners with a single base. »

Substitute so as not to exceed your budget

“Cauliflower isn’t on special, but broccoli is?” So it will be broccoli this week, it does not matter, says Eve-Lyne Auger. We are able to substitute foods in recipes; you have to trust yourself about that. »

Freeze methodically

When the meat is at a good price, Marja Monette-Millette does not hesitate to buy it to freeze it. “The mistake not to make is to put it directly in the freezer in the packaging of the grocery store, because that’s where it will burn, change texture or taste. As it is often the family sizes that are on special, I vacuum seal them in sizes of about a pound – which is often the quantity requested for recipes –, and I will write a date so as not to keep them too much long time. »

Stock your pantry

Eve-Lyne Auger always has a wide variety of dry cereals – quinoa, rice, whole wheat pasta, millet, barley… – in her pantry, and a good choice of spices – Mexican flavor or curries… She makes sure she has a good base to which she adds vegetables from the freezer and legumes, for tasty last-minute meals.

Focus on eggs

In addition to being nutritious, eggs can be prepared in a host of ways. “Me, two dozen eggs, I’m not embarrassed to buy that when it’s on special,” says Jessika Langlois. When you’re vegetarian, it’s also a quick and economical protein to prepare, adds Eve-Lyne Auger. “If we have eggs and we don’t know what to cook, we are in a hurry, we can make two scrambled eggs with vegetables on the side or even a fried rice with edamame beans and sprouted mung beans, and we have a meal complete. »

Target cheese

To save money, Marja Monette-Millette notably stopped buying grated cheese. “It’s crazy when you look at the price difference,” she notes. Like Jessika Langlois, she buys lots of bricks of cheese at a discount; these can stay in the fridge for a long time or even be frozen, grated or cubed. Eve-Lyne Auger, she always likes to have feta on hand because in addition to keeping for a long time, it is easy to add to many recipes to give flavor.

Tame legumes

When you have a little time, Eve-Lyne Auger suggests trying dried legumes, which are much more economical than canned. “And in terms of taste, it’s really different; herbs can be added to the cooking water to give it an interesting flavor, such as bay leaves with chickpeas. » To plan: overnight soaking and, the next day, a maximum of 2 h 30 min of cooking (depending on the size of the legume). Do you cook a large quantity? They are frozen individually on a plate before bagging them. “It thaws super quickly, like green peas, then you blanch it a bit and add it to any recipe. »