"LOWFAT LIFESTYE: PART ONE"



Lesson One:  Planning and Shopping


Planning

Grocery shopping without a plan is a recipe for trouble.  I've done it, and I'm always sorry.
  Here's why it's bad:
 
1.You'll spend more;
2.Impulse buying will fill your cart;
3. An ingredient may inspire a dinner idea, but you'll forget what else you need;
4. When you're out of ideas and
tired of shopping, you're more likely to make bad choices.


So plan!  Spend the time in the comfort of
your home with cookbooks and magazines around,
not to mention your pantry, and create a menu
for the week.  Thrifty shoppers can also make
use of the grocer's flyer to plan meals around
sale items.  At least make a list of dinners
.  You can probably wing a few decent
breakfasts and lunches.  That means you'll need
to think of seven dinners.   At first, the task
may seem daunting.  However, skipping it now
only means you'll have to face it later in the
week when the dinner hour is upon you and
you're likely to be hungry.
Here's your chance to choose healthy, low-fat
dinners.  You may already have a few old
standbys you rely on.  Go ahead and write them
down.  If you've got three of your own, you'll
only need to find four more.  Look through a
low-fat cookbook, magazine or this site to get
four low-fat meals that appeal to you.  Write
down where you found them and at what page
number on an index card and keep it in your
kitchen.  That way, you'll have a quick and
easy reference when it's time to cook.  You can
be relaxed with side dishes if you prefer, and
just be sure to have plenty of salad
ingredients and vegetables on hand to choose
from each night.
You've just done the hardest part.  Now you'll
need to go through the list of ingredients for
each meal and write down whatever you need for
each dinner on your grocery list. Produce, Seafood,
Dairy, etc.  Then as I add an ingredient, I put
it right into that section of the list and my
shopping is a breeze.  No running back and
forth for forgotten items.

tip: Make this menu planning time a routine
part of your week.  Do it the same day each
week and stick to it.  After you've tried it,
you'll find it's worth the effort because it is
the last time you'll have to think about food
the rest of the week.  When Tuesday night
comes, you'll know just what you've having and
that all the ingredients are on hand.
tip:  Know which meals won't be served until
the end of the week.  That way you'll know
which ingredients to freeze to avoid the waste of spoiling.

Recipe's