Wellness

Save Money and Calories

Looking to save some money? Eating more home cooked meals can be good for your wallet and your waistline. Even though about 75% of meals are eaten at home, close to half of American's food dollars are spent on dining out or takeout. In addition, people consume about 50% more calories, fat and sodium when they eat out compared to when they cook at home, and tend to miss out on nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products.

The first thing you need to do in order to save money and calories is set aside some time for planning and preparing meals:

• Sit down and plan your at least five healthy meals for the week, then make your grocery list based off of your meals.
• To save time at the grocery store and in the kitchen, try to use recipes with less than 10 ingredients.
• To help you save even more, look at Russ's Market weekly ads and try to plan a few meals based on their specials. You can also stock up on sale items that are staples in your home.

Try to get to Russ's Market at least once each week to keep your pantry stocked with healthy food, so you don't have to rely on the drive thru. Always keep healthy staples on hand so you have a healthy meal to fall back on for those crazy days. Some good ideas include low-fat or fat free milk, frozen vegetables, canned beans, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, eggs, and canned tuna.

When you're shopping at Russ's Market:

• Buy fresh produce that's in season because it tastes better and costs less. Another option is buying frozen produce, which has a longer shelf life and won't spoil as quickly.
• Rather than buying small packages of foods, try buying larger sizes and then portion them out yourself when you get home.
• Buy store-brand products such as Best Choice/Always Save instead of name brand. The quality of these brands is comparable to the more expensive brands.

When you're back at home, cooking, make extra food so you have leftovers for lunch or dinner during the next few days. For example, if you're making grilled chicken for dinner on Monday, grill a few extra for a tossed salad with chicken for lunch, and for chicken noodle soup. This approach saves both time and money.

Try this quick, healthy, and inexpensive recipe this week!

Skillet Chicken Parmesan

Total Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 oz each)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 _ cups marinara sauce
• 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• _ cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups cooked, whole wheat rotini pasta
• Vegetable cooking spray

Directions:

1. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Place over medium heat. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned. Drain.
2. Add marinara sauce; turn breasts over to coat both sides. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Sprinkle cheeses over chicken; simmer, covered, until cheeses are melted, about 2 minutes.
4. Serve with pasta.

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