Trading Up Downtown

After last week’s monstrous shopping, I was determined not to spend and arm and a leg at the grocery store this week. We bought a ton of food last week, but we didn’t eat it all like we normally do, so we didn’t need to buy all that much at the grocery store this week. Thankfully, this week’s shopping was a lot smaller, and it helped even out our grocery budget for the month. We basically had one really expensive week of groceries followed by a more affordable week of groceries.

Here’s this week’s cart:

• Bananas (NuVal score: 91)
• Sweet potatoes (NuVal score: 96)
• Nestle Butterscotch Baking Morsels (NuVal score: 1)
• Chobani Non-Fat Strawberry Greek Yogurt (NuVal score: 28)
• Chobani Non-Fat Greek Yogurt Blueberry (NuVal score: 28)
• Chobani Non-Fat Pomegrante Greek Yogurt (NuVal score: 28)
• Chobani Non-Fat Black Cherry Greek Yogurt (NuVal score: 27)
• Vermont Bread Company Whole Grains Soft Whole Wheat Bread (NuVal score: 34)
• Store brand almond butter
• Broccoli (NuVal score: 100)
• Store brand canned chickpeas
• Blue Diamond Original Unsweetened Almond Breeze (NuVal score: 91)
• Frozen peas (NuVal score: 100)
• 8th Continent Vanilla Soymilk (NuVal score: 48)
• 8th Continent Original Soymilk (NuVal score: 82)
• Cheez-Its (NuVal score: 23)
• Kraft Easy Cheese (NuVal score: 25)

Save

I really wanted to save money at the grocery store this week, so I assessed my kitchen to incorporate foods on-hand into my meal planning. Doing this always saves me money and no food goes to waste in my kitchen. Additionally, I used coupons and took advantage of in-store sales to plan my meals for the week too.

This week’s “saves” also included scoring a ton of bananas from the reduced produce section of the grocery store. I always check the reduced section for bananas because, a lot of the time, the “reduced” bananas actually don’t look that bad. They might looked a bit banged up with a few dark spots and bruises, but they’re usually totally edible as is. And, if they’re really bad, I just freeze them or add them to a recipe. The moral of the story: “reduced” bananas are just as good as the “premium” bananas at the grocery store.

Trade

As for “trades,” I traded up 8th Continent Vanilla Soymilk (NuVal score: 48) to 8th Continent Original Soymilk (NuVal score: 82). I originally grabbed two cartons of the vanilla flavor, but then put one back and switched it with the higher scoring original variety.

How did you “trade-up” at the grocery store this week?

If you read my personal blog, Carrots ‘N’ Cake, you probably know that I post my meal plan for my dinners each week. Meal planning is a great way to streamline my grocery shopping, help me eat better, and, of course, save money because I buy exactly what I need for the week and no food goes to waste. Wasted food = wasted money.

The first step in my meal planning process is assessing what’s in my kitchen, including the cabinets, refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Knowing exactly what I have for food in my kitchen is the most important aspect of meal planning (and ultimately saving me money) because I incorporate what I have on-hand into my meals instead of spending more money on things I don’t need. A jar of marinated artichoke hearts, for instance, is a perfect addition to a homemade pizza. A random packet of pesto mix is an easy way to spice up a boring pasta dish. Basically, I build my meals around what is already in my kitchen instead of buying more ingredients. This also helps me get creative with my meals.

I always start my kitchen accessing process with my refrigerator because it contains perishable items that will spoil. This week, for instance, I had a big container of salad greens that needed to be eaten sooner or later or they’d go bad, so I planned salads into my week for both Sunday’s, Monday’s, and possibly Tuesday’s meals as a way to use them up and preventing them from going to waste.

Additionally, I bought a bunch of bell peppers from the reduced produce section last week that we never ate, so they became the basis of a meal for Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers this week.

When I checked out the freezer, I saw a big bag of frozen shrimp that could easily become part of a dinner. Tonight, we’re having salads with grilled shrimp (NuVal score: 75) and avocado (NuVal score: 89) on top.

When looking in the cabinets and freezer, I take the time to move things around and really see what I have on-hand. Most of the time, I am surprised by what I find– a jar of marinara sauce, a can of chickpeas, a half-used box of pasta, so instead of buying these items again or letting them go to waste, I incorporate them into the coming week’s menu.

This week from my cabinets, I incorporated Annie’s Homegrown Organic Whole Wheat Shells & White Cheddar (NuVal score: 21) into one of our meals this week. I plan to add roasted broccoli (NuVal score: 100) and chunked chicken breast (NuVal score: 39) to make it more of a well-balanced meal. Additionally, I plan to use canned tuna to make tuna melts on Friday night. Usually by the end of the week, neither my husband or I want to cook dinner, so an easy tuna melt is the perfect meal for a lazy night.

Once I figure out what foods I have on-hand, I use recipes to create my meals and shopping list. I love trying new recipes, so I am constantly ripping pages out of magazines and bookmarking recipes online. I keep torn-out magazine pages in a wicker basket on top of my refrigerator along with my coupons and grocery shopping list as a reminder to test out some new meals. I also keep a separate folder in my Gmail account for recipes, and I check it at least one a week for ideas.

I create my meal plan + shopping list by dividing my paper into two columns. One column lists Sunday through Saturday where I write a dinner for each day of the week. The other column is a grocery list where I write down everything that I need to buy at the grocery store. It’s a great little system and works out really well for me!

Do you have a process for your meal planning and/or grocery shopping? What is it? 

Now that the warm weather has arrived here in Boston, I’ve taken my indoor treadmill runs to the great outdoors, which means I need to pay attention to properly protecting my skin from sun. When the sun is blazing down, I often wear a hat on my runs, but I know I can do a better job of protecting my skin from the sun’s rays. So, when the makers of Coppertone contacted me about interviewing a dermatologist, who is also a marathoner, about how to best protect your skin on my runs, I was all about it.

A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed (via email) Dr. Elizabeth Hale, M.D, a practicing dermatologist and Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology at New York University School of Medicine. In our interview, Dr. Hale discusses how runners can best protect their skin with a number of tips.

What are your top tips for keeping skin protected from the sun’s rays during long training runs? 

• Reapplication is key, so be sure to reapply sunscreen every two hours. Although it may be difficult when on a long run, try a sunscreen that can hook onto your waist or fit in your mp3 case. Coppertone Sport Sunscreen Stick is the perfect size for spot reapplication on your face, because it’s easy to carry and won’t run into your eyes. If you have a backpack with you, bring a continuous spray formula, which is great for when you’re on-the-go and makes reapplication quick and easy.
• It’s easy to forget about sun protection on race day. Apply sunscreen before the race starts and ask that family or friends bring a continuous spray sunscreen with them to help you reapply at the halfway point to help keep you protected.
• I like to use Coppertone Sport Pro Series with Duraflex while training, which is a lightweight formula that stays on strong and lets skin breathe. The sunscreen was developed with athletes in mind and protects you from the sun and stays on strong even in extreme sweat conditions.
• A regular t-shirt only provides a sun protection factor of about 6 to 8, so be sure to wear sun-protective clothing as well as sunscreen.

No matter what I do, sunscreen always stings my eyes. Do you have any suggestions for preventing this?

• Try a sunscreen that is specifically designed for the face and is oil-free or fragrance free. One example is Coppertone Sensitive Skin Faces, which is a lightweight, fragrance free sunscreen that won’t sting eyes. It’s free of alcohol, dyes and oils and won’t cause breakouts or irritate the skin.

Do you recommend wearing a hat or visor on really sunny days to prevent burning? 

• Yes, extra protection is always necessary. When training outside, bring additional sun protective gear that will help keep you protected during your run. While sunscreen is a must, use sunglasses, a baseball cap or visor and UV protective clothing.

What do you think are the biggest mistakes runners make when it comes to sun protection? 

• Runners tend to forget to apply sunscreen on all areas of their face and body. It’s important to make sure that every inch of skin is protected from sun exposure. The most commonly overlooked areas when applying sunscreen are the scalp, ears, backs of hands and nose.

If you do get burned, what’s the best way to soothe your skin?  

• Sunburns can be painful and itchy. If you do get burned, ease the pain with a sunburn relief product from your local drugstore, such as Solarcaine with Aloe. Solarcaine can provide pain relief, instantly cool skin and relieve the burn.

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

In addition to coordinating this interview, the folks at Coopertone also offered to giveaway their new product, Sport Pro with Duraflex to one lucky reader on Trading Up Downtown!

To enter: Just leave a comment on this post about your favorite outdoor activity. I’ll randomly pick a winner on Friday morning.

Good luck!