Saving Money & Healthy Meal Planning with the help of Flipp
As you may be aware, I am on a healthier lifestyle journey to lose weight and feel better. In the process my grocery bill has gone up from making better food choices and having less coupons or discounts available to save money on the fresh foods we are packing in our fridge.
When I sit down to meal plan each week, first I look at what we have on hand in the fridge, freezer and pantry. I try to pick a variety of meal options for the week, and then I make my shopping list. By using the Flipp app, I have access to all the local flyers in one spot. The app is often updated with flyers a day early and before the paper copies arrive at my house.
With my phone in hand, I then create my shopping list based on what I need in addition to what I already have in my home. With Flipp, as I add an item to my list, it shows me if and where it is on sale. Many times I choose to price match, keeping my shopping to one stop instead of 5.
This week I shopped for lots of healthy, fresh veggies. While there are rarely coupons for fresh foods like this, you can price match at Walmart, No Frills and Giant Tiger locations here in Atlantic Canada. Some other Loblaws chain stores in other regions price match as well.
I made this tasty and inexpensive salad with my Flipp shopping list, as well as a Spinach Bowl for lunch. By using Flipp to make my list, and price match, I was able to make these two meals for less than $8, with veggies left over for other meals.
Zoodle Salad with Lime Basil Dressing
Serves 2-3 as a side salad
- 1 large Zucchini (2 medium)
- 1 Roma Tomato, diced
- 1/2 cup English Cucumber, sliced and quarted
- 1 Avocado, diced
- 2 TBSP Olive Oil
- 1/2 Lime, juice from 1/2 lime
- 1/2 cup Fresh Basil
- Dash Salt & Pepper
Using a julienne tool make zucchini noodles. Place in a bowl and add tomatoes, cucumbers and avocado.
In blender or food processor, puree olive oil, lime juice and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour dressing over salad and stir to combine.let marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes (tastes even better if you marinate longer).
The second recipe I made with my fresh veggies was a Spinach Bowl for my lunch.
Spinach Bowl
Serves 2 (full meal bowls) or 4 (as a side)
- 4 -6 cups of fresh Spinach
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 sweet Pepper, diced (I used 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow)
- 1/2 Red Onion, diced
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- Juice from 1/2 Lemon (if you like Balsamic Vinegar better, use 1 1/2 tsp in place of Lemon)
- 1/2 cup diced Feta Cheese
Using a large frying pan, heat Olive Oil and add Peppers, Onion and Garlic. Stir and cook until onion is soft. Add Spinach and cook approximately 4 minutes until wilted.
Add Lemon juice and stir to mix well.
Place in bowls and add Feta cheese, mix it in or leave on top.
This is an awesome Lunch option and so flavourful. You can add sliced Olives if you like, as well as a little greek seasoning in the pan with the veggies.
I was part of the #FlippFoodChallenge and received compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.
Oh YUM! I’ve been wanting to try a zucchini salad for some time now, and yours sounds delish! Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
The zucchini takes on whatever you pair with it. It’s a great replacement for noodles in a hot meal as well.