This post is sponsored by Crisp Media on behalf of Save-On-Foods. The opinions are my own.
I've professed my love for Save-On-Foods online shopping here and here but I want to take it a step farther and tell you how I've used it to hack my grocery routine. Groceries (the planning, obtaining, and preparation of) are a big part of everyday life unless you're lucky enough to employ a household staff (#goals). With Save-On-Foods online shopping, it doesn't have to be so time consuming.
I love to cook and bake but only when I don't have to. I'll spend hours flipping through cookbooks, planning elaborate dishes, playing with ingredients, etc. but as soon as it's a requirement? The shine wears off. I find the day-to-day monotony of planning meals and then getting the meals into my family a little boring. I don't want to spend a lot of time and energy on the daily doldrums, I want the razzle dazzle.
I've eliminated a lot of domestic drudgery using the Save-On-Foods online shopping tool to plan simple, manageable meals. I don't have to spend a lot of time or mental effort on what my family is going to eat on a daily basis, which means I get to enjoy the fun part of cooking (discovering new ways to hide vegetables in baked goods! planning birthday meals! cooking elaborate holiday dishes! razzle! dazzle!).
These are my top tips for hacking your grocery routine using Save-On-Foods online shopping. Let me know what works for you (my system can always use fine tuning!).
Fit it into your life.
Grady goes to school every (week)day. I know that I'm going to be bundling Poppy up every morning, at the same time, regardless of her mood or sleep status. I can't leave her at home and I can't keep Grady home from school. It's inevitable that we're going to be out so why not fit grocery pickup into that trip? Every Sunday I plan our meals for the week, do a quick online shop (because I've already got My Favourites set up), and choose a pickup time that fits with Grady's drop off time. After we leave Grady at school, I hit the pickup lane at my local Save-On-Foods, they bring my groceries out to my car (this will never cease to amaze me), and I'm home within 15 minutes. Did I mention that the service is free? And it makes my life easier? It's a no-brainer.
Post-school-drop-off screamy baby.
Build your infrastructure.
This is key. Having the online shopping system set up to suit your needs takes it from "convenient" to "life changing." Take the time to build your lists based on meals your family enjoys and you'll be able to do your weekly grocery shop in under half an hour from the comfort of your own home. I've got my taco night list, my spaghetti night list, my grilled cheese and tomato soup night list. These are not elaborate meals that I'd serve at a dinner party. They're the daily maintenance meals that I know my family will eat. When I make my weekly meal plan, I pull up my lists, quickly scan them to see what's on special that week, and build from there. It saves me time, money, and frustration because I can easily see what's on sale (and they're items my family will actually eat).
The "Grady's lunches" list has two things on it. True story.
Know your strengths. Stick to them.
I want to present my family with three square meals per day. I want them to be nutritious and full of vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats. I want my family to enjoy the meals I create. I want meal time (and meal prep and grocery shopping) to be stress-free experiences. This is not real life. I have a five-year-old who is a picky eater. I have a screamy baby. I have a husband who has many strengths but is hopeless in the kitchen. Expecting perfection is only setting myself up for failure and disappointment. I have a pretty good idea of what my family will eat and I know what I'm good at preparing. Sticking to my strengths most of the time means I'm not discouraged and unmotivated, I actually want to play in the kitchen and discover new recipes and foods. I get a taste of the razzle dazzle.
Grocery shopping with Save-On-Foods online shopping has simplified my family's food routines and given me the gift of more time. How have you hacked your grocery routine?