Not only is cooking at home clean and healthy, it is also a really fun activity to do and expand your knowledge on different foods. We'll guide you through a few ideas for the most effective meal planning and grocery shopping so you can prepare all of your meals at home!

What do you want to eat?

Planning out what you want to eat in the week is a great way to be organized and efficient when grocery shopping. When you have your meals roughly planned, then you can go into the store with an idea of what items you need to buy to make this dish. A great way to get inspiration for different meal ideas is to take a look at the different recipes we have on the Olivo Amigo website!

What is your budget?

When grocery shopping, it's vital to keep in mind a weekly budget so that you can guarantee that you are being efficient and staying mindful of what you can afford. Planning out your budget can help narrow down what grocery stores are a good choice for you.

What ingredients can be multipurpose? 

It’s great to plan meals with components that can be used for other meals as well. For example, toast. For breakfast, maybe you want to start off your morning with a savory avocado toast with a fried egg on top, but the next day you want to make a sweet french toast. You would already have the ingredients to make both dishes since they both use eggs and toast. This is a super important and efficient tip so that you are not being wasteful and it's a great way to be resourceful with your ingredients as well.

What do you already have that needs to be used up?

It’s super important to look through your pantry and your fridge to see what you have left over from the previous week that you can incorporate into this coming week. Whether it be vegetables, fruits, or protein, it's vital to take those ingredients into account and see fun new ways you can use them up.

Get Creative!

The fun thing about cooking at home is that it's very customizable and a great way to learn about new foods and cultures. Cooking is a great skill to have and not only are you going to be learning to cook, you will be having a lot of fun experimenting with new ingredients and foods. The great thing about booking is that there are no rules! You are in charge in the kitchen and you get to make the rules. 

Grocery shopping and planning out your meals can be stressful, but if you follow these tips it can make the process a little easier. These are just a few tips to be able to cook at home in a budget friendly and efficient way!