Eat like a tourist. Use whole foods that don't require a stovetop (and for some, no refrigeration!), such as fresh or dried fruits, seeds, and vegetables that can keep a long time, such as carrots, cabbage, and peppers. Choose healthy options to diversify vegetables like yogurt, hummus, salsa, and dips. Other travel options include energy and granola bars, store-bought healthy cookies, breads, canned beans, and ready-made salads.
- Eat fresh food every day and replenish your pantry on your way home from work or university as part of your daily schedule. Never buy too much food - as a tourist who is moving to a new destination and cannot take much food with him, be smart and only buy food for a few days, remembering the freshness of the products.
- This is well suited for those who live in the city or in places where it is easy to replenish food directly from the garden or from a local supplier.
Become a raw foodist or stick to a paleo diet. The growing interest in raw food and paleo diets shows how far people have moved from the healthy foods that nature has provided for us to eat. If you eat more raw foods or stick to a paleo diet, you'll be reunited with highly nutritious foods and avoid overcooking.
- Please note that if you want to puree or grind nuts, seeds and fruits, for example, preparation will be required.
- Be selective and choose foods that can be eaten in essentially the same condition they were grown in, with just the slightest modifications you need.
Be creative with your salads. Many of us do not take seriously the vegetables that determine our health. Some of the benefits you get from the extra fiber include lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, improved insulin sensitivity, increased weight loss (for those who are obese), and improved immune function. However, you should not only eat the typical vegetable salad. Try pizza salad, Caprese slaat and fruit salad"Ambrosia".
Be creative with your sandwiches. Try as many quality types of bread as you can (not the white bits that have been sucked out of your life), meats, vegetables, cheeses, and condiments. Try your favorite bread cold, toasted, warmed in microwave oven or dipped in olive oil.
- Explore various ways making sandwiches. Don't be afraid to try sweet fillings like sliced fruit or lemon curd.
- Check out these sandwich options for inspiration.
Use microwaveable foods and dinners. Buy groceries or ready meals that you can microwave to heat up, as well as fresh produce like salad or some cooked vegetables. However, make sure you read the label—many prepared meals are high in saturated or trans fats, sugar, salt, and artificial additives.
- For best quality ready meals and fresh produce, try local delicacies, specialty pastries or gourmet grocery stores for lunches and fresh salads Takeaway.
Make friends with people who love to cook. They might invite you over to their house for dinner together, especially if you're outright saying you don't like cooking, but you can enjoy other people's attempts!
- Make sure you help in every possible way. For example, offer to pay for ingredients or just show up with a mountain of healthy, fresh ingredients for their pantry and fridge.
- Invite your culinary friends to dinner at a restaurant from time to time to make up for all the times you enjoyed eating at their house.
- Visit more restaurants with friends to explore different tastes and cuisines. You will pay less but eat more if you split the bill for pizza, Chinese food, Indian food, and so on. Try to make it a regular event, such as once every two weeks or once a month.
Buy takeaway food. Many restaurant snacks are enough for two meals. However, don't live on takeaway food, as fast food is much higher in trans fats and saturated fats, salt, sugar, and artificial additives and colors. You don't need those unhealthy, nutrient-poor body fillers. Try to eat more healthy food such as cheese-free vegetable pizzas, Asian stews, falafel dishes, and salads.
- In some places, takeout means no tip, so you save money.
A difficult quest to find places where you can eat inexpensively in the center of Moscow will be successfully completed with the help of our recommendations. In this article, we will not only talk about budget establishments, but also recommend where it is best to taste some especially interesting dishes of Eastern, Asian and Western cuisines: oysters, fondue, steaks, crayfish, lobsters, tom yam and others.
Having a cheap meal in the center of Moscow is not an easy task for a tourist. The metropolis is full of catering establishments of various price categories, but to find a good place with decent cuisine and reasonable prices is not always possible even for local residents, not to mention visitors.
A cup of natural coffee in a Moscow coffee shop is unlikely to cost less than 150 rubles. In the prestigious "Coffeemania" on the Arbat, coffee costs 300 rubles, in the "Bosco Bar" on Red Square - 350 rubles. It will be 1.5-2 times more expensive to have a sandwich with coffee here than to have a full meal at some self-service establishment, of which there are a great many in the capital.
The main advantage of such establishments is prices. True, one cannot count on super-cheapness, it is not for nothing that the capital has been among the ten most expensive cities in the world for so many years. The average bill for lunch is 300-350 rubles. In addition, most restaurants in the capital offer a business lunch in the range of 350-450 rubles, in bars and pubs you can find it for 250-300 rubles. But the portions are quite modest, so people with a good appetite will have to fork out a large amount.
Below we will list places where you can eat tasty and inexpensively in Moscow, and also separately tell about places where you can taste seafood (crabs, oysters, mussels, lobsters), crayfish and dishes of other cuisines at affordable prices: oriental (kebab, hash , khinkali, etc.), Asian (sushi and rolls, Peking duck, Tom Yam), European and American (steaks, duck, desserts and fondue).
(Photo: eka shoniya / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY 2.0)
Where to eat inexpensively in the center of Moscow?
"ObedBufet" (OBEDBUFET)
A varied, inexpensive and delicious meal in Moscow is recommended in the OBEDBUFET chain of self-service restaurants, where dishes from seven cuisines of the world are presented. There is a buffet, grill, pizza, sushi areas, a separate confectionery and alcohol bar, there is a special area with diet meals: boiled meat, vegetables, cereals, etc. Breakfast from 8 to 12, after 22:00 in the salad bar 50% discount, you can order without mayonnaise. A dietary lunch will cost 250 rubles, a regular one - 500 rubles. Address: st. New Arbat, 15. Open: Mon-Fri from 8 to 24, Sat-Sun from 10 to 24.
"Mu Mu"
A network of establishments in the center of the capital with low prices and the entourage of a rural farm. There is a black and white cow at the entrance, inside there are wooden tables, beams and other elements of a rustic style. Simple and tasty food: cream soup with mushrooms, puree, rice, meat dishes, berry fruit drinks. You can have lunch from 250 to 500 rubles, from 23 to 23:30 you can take it away ready meals for half price. Address: st. Arbat, 4. Open from 9 to 23.
Canteen No. 57
You can eat cheaply in the center of Moscow in dining room No. 57. Despite such an unpresentable name, it is located in the most prestigious place in the city - GUM. The spirit of Soviet catering is everywhere: propaganda posters on the walls, in the corner there is a bright red soda machine. A small restyling has benefited the institution, and Muscovites who have popped in here for shopping are crowded in line with foreigners. Prices are low: soups from 70 rubles, side dishes from 40 rubles, drinks - 35 rubles, coffee - 80 rubles, cakes from 50 rubles. The average check is 400-500 rubles. Address: Red Square, 3, GUM, 3rd floor. Open from 10 to 22.
(Photo: mock4 / flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)
"Tree sticks"
Traditional Russian dishes - jelly, hodgepodge, kulebyaka, fruit drink - you can eat inexpensively in Moscow in the Yolki-Palki cafe. There are also Georgian dishes - barbecue, kebab. Prices are slightly higher - soups from 180 rubles, salads from 160 rubles, hot dishes from 300 rubles. The Russian version of the buffet - a cart - with hot and cold appetizers will cost 600 rubles, only with cold appetizers - 500 rubles. Address: st. Novy Arbat, 11, building 1. Open from 11 am to 11 pm.
Varenichnaya number 1
The establishment is decorated in the style of a Soviet apartment with newspapers, lampshades and table lamps. The menu includes dishes of Russian and Ukrainian cuisines: borsch, potato pancakes, dumplings, dumplings, cheesecakes, cereals, homemade liqueurs. The average price of a hot dish is 300 rubles, a salad from 170 rubles, a set of dumplings - from 390 rubles. Address: st. Arbat, 29, open daily from 10 am to 10 pm.
Culinary shop of the Karavaev brothers
A popular network of confectionery shops in Moscow, where you can eat deliciously and inexpensively. On the menu traditional dishes Russian cuisine, but the main strong point is pastries and desserts. Prices are moderate - first courses from 70 rubles, pies from 45 rubles. After 19:00 there is a 20% discount. Address: Tverskoy boulevard, 20, building 4, open from 8 to 23.
"Rake"
Chain of restaurants of European cuisine. The institution on Tverskaya is distinguished by its original design - the ceiling is made in the form of a lawn with apples. You can have a hearty lunch for 350-500 rubles. Address: Tverskaya st., 18, building 1. Open on weekdays from 7:30 am to midnight, on weekends from 9 am to midnight.
(Photo: c-head / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Moscow seafood
If you want to taste the tender meat of king crab, scallops and shrimp, then it is best to do it in "Crabster" on Arbat, 6/2. Sockeye salmon and scallop ceviche and crabonara pasta are especially popular with visitors; mussels in white wine have recently appeared on the menu. Prices are affordable: the average cost of dishes is 300-400 rubles.
In Moscow, gourmet lobsters, langoustines, oysters, mussels and other seafood can be eaten in a small fish restaurant Rico in Ruzheiny lane, 6/2. Prices are moderate - from 300 to 600 rubles. A distinctive feature is that you can bring your own alcohol to the restaurant, and wine tastings are also held here periodically.
It is better to drink fresh beer with crayfish in Moscow in a democratic "Golden Woble" on Pokrovka, 2 (Kitay-gorod). A portion of crayfish 100 g will cost 150 rubles, a similar portion in "Glavpivtorg" on Lubyanka will cost at least twice as much.
If you want romance, you can visit the Greek tavern on the water "Greek rode across the river". The restaurant is located on a barge with an excellent view of the river on the Taras Shevchenko embankment. The menu includes Greek dishes, the main emphasis is on seafood, the prices are moderate.
(Photo: Florida Sea Grant / flickr.com / License CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Inexpensive establishments of Oriental and Asian cuisines
Sushi lovers will surely enjoy the small restaurant "Yakuza"(Lesnaya street, 1). The prices are moderate and the food is prepared quickly. Except Japanese cuisine, Thai and Korean dishes are prepared here.
You can eat sushi, rolls, tom yum and other Asian dishes in Moscow at the restaurant "Tai Tai"(Pokrovka, 4). A portion of tom yum soup (400 gr) costs from 397 to 700 rubles, japanese soup miso from 217 to 277 rubles, rolls from 117 to 500 rubles. per serving. Prices in "Yakitori"(Noviy Arbat, 10) are already biting, but it is profitable to take a set for two. delicious duck in Beijing and sushi you can try online "Menza", one of the establishments is located on Novy Arbat.
Real Armenian khash can be tasted in a restaurant Gayane's located at the address: 2nd Smolensky lane, 1/4. A portion of soup costs 450 rubles. In addition, here you can order barbecue, kebab, khashlama and other dishes. oriental cuisine. Delicious khinkali for 400 rubles. for 400 gr in a restaurant "Ararat" on Prospekt Mira, 119. A huge portion of khash costs 380 rubles, shish kebabs from 400 rubles. for 200 gr.
(Photo: Geraint Rowland Photography / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)
European and American cuisine
Perhaps the hardest thing is for meat-eaters. The question of where to eat steaks in Moscow is easily solved - there are a huge number of grill bars and steak houses in the city, but the prices are quite high. Yes, portion. juicy meat in a steakhouse "Buffalo"(Lubyansky proezd, 15) will cost about 2 thousand rubles. In a chain of restaurants of Argentinean cuisine "El Gaucho" a steak weighing 500 grams costs 2.5 thousand rubles.
Slightly more affordable restaurant prices "Stakes" located in the building of the Taganka Theater (Verkhnyaya Radishchevskaya St., 21). Here, a portion of meat weighing 300 grams is offered for 1.5 thousand rubles. For comparison, similar servings in "Satiated duck"(Kurkino district) will cost less than 1,000 rubles, here you can try delicious dishes from duck - carpaccio, roll with prunes, pate with cranberry confiture, grilled meat, and all at reasonable prices.
Sweet tooth can take a tired spirit over a cup of coffee or tea into "Chocolate Girl". This is a popular chain of coffee houses that is famous for its chocolate desserts - here are the best chocolate fondues from the Netherlands and delicious desserts. There are many establishments in the city, one of them is on Tverskaya, 17. It is open until 23.
And if you have the strength and desire to spend the evening interesting, then you can go to a bar rock-n-roll on Sretenka, 1. This is a democratic place where you can have lunch during the day and have a great rest in the evening. Excellent burritos here cost only 420 rubles, beer - 300 rubles. The establishment is open 24/7 and only those over 21 are allowed in.
We also recommend that you explore our special selection for travelers: (15 hostels, hotels and apartments with impeccable guest reviews and an adequate price). Also look for hotels on the popular Skyscanner Hotels service - the choice is huge!
(Photo: marina.shakleina / flickr.com / License CC BY 2.0)
First photo: marcveraart / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Food is a significant expense item. Eating out is for a variety of reasons. During lunch, the city's cafes are overflowing with students, white-collar workers, and tourists. But is it possible to have a hearty meal in Moscow for 200 rubles? About inexpensive establishments with quality cuisine - in our material
1funky lab
A cozy gastrobar with a steampunk interior is located in the center of Moscow, near the Tretyakovskaya metro station. The creative idea of the restaurateur Alexander Viazhsky is similar to the designer - both in terms of design and in matters of serving dishes. So, borscht is served here in two plates: thick separately, broth separately. Eat it alternately or mix - the visitor decides. The same goes for salmon tartare and even ice cream.
The chef at Funky Lab is a real Frenchman, so the menu includes dishes such as Burgundy beef, a variety of steaks and sauces. "Golden" time in the gastrobar - from 12:00 to 16:00. It is during these hours that you can taste an inexpensive soup of the day and a delicious budget salad for 120 rubles.
Location: st. Bolshaya Polyanka, 7/10, building 1
Working hours: from 12:00 to 00:00 seven days a week
Photo: funky lab
Photo: funky lab
Photo: funky lab
2
"Dining Room No. 57"
It would seem that the time of canteens is irrevocably gone. But not in the case of this authentic culinary establishment, where dishes are prepared exclusively from a book of recipes for delicious and healthy food. Popular with Muscovites and guests of the capital, Canteen No. 57 is located in one of the most important stores in Moscow - GUM. Probably, the owners of the institution are very generous and hospitable people, because they often arrange promotions during which you can save a lot.
In addition to traditional meat and fish dishes, in the dining room there is a rich vegetable, fruit, lenten menu, and there are also pastries to order. Thematic dishes (for example, soldiers' potatoes, Strawberry Heart biscuit) are waiting for visitors during calendar holidays. Many people come here for a sip of nostalgia for the Soviet past. The cost of dishes ranges from 60-80 rubles.
Location: GUM, 3rd line, 3rd floor
Working hours: from 10:00 to 22:00 daily
Photo: otzyv.ru 
Photo: anothercity.livejournal.com
Photo: gastronom.ru Domozhilov
Named after the brand chef Ivan Domozhilov, the original 70-seat buffet is located in the Artplay Design Center. Huge panoramic windows of the studio overlook Syromyatnicheskaya embankment. Instead of a menu, there is a showcase with dishes. Self-service and disposable tableware do not overshadow the richest assortment of pastries (about 140 varieties).
Among the dishes prepared in the kitchen of Art Clumba: borsch with tongue, mushroom beef stroganoff with chicken, baguette with Tambov ham, nicoise with tuna, salads, soups, cheesecakes - and all this at very affordable prices. Special offers in the menu can be read by the LED ticker.
Location: st. Nizhnyaya Syromyatnicheskaya, 10, building 2
Working hours: from 10:00 to 22:00 seven days a week
Photo: domogilov.ru 
Photo: Domozhilov
Photo: Domozhilov
4
"Cowberry"
A culinary cafe with a berry name is located in the very center of old Moscow - not far from Kitay-gorod. The menu includes inexpensive home-style dishes: herring under a fur coat, bean soup, Greek moussaka, empanadas, pies, etc. - which can also be ordered in a takeaway container. Brusnik has a huge assortment of sweet pastries and desserts (from 60 rubles). And one of the most popular drinks is chamomile tea.
The institution is also known for its well-chosen musical arrangement, so here you can chat and even whisper in a comfortable environment.
Location: st. Maroseyka, 6-8, building 1
Working hours: from 08:00 to 23:00 seven days a week
Photo: "Cowberry"
Photo: "Cowberry"
Photo: "Cowberry"
5
"Baking and pilaf"
This Uzbek restaurant is a creative project of a young restaurateur Maxim Agashkov. Its name speaks about the dominant dishes. An inexpensive establishment with a simple, cozy interior in white and red colors is located near the Taganskaya metro station. Bestsellers: samsa, pies, chicken bouillon, manti with lamb, lagman. But the main dish of the restaurant is plov, which is cooked in a huge 80-liter cauldron (for 150 servings) by Uzbek chefs. There is only one step from maximalism to minimalism: "Baking and Pilaf" can accommodate only 12 visitors.
Location: 1st Goncharny Lane, 4\3
Working hours: daily from 08:30 to 22:00
Photo: Vera Mishurina
Photo: the-village.ru 
Photo: the-village.ru 6 "Marukame"
Noodles from the popular Japanese network Marugame Seimen (whose branded dish is udon noodles with various additives) - great option for a tasty and inexpensive lunch in the range of 180-200 rubles. The network of Moscow cafes is modeled after Asian prototypes: a small hall, a separate kitchen with a distribution line connecting locations. All dishes are prepared on the spot: from a large cauldron, in which the famous thick sanuki-udon noodles are boiled, steam dissipates in a mist throughout the hall.
On the menu: kamaage udon (noodles with dashi broth sauce), ontama bukkake udon (noodles with soft-boiled egg), tonkatsu udon (noodles in pork rib broth with pickled egg), etc., as well as salads and rolls.
Photo: "Marukame"
Photo: We continue to talk on the topic: "Popular questions that arise during a holiday in the Crimea." I would like to dwell on the topic of food and nutrition. Alas, eating homemade healthy food on vacation will not be easy. We hope that our advice will help you avoid mistakes that can lead to serious health problems.
We will not talk about healthy eating, because there are terabytes of information on this topic on the Internet. Our goal is to maintain healthy digestion on vacation and visit excursions to palaces and wineries, and not to the pharmacy and infectious diseases department of the nearest hospital.
So, where is the best place to eat in Crimea?
Let's consider several options in turn.Imagine a classic situation: sun-sea-beach, everyone is sunbathing and swimming. Sooner or later we will want to have a bite to eat, preferably far from the sea. Here, tents with various fast food come into view: shawarma, pasties, whites and pies. Buying these fragrant “snacks” is fraught not only with simple indigestion, but also with a huge number of gastrointestinal infections. Even if initially the meat in shawarma is fresh, then after 2-3 hours in the sun among the flies, you can’t eat it, and even more so feed it to children. Even if you feel dizzy from hunger, it is better to “starve a worm” with ice cream, or take fruits to the beach, and then eat something safer. In fairness, it should be noted that the prices for beach fast food are very tempting, and many vacationers take risks by dining on chebureks for 12-15 hryvnias / piece.
Consider another option - cook on your own.
If you want to minimize health risks and save money, you can cook your own food. Fortunately, in the private sector and apartments, there is usually a kitchen, or at least a stove. This is especially true if you are traveling with a child.
In every resort town of Crimea there is a small market where can i buy necessary products. Lobsters and black caviar may not be there, but you can always buy vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, cottage cheese, milk.
A liter of milk on the market costs about 35 rubles / kg, cottage cheese - 200 rubles / kg. A kilogram of pork or beef will cost you no more than 240 rubles / kg, even in season. The prices for vegetables are as follows: potatoes 15-30 rubles/kg, carrots 16 rubles/kg, cabbage 20 rubles/kg. Please note that these are 2012 prices. Food prices may vary depending on the resort. In Yalta, everything is 10-20% more expensive, in Feodosia, on the contrary, it is cheaper.
Why fruits in Crimea?
This question is of interest to everyone who goes on vacation with a child. He must receive the necessary supply of vitamins for the whole year. Where else is there fruit, if not in the places where they grow.
At the height of the season, prices for fruits in Crimea rise unreasonably, but towards the end of August they become available again. A kilogram of delicious juicy apples will cost you 50-60 rubles / kg. For peaches they ask from 50 to 120 rubles. depending on the variety. Plums are sold for 50-70 rubles, and grapes - from 40-100 rubles. Figs have recently appeared on the shelves of the Crimean markets, although the price still leaves much to be desired: from 150 rubles / kg.
Alas, there is not always a kitchen on vacation, and often it is simply too lazy to cook. You came to rest in the Crimea, and not stand at the stove. Hungry, we begin to frantically look for the coveted sign "Cafe" with our eyes, while it is desirable that it looks more or less decent.
The simplest and most effective way is to ask the question: "Where is the best place to dine here?" local residents. One doesn't answer, the other answers. Locals will not advise you on a place that they have not been to or doubt. Another plus of this method is that the “natives” will not dine in expensive cafes. By following their advice, you can save some money. But remember, no matter how modest the cafe is, a serving of 200-300 grams of barbecue will cost you like a kilogram of meat on the market, so you need to be prepared for this. The order of prices in catering establishments of the Crimea is extremely disparate. In a dining room in Evpatoria, a portion of borscht can cost 40 rubles, and in a restaurant in Alushta or Yalta - 400 rubles.
Feel free to ask the locals for "Where to eat and buy wine".
Another burning question on vacation - where to buy wine. We strongly advise against buying this product on the street. Local residents, under the guise of wine, sell bodyaga, which they can’t even call a liquor, let alone wine. There is only one way out - specialized stores from the Inkerman or Massandra factories.
Whatever type of food you choose on vacation, be vigilant. A product that causes even the slightest suspicion is better not to buy. And the salad “with a smell” in a cafe should be abandoned. Even if you are convinced that this is the specifics of the dish or the “special” sauce, do not give in. Life and health are always more important than any conventions.
You don't have to spend a lot to eat well. Although yes, for the sake of truth, it should be noted that good products such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, and cold-pressed oils often cost more than bread, pasta, and even meat. Most of my clients who switch to complain that it's more expensive. Of course, I always have an answer for them:
Eating right today saves you health and money in the future. After all, you do not have to pay doctors and buy medicines for numerous ailments.
But is there really no other way out, and will you again have to invest not only your strength, but also half your salary in your health? And this is more than realistic in the face of rising food prices ...
I hasten to please you. Not necessarily! I offer you my personal life hacks of a nutritionist on how to eat cheap, but tasty and healthy.
1. Cook with seasonal ingredients
This means that if tomatoes and cucumbers do not grow in your area in winter, then ... exclude them from the diet for this time of year completely or reduce them to a minimum. Replace them with canned ones (preferably those prepared by your grandmother or yourself). And even better - for root crops and cabbage of all varieties. Instead of salads from arugula and other fresh greens in the off-season, prepare salads from cabbage and beets. Lean on until you overwinter. Such food will cost you much less. And you will avoid unnecessary substances from sprayed foreign vegetables.
2. Say no to convenience foods
It just seems that dumplings are not so expensive. good dumplings often cost more than meat. And the bad ones… why do you need them at all? If you buy meat yourself and spend a wonderful evening with your children making dumplings for a month in advance, then it will cost you much less. And they will taste even better.
My holy rule: homemade food is preferable, tastier, healthier and cheaper than semi-finished products.
The most that I can buy from laziness is ready dough for pizza. But sometimes, when I think about how much I could make pizza crusts for this money, I quickly regret this decision. So don't repeat my mistakes.
3. No sausage
First, it's harmful. And secondly, it's expensive. If you really want a sandwich, then you can bake a piece of meat with spices in the oven and cut thin slices from it. If you live alone or eat little at home, then so that the meat does not disappear, you can freeze it in a ready-made form and get it as needed.
If you like lightly salted fish, then it is much cheaper to salt it yourself. Here is the main universal recipe, according to which I salt the fish.
For 500 grams of fish fillet, take 2 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar (mix salt and sugar well). Roll the fish in a mixture of sugar and salt, cover with a film or just leave it in a sealed container and send it to the refrigerator for a day. All! A day later, the fish is ready to eat. If desired, you can add any dry herbs (dill, parsley ...) and / or something strong, for example, sprinkle with cognac, whiskey or vodka. After salting, the fish can be cut into portions, or you can freeze for the future.
4. Make a menu for the week
Nothing saves money, time and nerves quite like putting together a weekly menu. To the question of the family “What do we have for dinner?” you will always have an answer ready. Yes, and you yourself do not need to suffer every day over this issue.
Yes, you have to spend an hour a week on making a meal plan. But I promise you that later you will thank yourself for this, and more than once. Agree, and so it is necessary to make different decisions all day long and implement them. By compiling a menu for the week ahead, you will save yourself from making two more decisions a day: what to buy on the way home and what to cook from this now, but preferably in a quick way?
When compiling the menu, take into account your plans for this particular week in advance and on some days prepare larger portions so that there is enough food for two days. Soups and stews are best suited for this purpose.
For example, if on Wednesday you are on, then on Tuesday cook something for two days at once. Then you don’t have to starve yourself after fitness or nullify your efforts by eating the leftovers of a cake that has been lying around in the refrigerator since the weekend.
5. Buy as many products as you can from wholesalers
Yes, the quality and range of products in some of them leaves much to be desired. But buckwheat from Magnit is definitely no worse than buckwheat from Azbuka Vkusa. And the price differs sometimes very seriously.
Personally, I do this: after making a shopping list, I first go to a cheap supermarket and buy everything possible from my list there. Then I go to a good/expensive store that definitely has everything or almost everything.
Yes, it takes longer. But I only buy groceries once a week, because I have a menu and a shopping list for it. Compared to running to the grocery store daily on my way home from work, my method is both faster and more economical.
6. Don't throw away food
Learn to eat the leftovers in the refrigerator first, and only then go to the store.
Yes, I understand that you are calmer if there is always milk and milk in the refrigerator. But the world will not collapse if they are not there for two or even (horror!) three days. Connect fantasy. After all, if you have at least some products, then you will not remain hungry. By cooking with leftovers, you will try new, sometimes unexpectedly delicious dishes, and also save a lot of money. After all, rarely do any of us manage to go in for milk and buy only milk ... As a rule, we fall for marketing tricks and buy more of what we need.
My kids, for example, love bananas. I buy a ton of them a year. And often at the end of the week they still end. At first there were indignations: “How so! No bananas in the house, mom?!”. But then the children reconciled themselves and began to eat what they give. And we also no longer have a headache, how and what to feed the child.
In my weekly menu, I introduced the day "dinner from the leftovers." On such a day, I either put on the table all the half-eaten hot dishes left over from the previous day or two, or, if there are none, I cook something from what is left. Usually this day closes the week.
7. Pay attention to frozen vegetables and berries
They are just as good as fresh ones. Especially in spring and autumn, this advice will come in handy. Such vegetables and berries are frozen immediately after harvest, so their nutritional value is maximally preserved compared to those "fresh" vegetables that are stored in cellars for weeks.
The only but: when you choose them in the store, make sure that they are not covered with ice and do not roll into lumps. This suggests that the conditions of their storage were violated at some stage, they were half-thawed and lost some of their nutrients.
Good frozen vegetables and berries should be crumbly.
8. Look for expired products
Not always, but often there is a discount on such products. If not, then go to the cashier and demand a discount. It is more profitable for them to sell you at a discount than to throw away products.
Often, manufacturers over-insure themselves with product expiration dates. I hardly pay attention to the expiration date of cereals and pasta, spices, salt, tea and other products that can be stored for a long time.
If it is meat, then, when you come home, immediately freeze it, having previously laid it out in portions in plastic bags. Do not forget to sign them with a regular ballpoint pen, indicating the content and date of freezing. Otherwise, you won't be able to recognize anything later.
If these are cheeses and dairy products, then it is better to eat them as soon as possible (no later than five days from the date indicated on the package). Well, if today you are going to cook something with cottage cheese, and it just lies on the shelf discounted due to the expiration date, which also expires today.
ATTENTION! These products are best left in the store if the expiration date has expired: fresh meat and poultry; salted and especially salted fish; thawed foods that, in theory, should be frozen; milk and bread.
9. Cook for two days
As mentioned above, this will save you time. In addition, oddly enough, it will cut down on food costs. The secret is that there will be less leftovers.
If you have very big family and everything is eaten at once, then from the possible leftovers you can make an excellent dinner the next day for someone from home.
10. When compiling a menu, choose dishes where products are repeated
If you have a cabbage salad, then you are unlikely to eat a whole head of cabbage at a time. Therefore, it is advisable to include on another day either cabbage soup or stewed cabbage. If one of your meals has basil or parsley in it, then use them in at least one other meal this week. That way you don't have to throw anything away. After all, throwing food away means throwing away money.
To be honest, when conceiving this article, I was not sure if I would get enough advice on the topic. But in the process of writing, I remembered many more ideas that I successfully apply in life. So many that all of them did not fit in this article. Therefore, I promise to continue this topic in the future.
Good health to you!
