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A grocery shopping mistake that could be costing Americans money starts even before they get to the store, according to cookbook author Jenn Lueke.
“The No. 1 biggest mistake is just not taking the time to plan ahead,” Lueke, Boston-based author of “Don’t Think About Dinner,” told Fox News Digital.
Making a grocery list and deciding what to cook for the week ahead can help shoppers save money and stress less about meals, she said.
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Another source of overspending may be the pressure to make a different, impressive dinner every night of the week.
Planning meals before shopping can help save money and ease weeknight stress, Jenn Lueke says. (Ashleigh Amoroso)
Social media can offer inspiration but Lueke, known online as Jenn Eats Goood, said home cooks can lean on familiar meals and switch them up with ingredients already in their pantries.
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“You really can repeat meals,” she said, adding that a “base recipe” can also be tweaked seasonally or depending on what is in your freezer at the moment.
Flexible base recipes let home cooks adapt meals to seasonal ingredients or what they have on hand. (Ashleigh Amoroso)
One example from her cookbook is a one-pot chicken thighs and rice dish. Lueke said cooks can swap in different proteins or add seasonal ingredients such as squash in the fall or asparagus and peas in the spring.
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A bowl-style meal or vegetable frittata can also serve as a flexible starting point for using up any food that is about to go bad, she said.
Pantry staples such as beans, rice and pasta can help build multiple meals. (Ashleigh Amoroso)
Keeping pantry and freezer staples on hand can give shoppers more options during the week, Lueke also said.
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She recommends ingredients such as canned beans, rice, pasta and quinoa, which can be bought in bulk or picked up on sale. Frozen proteins can also help cut down on weekly shopping trips.
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For shoppers trying to stretch a $50 to $75 grocery trip, Lueke suggests bulking meals up with hearty, lower-cost produce such as carrots, onions, potatoes and sweet potatoes, along with proteins like chicken thighs, tofu and chickpeas.
Planning meals in advance can help stretch budgets further. (iStock)
She also recommends getting more than one use out of an ingredient. If a recipe calls for only part of a can of artichokes, for example, use the rest in another meal, she said.
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Spice blends and homemade sauces can also change the flavor of a protein, allowing shoppers to prepare the same ingredient in different ways.
Lueke’s one-pot chicken and rice recipe can be adapted with different proteins and seasonal ingredients. (Ashleigh Amoroso)
“The biggest thing is having that plan, but also using one ingredient in more than one way, if you can,” she said.
