Shopping Sense is an online resource that was recently launched to help people make healthier, more budget-wise decisions while grocery shopping. I was excited to try it out because menu planning (and as an extension, grocery shopping) is something I've never been able to grasp, no matter what I try. I go through fits and bursts of inspiration - cooking an elaborate meal one night only to eat grilled cheese sandwiches for the following three nights.
I love the meal plan template. The grocery list (divided into grocery store departments, be still my type-A heart) on the side of the meal plan is perfect for jotting down ingredients. I'm actually excited to try meal planning again (and grocery planning! Lists! More lists! Ohh, talk wordy to me.)
The tour itself was a lot of fun. Dietitian Melodie Yong was engaging and informative - I was feeling a bit smug on my way in but I ended up learning a lot. Like, a lot a lot. I think that a big part of healthy eating is just common sense (eat more vegetables! eat less processed junk!) but it's really easy to fall into bad habits, especially when life gets busy. Shopping Sense is a great tool because it pools together all that common sense in an easy, accessible place. It's kind of like having a a concerned parent that you can access whenever you want (and, uhh, ignore whenever you want.)
Now! The fun part! I was given two $50 Safeway gift cards to give away to my readers. For a chance to win one of the gift cards, take a look at the Shopping Sense virtual tour and tell me what you liked about it (or tell me what you would change.)
Winner will be announced on Monday (and because this is a HealthyFamilies BC initiative I'm going to say this contest is open to residents of British Columbia only.) One comment per household please. Let's keep this fair, folks. I'll be posting another giveaway for the second $50 Safeway gift card next week.
I think the virtual tour was rather interesting, but a lot of the information about the different food groups and health benefits I already knew, as well as the food safety bit. My biggest issue is planning! I meal plan while my husband is working, but when he's not, it's a wash. I definitely should be looking at the flyers more often to see what's on sale, but I'm not going to go out of my way to a different store to get a better deal. It would cost the difference in gas to get there, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteI agree - meal planning is probably key. I am not entering the contest (I don't qualify anyway), just adding my voice.
ReplyDeleteI just did the virtual tour too - interesting and nice that it's laid out in such a way to show which things you SHOULD be eating vs those in the same area that people may grab that aren't as good for you. I do feel I'm fairly educated, but the planning portion is something I struggle with and it's kind of cool to have the options shown for you on it.
ReplyDeleteI think this would be amazing for a young family starting out or those who need help with nutrition (as a lot of young families that struggle with healthy eating, tend to think eating healthy is too expensive).
I actually have 3 places I tend to shop - the veggie place, the staples place and the high end for the specialty stuff (whole paychq anyone? :)).
Overall, great site - I think there could be some more links to some places they suggest for finding things, or coupons - though I realize the point is to educate more than anything.
It's a really good site and I'll be forwarding it to my brother who has a new family.
The meal plan is my favourite, too. I meal plan every week and write my list in the order that I walk through the store, but to have it done for me? PERFECTION.
ReplyDeleteThis site is really informative. Super user friendly. Lots of useful information, but it is presented in a way that keeps it from being overwhelming. I have a personal interest in nutrition, so it wasn't anything new for me, but I think a lot of people could benefit from this website.
ReplyDeletealso my email addy, in case I win! evilonion at hotmail dot com
DeleteThat menu planner is awesome! I love that there are different eating goals and an option for vegetarian that includes meals that are not reliant on tofu or processed meat alternatives. The virtual tour has a very clean and attractive design, and it's just the right amount of information to absorb without becoming bored. I like how it places importance on local veggies. I didn't spend much time in the meal planner, so I don't know if this exists, but it's be great if there were enough recipes for about 20 different suppers. I'm in BC, sooo fingers crossed here :)
ReplyDeleteI'll echo what's already been said - it seems like a great and informative site and is very user friendly. I am one of those dorks who LOVES to grocery shop, and I already meal plan and use an app for my grocery shopping lists, but this is a fabulous resource for those who might not be as organized as I am.
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat website! And for us westcoasters! Even better! Would LOVE to win! ( I, too already meal plan and use an app for my grocery shopping list, but will be telling my friends about this for sure!)
ReplyDeleteDelurking from Northern BC :)
What a neat website! And for us westcoasters! Even better! Would LOVE to win! ( I, too already meal plan and use an app for my grocery shopping list, but will be telling my friends about this for sure!)
ReplyDeleteDelurking from Northern BC :)
I really liked the virtual tour because it is interactive and visually appealing. You would click on certain sections to get pop ups and that really draws your attention in. I also liked how they integrated videos into the tour as well. The content is easy to understand and straight to the point! I like how it is organized by grocery store department. It really makes me aware for my next grocery trip!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing such an informative website!!! I too, have trouble meal planning and since it took me a year to finish my fancy pretty chalkboard in my kitchen, I have only used it 3 times to meal plan (which has worked out great. However, I lack consistency and the rest of the time, my husband and random friends draw pictures or leave lewd comments on it. But I have to say, that I am inspired and looking forward to trying out the menu planner provided on the website! This website is great and I look forward to using it! Thanks, Hillary!!
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! I will be able to share this website with my students' parents. I work at an inner city school and a lot of parents struggle with organizing & affording healthy food - this will be a great tool for them.
ReplyDeleteFor me, planning meals for one/two people is difficult and a lot of food can be wasted. Using the weekly plan will help me organize my meals more easily so my groceries can be used up, instead of put into the compost or thrown out.
I think the HealthyFamiliesBC Tools can be useful to have a better understanding of what you are consuming.
I'm going to show my students students this when they are on their second pop of the day... (UGH!)
The website seems endless! Great find, Hill! Now if only we could all be amazing cooks like you! xo
I think this is a good initiative by the government to help families out who are living in our very beautiful, but very expensive, province. The next step ...... MAKE HEALTHY FOOD CHEAPER! Oh, and gas. Oh, and housing. OH, and taxes.
I think the meal planning tool is a great resource too : )
ReplyDeleteLove the meal planning guide. Very informative site without being too overwhelming. A coupon section would be handy.
ReplyDeleteI liked the pop-ups with extra bits of info, but I didn't feel like most of the information was really all that helpful. I KNOW I should eat more produce - but that doesn't make it any less work. I think this could be helpful for people who are just starting to shop for themselves, or who want to start eating healthier but don't know what to do. But what I'd really like to see our government spend money on is regulating what goes into our food, and labelling it properly so that we know what we're buying. For example, I used to buy bagged lettuce (to save time! so I'd actually eat salad, instead of just wanting to!). If you look at the ingredients list, that list doesn't include the preservatives they spray on the lettuce. If I have to wash it to get all the chemicals off it, it's not really a time saver. I just want to know what's in my food so that I'm actually making the choices I think I am.
ReplyDeleteI liked the produce helpful hints.
ReplyDeletebilliondollarprincesss@hotmail.com
I'm Canadian in my heart but that will not win me any safeway cards. Alas, I shall not hold a grudge :-)
ReplyDeleteI would like to take this opportunity as a chefy-gal to request you post more recipes, made with the products you purchased at Safeway. See what I did there? Brought it home. Concentric. Circular.....tap it in. Just tappy tap tap...
I think that the most useful part of the virtual tour for me was the section on food safety. I liked this tip on discarded leftovers that have been unrefridgerated for more than two hours.
ReplyDeleteI wish there had been some info about non-soy alternatives to dairy products! Loved the site though, what a great resource!
ReplyDeleteI like the information on Vitamin D, how most Canadians are deficient, interesting stuff.
ReplyDeleteVashti M
hn423 at hotmail.com
I like the meal planning feature - we all need to do more of that!
ReplyDeletesgudlaug on Twitter.
I like the 'sodium sense' and 'sugary drink sense' pages. I can't believe there's so much sugar in vitamin water. —@twinch
ReplyDelete