What to See, Eat and Do in Boston - The New York Times

In New England’s largest city, there are exciting music venues, a floating oyster bar and newcomers on the arts and restaurant scenes that reflect its diversity.

There’s a new face welcoming visitors to Boston. It belongs to a 3-year-old in Velcro sneakers, crouching by a boombox and haloed in gold. She’s the artist Rob Gibbs’s daughter, who stares unflinchingly from a soaring 70-foot mural across from South Station, the city’s biggest train terminal.

Mr. Gibbs — who paints under the name ProBlak — is the first Black Boston-native artist to be commissioned for the rotating Dewey Square mural. Mr. Gibbs grew up in Roxbury and has been painting walls in the city for years. This newest mural, “Breathe Life Together,” will be up through May 2023. His art pays homage to under-heard people in Boston, and is a reflection of his neighborhood and home. “If I’m going to welcome people to the city, the best thing I can do is give them a home-cooked meal,” he said. “This is a home-cooked meal.”

It’s a welcome for visitors who are returning to New England’s largest city at near prepandemic levels. Hotel occupancy in June was 81.8 percent — shy of June 2019, when rates were 89.8 percent, but a vast improvement over a pandemic low of 5 percent. And with nonstop flights from 127 domestic and international destinations, travelers are being met with innovative art, new music venues, upscale dining options and reimagined hotels.

Exhibitions and installations

The role of art in fostering conversation has been a focus at the Museum of Fine Arts in recent years. That conversation was thrust onto a national stage when, following the murder of George Floyd and during an ongoing nationwide reckoning with race, its retrospective of Philip Guston, a painter who often explored white supremacy, anti-Semitism and violence in his work, was delayed two years to rethink and reframe its presentation, which includes things like trigger warnings and resources for viewers to prepare themselves emotionally for the show. The postponement outraged many in the art world, but in May, the M.F.A. opened the show, “Philip Guston Now,” which was lauded by many for its thoughtful approach, while others questioned the need for such cautionary features.

The Museum of Fine Arts delayed the opening of its “Philip Guston Now” exhibition for two years in order to reframe its presentation. The show closes on Sept. 11. Tony Luong for The New York Times

The exhibition will close on Sept. 11, a week after the M.F.A. celebrates the opening of the “Obama Portraits Tour” (Sept. 3 through Oct. 30), the final North American stop before the official presidential portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama return to the National Portrait Gallery. Alongside the Obama portraits will be more than 2,600 drawings, paintings and photos from as far away as South Korea. They are part of a community project that invited participants to submit a portrait of a leader in their lives.

President Obama’s remarks at the opening of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington celebrated King’s vision of unity. In January, Boston will unveil its own monument to Martin Luther King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, who met as students in Boston. Designed by the Brooklyn-based artist Hank Willis Thomas, “The Embrace,” a 20-by-40-foot sculpture, will be installed on Boston Common, America’s oldest public park and one of the most visible places in the city.

Other new art projects are decidedly more whimsical. In June, 10 miniature street scenes seemed to appear by magic around Greater Boston. The mouse-size installations, like the tiny “Mouseum” in the Seaport, are the brainchild of AnonyMouse, an art collective that has been creating pop-ups around Sweden since 2016. The storybook scenes have spawned scavenger hunts for all ages.

Music venues up the game

After Boston’s live music scene went quiet during the pandemic, concerts crept back onto calendars in 2021, with masked audiences and proof-of-vaccination requirements. Now concertgoers are back in full force, and Boston has two new venues to welcome them.

A decade after opening Cambridge’s Sinclair, which music lovers flocked to for its outstanding acoustics and unobstructed sightlines, the Bowery Presents enlisted the same team to design Roadrunner, a 3,500-person music hall in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston. Opened in March, the general-admission venue offers six bars and a modern industrial-chic design. The 50,000-square-foot room with multilevel viewing of the 60-foot stage has already hosted Olivia Rodrigo, Leon Bridges and Lake Street Dive, and has more than 30 acts booked for the fall.

The MGM Music Hall holds 5,000 people and has subtle design references to its location next to Fenway Park. Philip Keith for The New York Times

When the MGM Music Hall at Fenway opens this month, subtle design choices, like section numbers stenciled on concrete poles, will remind visitors they are next door to America’s oldest ballpark. The 5,000-person venue more than doubles the capacity of the nearby House of Blues, but maintains its intimacy, with the farthest seat just 110 feet from the stage. A venture of Fenway Sports Group in partnership with Live Nation, its developers say the venue fills a void in the Boston market. The music hall makes its debut with a two-night stand from James Taylor, followed by Chris Stapleton, Bruno Mars and Lil Nas X.

New restaurants and craft beer

New dining options abound and perhaps the most sought after is Contessa, which sits atop the recently reopened Newbury Hotel, offering Northern Italian cuisine and panoramic views. This first Boston venture from the New York chef Mario Carbone is equal parts sophistication and comfort, with starters like squash carpaccio ($22), and mains including scallops aglio olio pepperoncino ($46).

Contessa, which sits atop the Newbury Hotel, is one of the most-sought after restaurants in Boston right now. Vanessa Leroy for The New York Times

When Maria Rondeau and JuanMa Calderón opened La Royal in February, they did it for the love of their neighborhood. The 48-seat restaurant is a block away from their home in Cambridge’s Huron Village, with a menu that draws on Mr. Calderón’s Peruvian roots, and Salvadoran influences that are a homage to the restaurant’s staff. The causa de pulpo (potato terrine with octopus, $18), and the lomo soltado (stir-fried beef, $28), pair perfectly with the menu’s pisco cocktails (from $14).

Moored on the East Boston waterfront, the Tall Ship is part floating oyster bar, part adult playground. With sweeping views of the skyline and harbor, it feels both quintessentially Boston, and unlike anything the city has seen before. Onboard the 245-foot vessel, a raw bar serves lobster tails ($40) and sushi rolls (from $14). But the pier alongside the ship is where the action is, with lawn games galore, frozen adult beverages and shipping-containers-turned-food-stalls, offering tacos ($17), sandwiches ($14) and menu items for kids.

To mix-and-match dishes from 20 of Boston’s best chefs, High Street Place on the edge of the Financial District is a good bet. At the opening in March, Mayor Michelle Wu — the first woman and person of color to be elected as the city’s top official — celebrated that many of the food hall’s vendors are women and people of color, and applauded the effort to bring Boston’s diverse cultures to the downtown area. Kutzu marries the flavors of Korea and Southeast Asia with rice bowls ($14), banh mi sandwiches ($14) and “pho-men” — a cross between pho and ramen ($14). Dive Bar, from the James Beard-nominated Tiffani Faison, cooks up New England seafood with a touch of New Orleans spice (mains from $15). And North East of the Border is the first brick-and-mortar location for a popular Mexican food truck (tacos from $5). To drink, there’s champagne at Bubble Bath and pints at Alewives Taproom.

An outdoor exercise class in the Seaport neighborhood, which is being rapidly developed with new restaurants, bars and hotels. Philip Keith for The New York Times

Bostonians do love their craft beer, and local breweries are responding with new locations. Nantucket’s Cisco Brewers was an early arrival in the rapidly developing Seaport neighborhood, with an open-air taproom flanked by food trucks. Massachusetts brewer Lord Hobo joined the neighborhood in March with its own taproom and restaurant. Across the river, Lamplighter Brewing opened a second location at the residential and retail development Cambridge Crossing. And for those who want a variety of brews from around New England, Broken Records Beer Hall in Brighton features more than 20 makers.

A renovated stalwart and stylish newcomers

With new properties and redesigns of classic hotels, there’s no shortage of places to check in.

In the Seaport, where the speed of development is dizzying, the Omni Hotel offers a nearly unheard-of amenity in the city: a year-round, heated rooftop pool. Opened in September 2021, the 22-floor property boasts four full-service restaurants, a lobby bar, boulangerie and spa (doubles from $413).

The Newbury Hotel has been newly renovated. “Imagination and the Fold,” by Lauren Ewing, hangs in the hotel’s library. Lauren Ewing

Nestled between downtown and Boston’s North End — a bastion of Italian eateries — is the Canopy by Hilton, a 212-room hotel opened in March. Designed to have a local neighborhood feel, the Canopy houses a brasserie-style cafe, and also has bikes on hand for guests to explore the city (doubles from $244).

After a $200 million renovation, the Langham Boston reopened its 312-room hotel in June 2021, with classically American-styled guest rooms, marble-floored bathrooms and a 268-piece art collection. Its craft cocktail bar, the Fed, nods to the property’s original occupant, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. In the Financial District, it’s a short walk to Faneuil Hall, the aquarium and Boston Common (doubles from $436).

Across the Charles River, Cambridge and Somerville are also ready to welcome visitors. On the edge of Central Square — close to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and restaurants — is 907 Main, a boutique hotel whose classic brownstone exterior gives way to a modern interior (doubles from $175). Repeat visitors to Boston who want to explore a new neighborhood can check into the Cambria Somerville. The 163-room hotel is walkable to Union Square, home to the newest M.T.B.A. stop. The long-anticipated and much-delayed subway extension has the neighborhood poised for a massive transformation (doubles from $212).

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52 Places for a Changed World

The 2022 list highlights places around the globe where travelers can be part of the solution.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places for a Changed World for 2022.

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Podcast: What’s next for Fletcher’s? The family shares its corny history, deep-fried future - The Dallas Morning News

Editor’s Note: Eat Drink D-FW is hosted by Dallas Morning News Food Editor Erin Booke with food reporters Sarah Blaskovich and Claire Ballor. Each week, our food journalists dish, debate and analyze local restaurant news, food and drink trends, tips for cooking and shopping, and other obsessions. You’ll also hear from chefs, farmers and foodies like yourself as we explore the people who make D-FW one of the most vibrant, diverse and ambitious food scenes in the country.

Eat Drink D-FW from The Dallas Morning News is made possible by Central Market. All editorial decisions are made by The News.

Where celebrities dine when they visit Dallas

Texas Governor candidate Beto O'Rourke talks to patrons at Kutinfed Barbershop in Dallas on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022. (Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer)

Dallas can be a great place for celebrity spotting, from Kevin Hart playing bartender to Beto O’Rourke ordering a pastry at a cool coffee shop. Join food editor Erin Booke and food reporters Sarah Blaskovich and Claire Ballor as they chat about other celeb sightings. Then, Sarah sits down with chef Julian Rodarte, the young new CEO at Trinity Groves, about his journey as a restaurateur (and how Phil Romano went to his first birthday party). We also share our favorite date night spots (no kids menus allowed!).

In this episode

OK, so we’ve seen Kevin Hart at Happiest Hour, Beto at Window Seat, Mark Cuban at Sweet Tooth Hotel, and Dirk at Homewood. Where have you seen some celebs? And don’t forget to note what they ordered.

RIP Antoine’s, with their long history and super affordable sandwiches, and prayers for Rye restaurant in McKinney, which is closed after a fire.

Remember Cozymel’s? Hearing Julian Rodarte of Trinity Groves talk about his family’s early restaurant days takes us way back. But then he talks about his newest spot, Lexy’s.

Where do you go for date night? A listener loves RM 12:20 Bistro, but needed more recommendations. Claire loves Lounge Here and Parigi, while Sarah loves Sachet (which has an impressive wine list), Meridian, Terilli’s, Lucia, and the new Caterina’s in Fort Worth.

Tell us!

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How Much Meat Should We Eat? | Science - Smithsonian Magazine

Research indicates that those of us in the West should eat less meat to live more sustainably. Igor Golovniov / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images

As governments drag their feet in responding to climate change, many concerned people are looking for actions they can take as individuals — and eating less meat is an obvious place to start. Livestock today account for about 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than all the world’s cars and trucks combined.

Those numbers are daunting already, but the situation could grow worse: Our appetite for meat is increasing. The United Nations forecasts that the world will be eating 14 percent more of it by 2030, especially as middle-income countries get wealthier. That means more demand for pasture and feed crops, more deforestation and more climate problems. For people alarmed about climate change, giving up meat altogether can seem like the only option.

But is it? A growing body of research suggests that the world could, in fact, raise a modest amount of beef, pork, chicken and other meat, so that anyone who wants could eat a modest portion of meat a few times a week — and do so sustainably. Indeed, it turns out that a world with some animal agriculture in it likely would have a smaller environmental footprint than an entirely vegan world. The catch is that hitting the environmental sweet spot would require big changes in the way we raise livestock — and, for most of us in the wealthy West, a diet with considerably less meat than we eat today.

“The future that sounds sustainable to me is one where we have livestock, but it’s a very different scale,” says Nicole Tichenor Blackstone, a food systems sustainability researcher at Tufts University in Boston. “I think the livestock industry’s going to have to look different.”

Feeding animals to feed ourselves

One big reason for meat’s outsized environmental impact is that it’s more efficient for people to eat plants directly than to feed them to livestock. Chickens need almost 2 pounds of feed to produce each pound of weight gain, pigs need 3 to 5 pounds, and cattle need 6 to 10 — and a lot of that weight gain is bones, skin and guts, not meat. As a result, about 40 percent of the world’s arable land is now used to grow animal feed, with all the attendant environmental costs related to factors such as deforestation, water use, fertilizer runoff, pesticides and fossil fuel use.

But it’s not inevitable that livestock compete with people for crops. Ruminants — that is, grazing animals with multiple stomachs, like cattle, sheep and goats — can digest the cellulose in grass, straw and other fibrous plant material that humans can’t eat, converting it into animal protein that we can. And two-thirds of the world’s agricultural lands are grazing lands, many of which are too steep, arid or marginal to be suitable for crops. “That land cannot be used for any other food-growing purpose other than the use of ruminant livestock,” says Frank Mitloehner, an animal scientist at the University of California, Davis.

Of course, those grazing lands could revert to natural forest or grassland vegetation, taking up atmospheric carbon in the process. This carbon-capturing regrowth could be a major contributor to global climate-mitigation strategies aimed at net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, researchers say. But that’s not necessarily incompatible with moderate levels of grazing. For example, some research suggests that replacing croplands with well-managed grazing lands in the southeastern US captures far more carbon from the atmosphere.

Livestock can also use crop wastes such as the bran and germ left over when wheat is milled to white flour, or the soy meal left over after pressing the beans for oil. That’s a big reason why 20 percent of the US dairy herd is in California’s Central Valley, where cows feed partly on wastes from fruits, nuts and other specialty crops, Mitloehner says. Even pigs and chickens, which can’t digest cellulose, could be fed on other wastes such as fallen fruit, discarded food scraps and insects, which most people wouldn’t eat.

The upshot is that a world entirely without meat would require about one-third more cropland — and therefore, more energy-intensive fertilizer, pesticides and tractor fuel — to feed everyone, says Hannah van Zanten, a sustainable food systems researcher at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. But only if we’re talking about meat raised the right way, in the right amounts.

Livestock also bring other benefits. Meat provides balanced protein and other nutrients such as iron and vitamin B12 that are more difficult to get from a vegan diet, especially for poorer people who can’t always afford a variety of fresh vegetables and other nutritious foods, says Matin Qaim, an agricultural economist at the University of Bonn, Germany, who coauthored a look at the sustainability of meat consumption in the 2022 Annual Review of Resource Economics. Livestock, he notes, are the main source of wealth for many otherwise poor people in traditional pastoral cultures. And on small, mixed farms, animals that graze widely and then deposit their manure in the farmyard can help to concentrate nutrients for use as fertilizer in the family’s garden.

Moreover, many of the world’s natural grasslands have evolved in the presence of grazers, which play a key role in ecosystem function. Where those native grazers no longer dominate — think of the vanished bison from the American prairies, for example — domestic livestock can fill the same role. “Grasslands are disturbance-dependent,” says Sasha Gennet, who heads the sustainable grazing lands program for the Nature Conservancy. “Most of these systems evolved and adapted with grazing animals and fire. They can benefit from good livestock management practices. If you’re doing it right, and you’re doing it in the right places, you can have good outcomes for conservation.”

For all these reasons, some experts say, the world is better off with some meat and dairy than it would be with none at all — though clearly, a sustainable livestock system would have to be much different, and smaller, than the one we have today. But suppose we did it right? How much meat could the world eat sustainably? The answer, most studies suggest, may be enough to give meat-eaters some hope.

Looking at the whole plate

Interdisciplinary researcher Vaclav Smil of the University of Manitoba got the ball rolling in 2013 with a back-of-the-envelope calculation published in his book, Should We Eat Meat? Let’s assume, he reasoned, that we stop clearing forest for new pastureland, let 25 percent of existing pastures revert to forest or other natural vegetation and feed livestock as much as possible on forage, crop residues and other leftovers. After making those concessions to sustainability, Smil’s best guesstimate was that this “rational” meat production could yield about two-thirds as much meat as the world was producing at the time. Subsequent studies suggest that the real number might be a bit lower, but still enough to promise a significant place for meat on the world’s plate, even as the population continues to grow.

If so, there are several surprising implications. For one thing, the total amount of meat or dairy that could be produced in this way depends strongly on what else is on people’s plates, says van Zanten. If people eat a healthy, whole-grain diet, for example, they leave fewer milling residues than they would on a diet heavy in refined grains — so a world full of healthy eaters can support fewer livestock on its leftovers. And little choices matter a lot: If people get most of their cooking oil from canola, for example, they leave less nutritious meal for feed after pressing out the oil than if they get their oil from soy.

A second surprise is the nature of the meat itself. Sustainability experts typically encourage people to eat less beef and more pork and chicken, because the latter are more efficient at converting feed into animal protein. But in the “livestock on leftovers” scenario, the amount of pork and chicken that can be raised is limited by the availability of milling residues, food scraps and other food wastes. In contrast, cattle can graze on pasture, which shifts the livestock balance back somewhat toward beef, mutton and dairy products.

Much would have to change to make such a world possible, van Zanten notes. To maximize the flow of food wastes to pigs and chickens, for example, cities would need systems for collecting household wastes, sterilizing them and processing them for feed. Some Asian countries are well ahead on this already. “They have this whole infrastructure ready,” van Zanten says. “In Europe, we don’t.” And much of our current animal agriculture, based on grain-fed livestock in feedlots, would have to be abandoned, causing significant economic disruption.

Moreover, people in wealthy countries would have to get used to eating less meat than they currently do. If no human-edible crops were fed to livestock, van Zanten and her colleagues calculated, the world could only produce enough meat and dairy for everyone to eat around 20 grams of animal protein per day, enough for a three-ounce piece of meat or cheese (about the size of a deck of cards) each day. By comparison, the average North American now chows down on about 70 grams of animal protein a day — well above their protein requirement — and the average European on 51.

That’s a hefty reduction in meat — but it would bring significant environmental benefits. Because livestock would no longer eat feed crops, the world would need about a quarter less cropland than it uses today. That surplus cropland could be allowed to regrow into forest or other natural habitat, benefitting both biodiversity and carbon balance.

A “circular food economy” provides a way to sustainably include meat in the world’s diet. In this scenario, livestock eat no crops edible to people. Instead, they graze on grasslands and eat crop residues and food waste that people cannot or will not eat. Such a system would allow everyone in the world to eat a small serving of meat or other animal products a few times each week, researchers have calculated. Source: Adapted from H.H.E. Van Zanten et al. / Global Change Biology 2018 / Knowable Magazine

There’s another dimension to meat’s sustainability, though. The gut microbes that let grazing animals digest grasses and other human-inedible forage release methane in the process — and methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Indeed, methane from ruminants accounts for about 40 percent of all livestock-related greenhouse gas emissions. Animal scientists are working on ways to reduce the amount of methane produced by grazers (see box). At present, however, it remains a serious problem.

Paradoxically, raising cattle on grass — better for other dimensions of sustainability — makes this problem worse, because grass-fed cattle grow more slowly. Grass-fed Brazilian cattle, for example, take three to four years to reach slaughter weight, compared to 18 months for US cattle finished on grain in feedlots. And that’s not all: Because the grain-fed animals eat less roughage, their microbes also produce less methane each day. As a result, grass-fed beef — often viewed as the greener option — actually emits more methane, says Jason Clay, senior vice president of markets for the World Wildlife Fund-US.

Even so, raising livestock on leftovers and marginal grazing lands not suitable for crops eliminates the need to grow feed crops, with all their associated emissions, and there will be fewer livestock overall. As a result, greenhouse gas emissions may end up lower than today. For Europe, for example, van Zanten and her colleagues compared expected emissions from livestock raised on leftovers and marginal lands against those from animals fed a conventional grain-based diet. Livestock on leftovers would produce up to 31 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than the conventional approach, they calculated.

Most animal products generate more emissions of greenhouse gases than plant foods do. Grazers such as cattle, sheep or goats are the biggest emitters even after discounting the methane they produce. Pigs and, especially, chickens generate much smaller amounts of greenhouse gases for a given weight of meat. Adapted from M.C. Parlasca and M. Qaim / AR Resource Economics 2022 / Knowable Magazine

Some sustainability experts also argue that as long as grazing herds aren’t increasing, methane may be less of a worry than previously thought. Molecule for molecule, methane contributes about 80 times more warming than carbon dioxide does in the short term. However, CO₂ persists in the atmosphere for centuries, so newly emitted CO₂ always makes the climate crisis worse by adding to the stock of CO₂ in the atmosphere. In contrast, methane lasts only a decade or so in the atmosphere. If livestock levels remain constant over the span of decades, then the rate at which old methane washes out of the atmosphere will be about equal to the rate at which new methane is emitted, so there would be no additional burden on climate, says Qaim.

But with climate experts warning that the world may be fast approaching a climate tipping point, some experts say there’s good reason to reduce meat consumption well below what’s sustainable. Completely eliminating livestock, for example, would allow some of the land now devoted to feed crops and pastures to revert to native vegetation. Over 25 to 30 years of regrowth, this would tie up enough atmospheric CO₂ to completely offset a decade’s worth of global fossil fuel emissions, Matthew Hayek, an environmental scientist at New York University, and his colleagues reported in 2020. Add to that the rapid reduction in methane no longer emitted by livestock, and the gains become even more attractive.

“We need to be moving in the opposite direction than we are now,” says Hayek. “The things that are going to do that are aggressive, experimental, bold policies — not ones that try to marginally reduce meat consumption by 20 or even 50 percent.”

Editor’s note: This article was amended on August 19, 2022, to correct which scientist made the point that if livestock levels remained constant over decades, there would be no additional methane burden on climate. The correct attribution is Matin Qaim.

Knowable Magazine is an independent journalistic endeavor from Annual Reviews.

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13 Ways To Eat Healthy on a Budget, Say Dietitians — Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

Think it's impossible to eat healthy on a budget? Think again! While specialty grocery stores like Whole Foods make it seem like eating healthy is only meant for those with deep pockets, there are actually numerous clever ways to eat healthy meals when you're pinching pennies. All it takes is a good plan and a willingness to get creative.

From shopping in bulk to taking advantage of frozen and canned foods, here's how to cook up healthy meals on a budget, straight from registered dietitians who do it themselves. Then, for even more money-saving tips, check out our list of 13 Amazing Tricks for Saving Money at the Grocery Store, According to Employees.

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"Before you make a grocery list, make a list of what you already have in your pantry or fridge," says Caroline Thomason, RD, CDCES, a northern Virginia-based dietitian who helps women stop dieting. "Less food wasted means more money saved!"

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"Instead of buying canned beans or microwaveable rice, purchase them dried in bulk," says Kelsey Lorencz, RDN at Graciously Nourished. "You can easily make beans or rice in an Instant Pot or on the stove. One bag of dried beans costs the same as a can and makes four times as much.  Plus, you can control the amount of salt you use, keeping the sodium down."

"Shop at Costco, Sam's Club, or BJ's for bulk staple items like canned goods, rice, bread, pasta, and even meats and seafood to throw in your freezer," says Thomason. "You might have to spend a little more upfront, but you'll save in the long run."

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"Cooking more at home will save you lots of money, and lots of calories, sodium, and added sugar," says Lisa Young, PhD, RDN, author of Finally Full, Finally Slim, and member of our medical expert board. "Considerable research has found that home-cooked meals tend to be more nutritious than those we get when dining out."

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"Replacing meat with plant proteins is another way to save money and improve health," says Young. "Substituting red meat for chickpeas, lentils, nuts, and seeds a few times a week is a great way to save money and eat healthy. Plant protein sources are inexpensive, easy to prepare, and offer a lot in the way of nutrition. And a bonus, you'll get fiber which you would not get in meat."

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"There is a misconception that fresh produce is the only 'healthy' kind. But that's false," says Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, member of our medical expert board and author of *The Sports Nutrition Playbook. "*Frozen and canned fruits and veggies are picked at their peak ripeness and frozen or canned to preserve freshness. These types of products typically cost less, last longer, and ultimately help prevent food waste. They can be added to all kinds of entrees and side items to amp up your family's produce intake. Pro tip: try to purchase frozen and canned produce without sauces or added sodium."

Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LDN, CLEC, CPT, another member of our medical expert board, says she always keeps a bag of frozen broccoli in the freezer to quickly add to stir-fries, sheet pan dinners, and more. Plus, bags of frozen produce—like wild blueberries—are easy for smoothies and yogurt parfaits when you're in a pinch for time.

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"So many people waste food by not using their leftovers," says Goodson. "Even if your leftovers aren't enough to make a meal, make them an addition to a meal. Have some strips of beef leftover? Make quesadillas with whole wheat tortillas and mozzarella cheese. Have bottom-of-the-pot veggies left? Throw them into spaghetti sauce to amp up the nutrients of your pasta. Is your fruit on its last fresh leg? Blend it into a smoothie with milk and yogurt. Using what you have left can help you save at meal time."

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If you find yourself with more leftovers than you know what to do with, Thomason recommends designating a "plan-over" day where you simply clean out the fridge and get creative.

"Plan for leftovers by designating a day to clear out the fridge and 'make-do' with whatever is left," she says. "You'll save money by eating the leftovers rather than letting them go to waste."

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"Many varieties of grains can be an economical option that is packed with antioxidants, fiber, and even protein," says Manaker. "I love to cook a big pot of grains, like sorghum or quinoa, and use it as a base for a slew of healthy dishes throughout the week."

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"Eggs are an economical nutrient-packed food that is a great addition to any meal of the day," says Manaker. "Of course, eggs are a source of high-quality protein, but they also contain choline, iodine, vitamin B12, and many other nutrients. I love keeping eggs in my fridge for an easy and healthy protein source. When I have time, I hard boil half a dozen for a good-for-you grab-and-go option too."6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

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If you're someone who enjoys shopping at the farmer's market for all of that farm-fresh goodness, you could save by preserving in-season produce at peak ripeness to enjoy all year round, according to Lorencz.

"Buy produce when it's in season and freeze, dry, or can it to enjoy all year," she says. "Not only does buying in-season produce save money, but it also increases the nutritional value of the food when you can preserve it at peak ripeness. Bonus savings when you grow it yourself and preserve your harvest."

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"The importance of meal planning can't be overstated," says Lorencz. "Not only will you waste less food and save more money, but you'll save yourself from ordering takeout at the last minute because you have nothing to eat. Plan healthful meals that use the same few fresh foods to keep costs down. For example, buy a big head of lettuce to use in a salad one night, on a sandwich or burger the next night, and shredded in a burrito bowl later in the week."

Give it a go yourself with this One Full Week of Easy Meals You Can Make at Home.

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"When trying to save as much money as possible on groceries being flexible can pay off," says Maggie Michalczyk, RDN, founder of OnceUponAPumpkinRD.com, and recent author of The Great Big Pumpkin Cookbook. "Rather than planning your meals and then going grocery shopping, you may want to see what's on sale and plan your meals off of those items. This may require a little more creativity on your end but could be a great way to lower your grocery bill."

Here are 30 Simple Tricks to Make Your Produce Last Longer.

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"Nothing's worse than noticing something you just bought is already going bad before you even had a chance to use it," says Michalczyk. "Storing fruits, veggies, herbs, and proteins correctly is the easiest way to get the maximum life out of them. Plus cut down on food waste."

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