Hi friends, and thanks for stopping by to read how I keep eating healthy while housesitting.
And of course, this could also be my guide to eating healthy anytime, whether I’m housesitting or not.
A little background is that I decided to become a housesitter after retiring, and I’m pretty much doing this full time. Mostly to save money on housing costs. I can’t afford to be a renter or homeowner in Canada, but I can afford to housesit in Canada.
What do I do for groceries? And with the price of food going up and up all the time – Yikes!
But, hello…
Food is a lot cheaper in England and in many places in Europe. There are so many different things to try, especially when I cruise down the cookie or bakery aisle. My weakness!
I go with the old guideline of eating healthy at least 80% of the time.
Food foraging
As a full-time housesitter travelling to distant locations without a car it can be challenging to arrive at a new house to find the fridge and cupboards empty of even the most basic items.
Even when there is food, some homeowners don’t want the housesitter eating it.
Many homeowners tell me to use up any fruit and vegetables before they go bad. Some even ask me what foods I like to eat and they stock up before I arrive. Often when I arrive, the homeowners will point out foods in the freezer and cupboards that I might like to eat.
Generally one of the first things I do when I arrive at a housesit is go to the grocery store. That means walking. If the owners have a bike I can ride, I cycle over wearing my backpack.
I’ve only had one housesit where the nearest grocery store was too far to walk to. In that instance the homeowner did take me grocery shopping before leaving on vacation. And I figured out the bus routes to get to the grocery store.
Shopping list
When I head to the grocery store my shopping list looks something like this:
- Oatmeal
- Yogurt
- Almond milk
- Grapes
- Bananas
- Apples
- Salad
- Veggie patties
- Applesauce
- Crackers
- Soup
- Pasta
Looks healthy enough, right? And even though I put pasta on the list, I rarely buy it.
It’s the things you don’t see on the list that might not be so healthy! I like to check out the sweet treats and if there is a good deal on something tasty, it’ll probably hit the shopping cart.
And when I say good deal, the grocery prices in England are lower than groceries in North America, so it all looks like good prices to me.
I spotted these strawberries at a small farmer’s market for £2 and bought them. And yes, they were as delicious as they look.
Condiments and dry goods
What about things like salt and pepper and cooking oil? I don’t buy them. If the owner has them in the cupboard, I’ll use them.
I was happy to see one homeowner had chia seeds in their cupboard so I made my strawberry chia yogurt.
I’m always happy to see peanut butter in the cupboard so I can make a chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie.
One day in the Asda grocery store I saw a nutella like spread with salted caramel flavor. I should have bought it! The next time I was in the store I couldn’t find it. Instead I bought a jar of a chocolate hazelnut spread that had white chocolate swirled in it. It was on sale, price match with a competing grocery store, so I bought it.
Later on I remembered I’d seen the salted caramel spread in the vegan section of the grocery store, so I bought it on my next visit.
The verdict? The first one is better than the salted caramel.
What do I use them for seeing as how I rarely eat bread or make toast? This is my peanut butter substitute in smoothies and overnight oats. Just to jazz things up a bit.
I often leave behind unused groceries for the homeowners to eat, so the salted caramel chocolate spread is probably not leaving with me.
Most homeowners don’t mind if the housesitters drink their tea and coffee. Generally I buy my own tea as there are many varieties available in England. I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I spotted this peppermint Aero instant mocha and bought it. Tastes great iced!
Meals
Most of my meals are pretty simple. Breakfast is oatmeal. On cold days, I cook it and then top it with yogurt, applesauce, and nuts if I have any. Most of the time I make overnight oats in the fridge.
Lunch and dinner can be interchangeable. I might make a smoothie, but more than likely I’m having salad. I buy a bag of spinach or a bag of mixed salad. Sometimes I’ll buy a container of a prepared salad like coleslaw or potato salad. In England I’m enjoying veggie patties and veggie sausage rolls that take a minute or so to heat up in the microwave.
Dessert? If I broke down and bought a cake, tarts, or cookies, that’s what I’m eating!
Snacks? Where I’m currently housesitting they left M&Ms and other chocolates for me to gobble down.
My downfall!
On a healthier note, they also have popcorn that I’ve popped a few times. I’m not against buying popcorn, but that would definitely be a food item I’d leave behind for the homeowners. The last thing I need is for the bag to break open in transit and to have popcorn scattered around the contents of my suitcase.
Grocery hauls
I have a couple of videos up on YouTube with my grocery hauls while housesitting in London, England.
Click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Limit snacks
Well I’m sure we all have a lifetime of hearing that we should limit snacks to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
If I don’t buy them and keep them in the house where I’m sitting, then I can’t eat them. Right?
If I’m craving something sweet, I’ll go out and buy it. Whether it’s a donut or an ice cream. That way I will just buy one and it costs much money than buying a pack of a dozen donuts or a carton of ice cream at the grocery store.
I can save money and buy the junk food at the grocery store to have it on hand where I’m housesitting. Or I can save calories and only buy the snacks when I’m craving them and have to go out and buy from a cafe.
And just exactly where was the ice cream truck when the temperatures hit over 30C yesterday? Not coming down the street where I was housesitting, that’s for sure! I would have been a willing customer if I’d heard it.
It’s hard, but I’m always trying to remember the eating healthy 80% of the time rule!
How about you? If you have any tips to add, please drop a line in the comment section.
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on August 13, 2024.
