At this point in the summer, we’re focused on the few remaining bright, sunny weekends and any relief from the humidity.
This weekend features neither. OK, maybe that’s an embellishment in the sun department, but we’re certai…
Massachusetts
Workweek wraps up with continued muggy and humid conditions
Meal prep tips: How to save time and money while eating better
We’ve all been there — you’re tired after a long day, you don’t know what you’re having for dinner, and you either grab the chips or start looking for the takeout menus.
There is a way to avoid this and have a week’s worth of meals ready to go.
Meal-prepping is a phenomenon sweeping through social media, with influencers serving up recipes and money-savings hacks. Prepping what you’re going to eat not only saves you time, but also saves you money on your grocery bill.
Blake Swanson is a content creator in Boston. Her meal-prepping involves getting ingredients ready ahead of time.
“I want my fridge to be like a Sweetgreen or a Cava,” said Swanson. “I just go in and like, ‘I want this green today, I want this vegetable, I want this protein, I want this sauce.’”
Every week, she spends a few hours a week chopping veggies, cooking proteins and planning out meals.
“Prepping a bunch of different things and having it ready to go means that I am getting through all of it. And I also try to plan out meals that have overlapping ingredients,” Swanson explained. “The amount I spend is sort of, like, expected. You anticipate how much you’re going to spend. I don’t have a bunch of things to throw away at the end of the week anymore, which makes my wallet feel better and makes me feel better sustainably.”
She isn’t the only one. More people are turning to social media platforms for tips and inspiration on how to simplify their meals, eat healthy and save money. Some options don’t involve you cooking at all.
One example is the Whole Foods’ paleo grilled salmon meal for a family of four. For $26.99, you get four salmon filets, sweet potatoes and green beans — a healthy meal for less than $7 a serving.
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You can also order catering from a big chain restaurant like Chipotle. Buy the food in bulk, portion it up and freeze it to eat it all week.
To maximize your meal-prepping, you must plan ahead. Consider buying what’s on sale at the grocery store that week. And don’t forget to shop your pantry — take inventory of what you already have on hand.
Making meals that have common ingredients is another way to reduce food waste and save money.
To avoid overspending at the grocery store, try the 6-to-1 method. Buy only six vegetables, five fruits, four proteins, three starches, two sauces or spreads, and one treat for yourself and create your meals from those ingredients.
Health experts say by planning and preparing meals in advance, families can avoid the temptation of unhealthy snacks and spending money on fast food or takeout.
“I think meal-prepping is a great way to get time back in your schedule and default to making that healthier choice for yourself, while still leaving opportunities to teach your kids about healthy eating as well and save some money,” said Lily Lichtenstein, a Registered Dietitian at Tufts Medical Center.
It’s a streamlined and cost-effective way to ensure your family eats well all week long.
“Especially if you work 9 to 5 and you have to figure out lunches and dinners for your kids and come back and have no time for yourself,” Swanson said. “Having something ready to go that you don’t need to think about so much — it’s so much more attainable and realistic for a lot of people.”
No one embodies the US’ ties to France better than this homme
As the U.S. competes against France during the Paris Olympics, there was a time when we fought for the same cause, on American soil.
And we met a man who embodies the connections Boston has with France: the Marquis de Lafayette, a key ally of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
We went to the city’s Freedom Trail to hear from the man himself — watch the marquis tell you his full story in the video atop atop this story.
Harvard grad Liam Corrigan helps propel Team USA to rowing gold
A New England native has struck gold in Paris!
Liam Corrigan, who is from Connecticut, helped his men’s four rowing team break a long gold medal drought at the Olympics Thursday morning. Watch the full replay here.
This is the first time the U.S. men’s four rowing team – this one made up of Corrigan, Michael Grady, Nick Mead, and Justin Best – has won gold at the Olympics since 1960, and although the sport has grown since then, this gold medal is expected to give it a boost.
Rowers practicing on the Charles River in Boston were thrilled by the news.
“I told some of my kids earlier today that the US had just won gold and they all got really excited and it kind of brought up the energy,” said Abby McLeod, coach at Community Rowing, Inc.
“I was really excited because I know that that boat class is a hard one for the US.”
Corrigan, a Harvard alum, rowed on the same river. He was among the winning quartet.
“I literally didn’t quite believe that that was happening,” he said of the win.
Corrigan and his teammates completed Thursday’s 200-meter men’s four rowing final, holding off New Zealand by less than a second to clinch gold.
“New Zealand had a good push maybe about 400 or 500 meters to go. I was a little concerned they would come through us. We held them off and then I think you know more or less held the margin from last 200 meters, which is great,” Corrigan said.
Ted Benford is the executive director at Community Rowing in Brighton, one of only three training centers for the National Team in the country.
“This is the reward for just their continued cohesion and their determination to perform at the highest most public level possible,” he said.
Benford has seen the highest level of athlete at his facility.
“We’ve had athletes training for Paris coming to CRI working locally in Boston training here with U.S. National coaches.”
And although Corrigan did not train at CRI, his connections to the region make him a figure to look up to in the rowing community.
“This might catch fire you know we’re teaching 7,500 kids a year the sport of rowing,” Benford said. “Liam is a pretty good inspiration for kids if they wanna know a local guy who’s been in the sport of wild and has achieved it at the highest level.”
There are still more medals to be won. Both men and women’s rowing pair, plus women’s double sculls finals, start early Friday morning.
Mass. House leaders say legislative achievements still likely after long session
Before heading home to sleep, bleary-eyed House Speaker Ron Mariano and Majority Leader Mike Moran emerged from breakfast at a Beacon Hill restaurant Thursday morning, expressing their willingness to tackle closely watched provisions in the scrap…
