Save time and money whilst still eating healthy

Spud ambassador Chris Tse is a busy man. Today, he’s sharing with us how he’s managed to save time and money whilst still eating healthy:

Life has been a bit busy for me to say the least. I’m living my dream, well I should say dreams because I have so many goals that I want to accomplish in my life and the opportunities to accomplish them all seem to be converging in my early 30’s. I’m an owner at Blitz Conditioning (blitzconditioning.com), I just started a second company called Tse Social Strategy (christse.ca), I’m an avid runner with many race goals, I’m a columnist on CBC Radio, and I’ve taken on photography as a hobby. I love being creative and I love to help others; I believe that all my endeavors are outlets or tools to fully immerse myself in those two goals.

I’ll be the first to admit that many times my organization in the nutrition department has been lacking over the years. I love cooking but I run into a few challenges:

1. Sourcing great nutrition: with work, training, and life I have always had a problem finding time to shop for groceries. I’ve tried so many tricks: running between appointments and keeping a cooler in my car, squeezing time right before the grocery stores close… the list goes on. I just keep missing the mark.
2. I’m cooking for one: I batch cook all of my meals, so I’ve always had the perception that I need to buy things from Cost-co or large chain grocery stores to really get my biggest bang for the buck. I do want to be environmentally conscious about my consumption choices but it’s a balance between finances and amount of food I eat.
3. Cost: I eat a lot. I eat a minimum of six meals a day. So I do prefer to have a fine balance between something that is nutritious and cost effective. On weeks that I’m on par with meal planning I’m able to pre-cook and pack a majority of these meals. On bad weeks, I’m running to the grocery store or some food joint.

My food costs can be quite a lot if I’m not careful; upwards of $200 to $250 if I factor in eating out with friends once or twice. Yes that’s for one athlete, not a family, so just let that sink in.

I decided to start ordering from Spud more for convenience. If I can save a two hour round trip to the grocery store for a few dollars more it’s a win in my books. I factor in my time as if I’m getting paid to go grab groceries so ultimately what I thought was an initial increase in price was actually freeing up two hours of my week to do other things. This could be two potential training sessions, two meetings, a long run, or just simply more time with friends and family. Two hours a week is a lot.

What was surprising to me is after looking over my budget after the past few months of ordering and I’m actually saving money too. I find online shopping allows me to menu plan at the same time, so I can create meals according to deals and specials available. I’m saving around $100 per month on groceries and also Spud allows me to vary the dishes on a weekly basis. I have also been able to keep our studios stocked with fresh fruits for our community so they can enjoy something healthy after their workouts so it’s an added advantage!

I’ll admit, I was not very conscientious about where my produce comes from before but Spud’s primary goal is sustainable produce. I can tell which farms my food comes from, their proximity to my location, and enjoy the fact that there is a seamless interaction between the producers and myself.  Spud claims that “the average grocery product in Canada travels 2500 kilometers from where it is grown or processed to reach its final point of sale.” From their tracking system I’ve managed to reduce the average of my produce’s travel to 801 kilometers in two months; so even with the delivery I’m still reducing the carbon footprint.

I’m definitely a convert when it comes to Spud. I’ve recommended it to so many of my friends and family because of the time savings and highly nutritious food it has added to my life!

Chris Tse is a health enthusiast, Spud ambassador,  owner of

Blitz Conditioning and founder of Tse Social Strategy. His favorite indulgence

His favorite indulgence is chips and peanut butter is a must-have on his shopping list.

a must-have on his shopping list.