Meal planning
What would you do with $54 billion dollars?
The average food waste, per year, in the United States, is $54bn!
So why is so much food wasted?
What can we do about it?
It's
the weekend... time to plan meals
Planning meals, each week, can make the act of going shopping so much easier, and reduce the stress of 'What shall I buy?'
Having written the shopping list, (which is easy to write whilst planning the meals) you can walk about the grocery store collecting exactly what you need, rather than being lured into buying items you do not need, which end up being thrown away later in the week.
The average American, as the 'Good' video below shows, wastes half a pound (0.22kg) of food every day but through wise meal planning, and shopping with intention, you will reduce the likelihood of being one of them!
Meals do not have to be lengthy recipes
Simply planning for a vegetable stir-fry, or boiled eggs, for your evening meal, can make your work day a lot less stressful.
Don't shop when hungry and never without a list!
Remember, to avoid going shopping when hungry. One study, by Max Sutherland, showed that "resistance to temptation is generally improved by making decisions well in advance." Hence my suggestion of meal planning and taking a shopping list, as theoretically it will prevent you stocking up on high sugar goodies!
A shopping list is every supermarket/store managers worst nightmare. Shopping with a list means you are directed, focussed and far less likely to slow down, wander and ending up spending money you didn't intend to.
Many people have telephones that beep messages, or reminders, so why not programme a 'what's for dinner reminder' thus you know to think before the stress at 8pm when you get home and find the fridge is bare!
Planning for meals reduces food waste.
The fridge can become an organised 'filing cabinet' and meals can become a time to look forward to. Left over roast vegetables can, easily, combine with a tin of tomatoes or coconut milk, to make tomato vegetable soup or vegetable curry! Cooks make it look easy but through planning, eating well can be easy.
Plan or mindmap your food
What can a roast of grass-fed beef become, later on in the week?
- Sandwiches for lunch
- Rissoles (mashed potatoes & remaining beef, food processed with onions & garlic)
- Hearty beef & tomato soup
Have
staple items in you store cupboard
- Onions, garlic, dried herbs, tomatoes (in either jars, or if needs be, cans) and spices such as tumeric, ground cumin and garam masala. These will perk up left-overs!
- It is amazing what you can create by frying an onion & adding some garlic just before serving. Even simple chicken stock gets exciting, or left over vegetables with a fried onion means you have pasta sauce, just add frozen tomatoes & the best chef would be happy!
It is okay to repeat meals
- If you plan to eat Shepherd's Pie one day, why not make extra mince/ground beef and enjoy lasagne another night?
- Use the freezer as a tool, not a dumping ground.
- Roast chicken can become chicken casserole with the left-overs, or even chicken rissoles.
- Extra soup, chilled in the refridgerator will be just as yummy the next night! Add some grated cheese on top, or some dried herbs, to make it look appetising.
Be realistic
& start slowly!
80% good : 20% not so good.
- Start slowly with planning meals, and be kind to yourself. If you are new at this, be of beginners mind. Be open and understand that starting anything new takes time to master.
- There is no-one that gets it right all the time.
- Eat traffic light vegetables; red, green & orange- coloured vegetables, they add variety & interest to your plate.
- "Eating out is a huge cost not only financially but nutritionally." Anne Sergeant, PhD
- When you are less busy, make extra for the freezer, rainy days are great for have a big cook day!
Eat in season and look at the weather
- Local vegetables, depending on where you live, are best, certainly than an organic carrot with jet-lag.
- Eating in season means we (in the Northern Hemisphere!) will eat root vegetables and rich stews to keep us warm in winter. Salads are more for Summer, so shop accordingly.
- Find out if anyone else in your area wants to club together to buy a whole side of a grass-fed lamb, pig or cow, direct from the farmer. Farmer direct cuts out the middle man and gives the money to the person doing the hard work!
- If you have storage space, buying in bulk can save money.
- Winter is a time of stews, soups, broths, roast vegetables and warming curries. Not sure of a recipe, why not check your local library?
- Plan to have slow cooked/crock pot foods in Winter and quick & easy salads in Summer.
Don't waste
money on cheap food!
- Ask why boxed goods & cereals are at the end of the supermarket aisle? To make you buy them! The cereal industry in the UK is a multi-billion £ industry!
- Ask yourself what quality is in the box that is 'Buy one - get one free'?
- Porridge is far cheaper than boxed breakfast cereals, it is however more nutritionally rich. It provides vitamin B1, manganese & all manner of beneficial nutrients. Soaked overnight in water, with a squeeze of lemon, it is more easily digested!
I think it was Oscar Wilde who said "I can resist everything except temptation."
Let's start meal planning today!
©Actual Organics 2009