I have a lot of goals for the new year, but this one stands out the most for me. What do I mean by not wasting food? Well, for starters this doesn't mean cleaning my plate even if I'm full. This means, buying fewer groceries, eating what we already have and preparing smaller portions.
In 2009 it's sad to say I threw a lot of food away. I'd go to the store and stock up on fruits and vegetables only to store them away in the bin of doom at the bottom of the refrigerator to be found two weeks later in very bad shape. Why did this happen? I bought too much, I couldn't see it and therefore forgot about it, and I wasn't organized with my meal planning.
I love to cook, but I get so excited at the store and buy enough for weeks of recipes and end up wasting so much. It's just me and Josh, how much can we possibly eat? So my plan is to create weekly menus. Every Sunday I will sit down and inventory what we have on hand and create a menu based on what I want to make for the week. I will use recipes and create grocery lists based on what can be eaten that week.
I needed a spreadsheet to meet all of my goals. Something I could easily print out, fill out and put up on the refrigerator. I'm really pleased with the result and have it for sale in my etsy shop! It is $1.75 and can be printed as many times as you need! Click here for more details.
hello there. i myself have been to make myself healthy by the end of 2010… today i am going to buy carrots and i am going to throw out my junk crap food. whhoo. this outta be exciting. well good luck to the both of us
i know how you feel. good luck to the both of us
The weekly menu plan is “sold out” on your etsy shop. It’s a really great idea & you did a great job creating it. My husband and I have a problem with waste, too, and we already discussed getting better at a) buying less food, b) eating the food we buy, and c) buying healthier and more organic foods (which should be possible since we’ll be saving money by buying less).
I want one!
I’d like one too, as soon as it shows up as being available for purchase again!
I had that same thought today myself. We have started recycling and that is a little hard since our pooch likes to play in our bins…but we are committed. The next thing is to quit buying so much food and letting it go to waste. I am used to buying in large quantities for a family of 4 but now there is 2. Lorrie I like your planner and the idea of planning meals prior to going shopping! Fresh veggies will last a few days in the fridge not a few weeks.
This is just brilliant! I’m the worst about buying fresh produce and it goes yucky:( Not good! Thank you for sharing!
I just added more to my shop
I forgot to update my quantities!
I am actually pretty good about this. I hate wasting food. If I know something is going to go bad before I can eat it I will make a recipe that I can freeze using the foods I need to use up. I usually take these for a quick and easy lunch when I haven’t planned properly. When I was home for Christmas I joked with my mom telling her “I wish I had the disposable income she did to waste on fruits, veggies, and other foods.” She laugh and told me she knows she needs to work on it. Good luck to you!
I do this too, but I usually buy the stuff and then end up eating out a few days and the produce goes bad. So I challenged myself (along with some other bloggers and WW community people) to go the entire month of January and not eat out at all. Its going great so far and I have used up all my produce I bought last weekend except for the beets. Im excited to have found your blog and I wish you the best of luck this year with your weight loss efforts!!
I love the idea. Meal planning is so important in weight maintenance. Keep up the good work. I also find buying a few times a week rather then once a week keeps me on track with including fresh food too. Each to their own though.
great article
Hi. I have stumbled upon your blog and would love to have the weekly planning chart, but when I went to your etsy shop it was sold out. Do you plan to sell more?
Thanks for your time,
Jen
Oh how I hate throwing out food! Sadly I am not a big fan of freezing stuff either – I just never get around to using it before it turns into a giant ice cube! The result is that I end up going to the grocery 3-4 times a week and only buying the next few meals worth. It gets old, but it keeps the waste down. Good luck, this is a great goal!
im a fan of not wasting food either. you would be surprised at how much homemade veggie broth you can make at home ( low sodium and low fat ) with just all the scraps from cooked veggies. at my house we eat lots of fresh veggies and what doesnt get eaten goes in a freezer bag and every couple of weeks or so, voila! veggie broth!
I love weekely meal plans. I have been doing that for a good 6 months now and it keeps you from wasting food and also from spending too much money!
What a wonderful idea! I should add stop wasting food to my resolutions.
OMG…I do the very same thing and I thought it was just me! Good luck with your planning. I have tried it successfully on and off, but like dieting, I always fall off the wagon. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!
Happy New Year!
I waste a lot of food that way, too. I live alone, and always end up buying way too much.
Pilates is all about the nuances. Take your time and really try to listen to the technique instructions. It is such a civilized way to exercise. I really started to see real results after 60 days but I fell off the wagon over the holidays. Today I attended my second Pilates session for the week. It is tough but you will feel energized afterwards. Don’t hurt yourself. It is all about respecting what your body can do at the time.
Best of Luck!
(sorry for the rambling, pilates is my thing right now so I got a little preachy
)
Denise Burks
http://www.successinthesuburbs.blogspot.com
This is such a great idea, I’m vowing to do it, too. I hate thinking about the huge quantities of food we managed to throw away, often without ever being opened, last year! Your planner looks amazing