Since the week i finally organized our ref, i have been able to make an inventory of all the perishables we have and have gotten around to using up the still edible ones at each meal, an example: couscous bought in cdo MANY years ago.
i found some printable meal planners and freezer/pantry inventory forms after some online research. Thinking about my own experience, it is so much easier to plan meals before buying your ingredients. i have a freezer full of stuff right now so the last 2 weeks of meals had to be designed around what i already have and it was kinda difficult to get creative because i had to limit myself with what was on hand.
so, to avoid this time-consuming problem, i have started mapping out our meals for the month of october. then, i will break them down weekly so i can make a list of things i need to buy for the week or the day i plan to cook a certain recipe.
to keep meals interesting, i scanned for new but easy to prepare dishes in the food magazines i bought [finally!] and the recipes i came across with online. then i wrote them all down in my monthly menu planner, 1 recipe per day.
having concretely planned our meals for two weeks now, i've successfully avoided any food wastage. to be honest, i did not follow the plan to the letter because i had to make room for left-overs and the times when we dined-out. but i find this okay because it's ridiculous to strictly follow it. the planners are just to be used as a guide. when i have to skip over a recipe, i simply use it on the next meal plan. i also sometimes switched-up menus depending on which ingredients must be used first. like if my tomatoes all ripened at the same time, then i prepared the recipes which needed them first.
and i don't work myself up over if i feel too tired to cook. i simply order for take-out or delivery. the only rule i strictly adhere to is when it involves spoilage of food or available ingredients. no newly cooked meals when there are enough left-overs, no dining out or ordering in if there are wilting veggies in the crisper.
this new practice has proven effective for the past two weeks but the hubby is arriving tomorrow and i might need to tweak my plans a bit.
go check out the printable forms here and if you're the type who does NOT like keeping it simple, click here.
some tips:
- to avoid too many left-overs, plan only for 1 main meal per day, if the need arises, you can use the menu you skipped over or jump ahead to the next day's.
- ensure proper nutrition by keeping a container of salad greens to pair with vegetable-less main meals
- try to keep pork/beef recipes at a maximum of 2 to 3 per week, chicken and seafood at an equal number.
- keep rest days from cooking at a maximum of once or twice a week, ordering in or dining out can put a serious dent on your budget.
- keep breakfast staples on hand: bread, jams, cereals, oatmeal, eggs, left-over rice, pre-marinated meat [if possible make your own to avoid buying processed meats and ready-to-cook options which have too much salt and preservatives in them]
