Sundays are the day when I like to get busy in the kitchen and do some food prep for the week.

I’ve got it down to a science where I spend about an hour getting ready for the week – everything from chopping veggies to marinating chicken. This usually includes making some kind of healthy whole grain. This time, I made a pot of brown rice that we’ll use with several different dishes this week. The thing I notice, however, is that sometimes we end up wasting the rice, despite our best intentions.

Brown rice really only has a shelf life of about 5 days. Beyond that it can start to go bad, and trust me, it’s no picnic opening one of those containers that’s been sitting around awhile. 

But here’s a super simple tip: make a batch, put aside what you’ll need for the next few days and freeze the rest.

On Sunday, I froze two containers of brown rice in a few single serving containers. That way we can use what we need this week and then we simply have to thaw it out for future weeks. So an investment of 45 minutes while it’s cooking can yield results that are far longer lasting and more economical.

What do you do to help you prep food and prevent waste?

I’ll be sharing more of my tips and strategies to plan healthy meals and save plenty of money during my upcoming meal planning class that starts on October 22. Plan to join us and sign up for a free preview class on Thursday, October 16 to learn more details.

Filed under: Food preparation, Grains, Meal Planning