Last week I kicked some meal planning butt, expertly planning a host of healthy meals for Bruce and I that were simple, easy to prepare and cost effective. 

The true test, however, is what’s left in your refrigerator at the end of the week. And I’m pleased to say all that was left was a cucumber, a few stalks of celery, a yellow squash and about 6 carrots.  Today I juiced the cucumber, celery and most of the carrots. I’ll using the squash and remaining carrots in tomorrow night’s stir fry.

If I sound excited about this it’s because in the past we used to waste far too much food, throwing money away on food gone bad. I don’t know about you, but these days, for lots of reasons, wasting food simply isn’t an option.

But the ability to end the week with an empty frig is all about beginning with the end in mind.  In this case, creating a realistic meal plan for the week and shopping accordingly set the groundwork. And monitoring the plan during the week and keeping track of what we have and need to use up it part of the strategy too. In the end, my frig was empty because I bought LESS than I thought I’d need.  I made one quick trip to the store for a few items mid-week but that was it.

The buying less approach, coupled with some keen monitoring, payed off at week’s end much to the satisfaction of my pocketbook and conscience.

What do you do to ensure you don’t buy too much and end up wasting food?

Filed under: Food Shopping, Food preparation, Meal Planning