Greetings everybody,
If you have read my blog for any length of time you already know how I feel about wasting food!
I really believe that the more organized that you can be in your kitchen, the less food you will waste. I also think that you need to eat down your pantry and your freezer to use what you have already purchased and not just keep on buying more and more food.
I have a system to do just that.
To start with, I have a freezer log. I will make that the subject of a separate post but for today, it is enough to know that I have one.
I also have this nifty little pad that I purchased at Michaels craft stores years ago. It is divided up by days and each sheet shows one full week and I believe the pad contains 52 sheets, so enough for a full year. The best part was it was a whopping $1.50! There is also room on the side to note things like groceries needed, etc. This pad lives on the front of my refrigerator. Now, this is a personal thing, but I am not a fan of having a fridge covered in stuff. I know that most people put all sorts of things on their fridge doors but it is just not for me. I have two things on the door .... my menu pad and a magnet I recently purchased at a wonderful little store in a town close to me. Again, for myself, I am not a fan of fridge magnets but I do keep one of them there to hold my grocery list since I add to it throughout the week before I shop. When I saw this one, I simply could not resist. :)
Now, back to the menu pad. It really does not matter if you use a menu pad or a simple piece of paper, the principle is the same.
If you keep a freezer log, have a look at it to see what you have in there. If you do not, then just open up the door and look inside. Then decide what you are going to have each day. I really enjoy this particular task because I absolutely love to cook. I make up my menus on Sundays for the coming week. Once you have decided on the protein part (chicken, fish, etc.), then go into your larder or pantry and refrigerator and have a good look at what you have in there. Is there veg that needs eating up? Do you have a bag of potatoes on the verge of sprouting? You get the idea.
I make a note on each day of what the recipe is that I am using and where to find it. I read through the recipe carefully and look to see if I have everything needed and make a note on the grocery list for any missing ingredients. I very often will substitute ingredients if I have something on hand that I want to use up.
When I have finished with the weeks menus I will also have a start of the grocery list for the week. That gets stuck on the fridge under my one cutie magnet. :) As the week progresses, I will add things to the list as needed. My aim is to only have to shop once during the week as I live almost a half hour from a grocery store. The last thing I do before shopping is to have a look at the grocery store flyer to see if I want anything else that is hopefully on sale. :)
The huge benefit of making up your weekly menus is in the morning I simply have a quick glance at the list and take out of the freezer whatever is called for on that day. There is never the "oh my, what are we going to eat for dinner tonight?" panic that can often occur. This is especially true for those whose job has them getting home late and then they still have to scramble to get dinner on the table.
Give it a go and let me know how you get on. Thanks a lot for visiting today. Cheers.
If you have read my blog for any length of time you already know how I feel about wasting food!
I really believe that the more organized that you can be in your kitchen, the less food you will waste. I also think that you need to eat down your pantry and your freezer to use what you have already purchased and not just keep on buying more and more food.
I have a system to do just that.
To start with, I have a freezer log. I will make that the subject of a separate post but for today, it is enough to know that I have one.
I also have this nifty little pad that I purchased at Michaels craft stores years ago. It is divided up by days and each sheet shows one full week and I believe the pad contains 52 sheets, so enough for a full year. The best part was it was a whopping $1.50! There is also room on the side to note things like groceries needed, etc. This pad lives on the front of my refrigerator. Now, this is a personal thing, but I am not a fan of having a fridge covered in stuff. I know that most people put all sorts of things on their fridge doors but it is just not for me. I have two things on the door .... my menu pad and a magnet I recently purchased at a wonderful little store in a town close to me. Again, for myself, I am not a fan of fridge magnets but I do keep one of them there to hold my grocery list since I add to it throughout the week before I shop. When I saw this one, I simply could not resist. :)
Now, back to the menu pad. It really does not matter if you use a menu pad or a simple piece of paper, the principle is the same.
If you keep a freezer log, have a look at it to see what you have in there. If you do not, then just open up the door and look inside. Then decide what you are going to have each day. I really enjoy this particular task because I absolutely love to cook. I make up my menus on Sundays for the coming week. Once you have decided on the protein part (chicken, fish, etc.), then go into your larder or pantry and refrigerator and have a good look at what you have in there. Is there veg that needs eating up? Do you have a bag of potatoes on the verge of sprouting? You get the idea.
I make a note on each day of what the recipe is that I am using and where to find it. I read through the recipe carefully and look to see if I have everything needed and make a note on the grocery list for any missing ingredients. I very often will substitute ingredients if I have something on hand that I want to use up.
When I have finished with the weeks menus I will also have a start of the grocery list for the week. That gets stuck on the fridge under my one cutie magnet. :) As the week progresses, I will add things to the list as needed. My aim is to only have to shop once during the week as I live almost a half hour from a grocery store. The last thing I do before shopping is to have a look at the grocery store flyer to see if I want anything else that is hopefully on sale. :)
The huge benefit of making up your weekly menus is in the morning I simply have a quick glance at the list and take out of the freezer whatever is called for on that day. There is never the "oh my, what are we going to eat for dinner tonight?" panic that can often occur. This is especially true for those whose job has them getting home late and then they still have to scramble to get dinner on the table.
Give it a go and let me know how you get on. Thanks a lot for visiting today. Cheers.
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