Plan your meals

To Cut Food Waste, Change the Way You Plan Your Meals

Meal planning is simply making a plan of what you’re going to eat the whole week including your dine-outs. Meal planning will not only help you reduce food waste but you’ll eat more nutritious food, save your time and energy. By planning your meals you’ll save your time as you’ll not visit grocery stores regularly. Hitting the grocery store for a few ingredients multiple times in a week not wastes your time but also increases your budget. Random wandering in stores will fill your cart with unessential products which will not only cost you but also triggers the process of food waste. 

To simplify it for you, meal planning is the three steps:

  • Decide your dinners and find their recipes in advance
  • Shop for ingredients in advance
  • Cook those ingredients

Start from Fridays- Start planning your daily meals on Friday. This includes asking the family what they’ll like to eat the whole week and finding recipes (if needed). On Saturdays shop those ingredients. Before hitting the grocery store look into your refrigerators to find what is available and whatnot. This will save you money and food waste. Once you’re done with shopping the next thing is cooking all those planned meals. On Sunday take an hour or two and cook meals for a whole week.

While meal planning saves many problems, you have to tailor it according to needs. There are some concepts about meal planning that aren’t true and holding you from enjoying the benefits of meal planning.

Here we are highlighting hearsays about meal planning that aren’t true

  • When it comes to meal planning people often find it overwhelming. They think of a big tabbed binder with meals for a whole month. Well, this is a false concept. Just write your 7 daily meals on a paper stick it to the fridge or somewhere else. 
  • Meal planning doesn’t mean that you’ll miss the chance to dine-out. In fact, we’re a big fan of dining out. Plan your dine-outs in advance and don’t cook at home on that day to reduce food waste and save your time
  • Meal planning is not only for four families. Every family has to tailor meal planning according to their needs 
  • Meal planning isn’t expensive at all. When done properly it will save you money.
  • Meal planning isn’t intractable. There’s enough room for experimentations and quick trials.

Benefits of meal planning

Whether you’re trying to eat healthy, saving your time, or reducing food waste meal planning has numerous benefits. Let’s have a look at these benefits

  • You’ll learn portion control

By planning your meals you’re doing a conscious effort to control your portions. This will prevent you from overeating at restaurants or at cafes during working hours.

  • You’ll eat healthy food

We often rush to fast food whenever we feel hungry or our blood sugar drops. By planning your meals you’ll always have something cooked in your refrigerator or bag. Instead of eating unhealthy food eat that cooked meal you’ve available. 

  • You’ll save time

Feeling hungry and realizing you’ve nothing available increases your hunger and stress. Instead of deciding and then cooking when you’re hungry cook your meals before time to save time. 

  • You’ll reduce food waste

When you adopt a meal planning strategy, you hit grocery stores with a list and know how you’re going to use all those ingredients. When every ingredient is going to be used, you’ll free yourself from food waste stress. Whether you’re a family of one or four planning your meals in advance is worth the effort.

 

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