My number one easy way to help reduce food waste, save money, and make mealtime so much easier? Writing down a concrete plan for meals each week!Spinach 4 Breakfast's Top Tips to Reduce Waste

I’m going to share a secret :) It’s my number one easy way to help reduce food waste, save money, and make mealtime so much easier... It’s writing down a concrete plan for meals each week! 

I’ll walk you through my process. At some point over the weekend, usually on Saturdays, I’ll write down 3-4 meals I want to make for my family the following week. I pick only 3-4 because the reality is I am not going to cook every night. So those meals, plus a random creation and getting take-out once or twice get me through the week without over-estimating. I then make a list of the grocery items I need for those meals, plus my usual essentials. When I am grocery shopping I stick to the list! That way during the week I not only know what I am making for dinner which saves a ton of time, but I am actually using up all of the food I buy so none of it goes to waste. 

Usually, by the end of the week, I make a “clean-out-the-fridge meal,” to use up whatever is still hanging around. Sometimes those come out the best :)

I have a few other strategies that I have also been trying to incorporate to reduce the amount of food that gets thrown away in my own home.

Something else that I have recently started doing thanks to Too Good To Go, is purchasing surprise bags from some of my favorite cafes and restaurants nearby. I get some of my favorite baked goods, while also helping to prevent the food from being thrown away at the end of the day. It’s a win-win!

Saving food to help the plant really needs to be a team effort. We don’t have to be perfect, I am certainly not, but keeping these ideas at the forefront of my mind really does help me make better choices. 

Maria xo