Food Waste and Meal Planning

I'm feeling very organized and on the ball today!  Could have something to do with the fact that I actually had a night off last night, and none of my kids woke up during the night (which is nothing short of a miracle around here).

We failed miserably with the food waste this week.  No pictures as I just tossed stuff throughout the week as I found it, but we had some fresh parsley and cilantro, some small amounts of leftovers, a bag of bagels that I pulled out of the freezer that just didn't taste quite right, and some strawberries that went bad WAY too quickly.

This will be a MUCH better week I'm sure.

Our meal plan this week is pretty basic.  I'm mainly working with what's on hand with the addition of some fresh produce and dairy.  Tonight's meal is a bit more elaborate since Nick and I are doing at-home date night.

Friday
Butter chicken
Curried chickpeas
Beef vindaloo
Basmati rice
Naan

Saturday
Salmon croquettes
Lemon pepper rice
Asparagus/broccoli

Sunday
Parmesan chicken
Buttered penne
Green salad

Monday
Chow mein

Tuesday
Red beans & rice
Cucumber salad

Wednesday
Penne w/ vodka sauce and shrimp
Caesar salad

Thursday
Vegetable soup
Cheese paninis

Food Waste & Meal Planning

Running a day behind... it was my sister's birthday yesterday and we went over to her house to celebrate which involved a chaotic day of trying to organize everyone while I attempted to get work done, and then much shuffling of kids to grandparents.  We had fun though!

No food waste picture this week, but we did throw out a couple of slices of salami that went green, and some blueberries.  I need to get better at baking with the blueberries when I first buy them so that they don't go off before we have a chance to use them.

Saturday

Burgers
Fries
Baked beans
Cut up veggies


Sunday (my family is coming over for late lunch, so we'll eat the leftovers for dinner):
Buttermilk fried chicken
Potato salad (My mom is bringing)
Green salad with ranch dressing
Watermelon
Chocolate cake

Monday
Souvlaki pork chops
Grilled peppers
Naan w/ tzatziki

Tuesday
Pancakes / toast
Sausages
Eggs
Roasted tomatoes

Wednesday
Apricot lime glazed chicken breasts
Cilantro lime rice
Salad

Thursday
Spaghetti and meatballs
Focaccia bread
Caesar salad

Food Waste & Meal Planning

I have been a long time reader of The Frugal Girl and I love her Food Waste Friday.  Food waste can creep up on you quickly and eat up a large amount of your grocery cash flow if you're not careful, especially when you have young kids.  I swear some days my kids refuse to eat what's in the fridge just because they can.  If you want a more in-dept read about food waste you should check out Jonathan Bloom over at Wasted Food.

Surprisingly this week we have zero food waste, assuming that we use up a few things today.  I have some sugar snap peas that are about to go off (I actually didn't even buy these, they were given to me by my mom).  And there is about 1/4 can of pineapple tidbits that need to be used up, I might make pizza bagels for lunch to use those up.

Now to the fun stuff - meal planning!  I have a love/hate relationship with it.  Some weeks I feel inspired, others I've got nothing.  I'm trying to keep groceries to an absolute minimum this week so 90% of what's in the plan we have in the fridge/cupboards.  I usually meal plan from Friday to Thursday because I like having fresh food in the fridge for the weekend when we're all at home together.

FRIDAY:
Tortellini Soup
Fried Boccocinni
Caesar Salad
Garlic pull-apart bread

SATURDAY:
Quiche
Green Salad

SUNDAY:
I have a memorial service to attend out of town, so Nick is home alone with the kids.  He'll probably do hot dogs or throw a frozen pizza in the oven.

MONDAY:
Thai Chili Chicken Legs
Vermecelli Salad

TUESDAY:
Chili
Cheese Buns
Cucumber Salad

WEDNESDAY:
Pork Chops
Mashed Potatoes
Corn

THURSDAY:
Salmon Croquettes
Sweet Potatoes
Spinach Salad

I will try to post some pictures and recipes throughout the week.