Part of my 20 for 2020 is to minimize food waste and keep our refrigerator organized. Things are going well so far! I showed off my preliminary fridge organization in a previous post. I’ve since added some labels to help my husband follow along with my crazy plan. But there are are some other tools we are using to really cut down on food storage waste and to make sure we actually eat our leftovers.
The other end of this goal is rooted in meal planning. I use the term meal planning rather than meal prep because I don’t do a lot of prepping, but instead just try to make sure we are shopping to our actual meal needs. And even meal planning can be an exhausting balance of trying to keep variety in the menu and aligning meals to what is on sale (particularly meat in my opinion).
So, here are just three things that are helping to achieve #1 on my 20 for 2020 List.
The other end of this goal is rooted in meal planning. I use the term meal planning rather than meal prep because I don’t do a lot of prepping, but instead just try to make sure we are shopping to our actual meal needs. And even meal planning can be an exhausting balance of trying to keep variety in the menu and aligning meals to what is on sale (particularly meat in my opinion).
So, here are just three things that are helping to achieve #1 on my 20 for 2020 List.
1. Reusable Silicone Food Storage Bags
The one thing I do prep-wise is cutting up some fruit and vegetables, mostly for my 1 year old. These bags are great because they are easier to store in the fridge than a million containers of different sizes. I’m happy to not be throwing away thin plastic bags and they are really not hard to clean. The only drawback I’ve seen so far is that they do take up some space to properly dry. I still don’t have a great way of storing the bags either, but I’m getting there. I’m excited to get some larger ones and try them in the freezer. Note, these are not the exact bags I’m using — I’ve been able to find them at Homegoods at a good price.
2. Beeswrap
There are few things more frustrating in the kitchen than wrestling with plastic wrap or finding that my dear husband has mangled the box in a way that the roll/blade is no longer usable, hmmm. Is this just our household? Anyway, beeswrap has eliminated this challenge for me. I’ve been using these wraps from Uncommon Goods, but there are lots of options on Etsy and Amazon. They are great for covering dishes as well as wrapping produce or cheese and clean very easily with a warm rinse with dish soap.
3. Fridge Whiteboard
In our old house we painted a blackboard wall to display our weekly menu. We are renting again, so it is more practical for us to use a fridge whiteboard for this very purpose. We’ve been using this one for a year and half and it does the trick at a great price. I organize the our menu Monday to Monday because I do our grocery shopping on Tuesdays. For nights I plan on having leftovers or eating separately, it is still noted on the whiteboard as “Leftovers” or “On Your Own” to set expectations accordingly.
The one thing I do prep-wise is cutting up some fruit and vegetables, mostly for my 1 year old. These bags are great because they are easier to store in the fridge than a million containers of different sizes. I’m happy to not be throwing away thin plastic bags and they are really not hard to clean. The only drawback I’ve seen so far is that they do take up some space to properly dry. I still don’t have a great way of storing the bags either, but I’m getting there. I’m excited to get some larger ones and try them in the freezer. Note, these are not the exact bags I’m using — I’ve been able to find them at Homegoods at a good price.
2. Beeswrap
There are few things more frustrating in the kitchen than wrestling with plastic wrap or finding that my dear husband has mangled the box in a way that the roll/blade is no longer usable, hmmm. Is this just our household? Anyway, beeswrap has eliminated this challenge for me. I’ve been using these wraps from Uncommon Goods, but there are lots of options on Etsy and Amazon. They are great for covering dishes as well as wrapping produce or cheese and clean very easily with a warm rinse with dish soap.
3. Fridge Whiteboard
In our old house we painted a blackboard wall to display our weekly menu. We are renting again, so it is more practical for us to use a fridge whiteboard for this very purpose. We’ve been using this one for a year and half and it does the trick at a great price. I organize the our menu Monday to Monday because I do our grocery shopping on Tuesdays. For nights I plan on having leftovers or eating separately, it is still noted on the whiteboard as “Leftovers” or “On Your Own” to set expectations accordingly.
As I mentioned, one of the things I find most annoying about meal planning is coming up with what we are going to eat. I’m really trying to balance new meals with household favorites. I’ve been inspired by The Lazy Genius and her approach to Brainless Crowd Pleasers. The idea here is to have a list of meals that you know are good for your family, aren’t too complicated to prepare, and that you maintain the inventory of ingredients for. I don’t focus too much on the last part of this, but rather just have a running list of things I can pull over to my weekly meal plan before I head to the grocery store. I keep a running list of meals in Evernote and I’m hoping to make a list of our Brainless Crowd Pleasers for our hallway bulletin board to remind my husband of easy options when I ask him “what do you want for dinner this week?” But, to help myself, I’ve done something really wacky — I made an online spinner that can choose for me. Silly, but helpful.
What’s next? That’s where you come in! I’m looking to create a Google Doc of recipes with friends and family to help us get more creative in our meal planning. I’m thinking it will be catalogued a few different ways by meal type and ease to make. Let me know if you want to get involved by leaving a comment or messaging me.
What’s next? That’s where you come in! I’m looking to create a Google Doc of recipes with friends and family to help us get more creative in our meal planning. I’m thinking it will be catalogued a few different ways by meal type and ease to make. Let me know if you want to get involved by leaving a comment or messaging me.
