I’m nearly finished with a 28-Day Whole Foods Cleanse, which has been an awesome reminder that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to cook and feed my family nourishing food. I’ve been cooking nearly every meal (there was the donut slip up) for myself and my family for almost 4-weeks, which yes, has been overwhelming at times, but the pay off has been huge. For starters, we’ve saved money. When you’re cooking this much you have no choice but to plan ahead. I’ve been planning our meals and making a shopping list based on that week’s plan. So, only one trip to the grocery store per week means no quick trips to buy just one thing. Let’s be honest, who buys just one thing? Before you know it, you’ve dropped another $30 at the grocery store and it adds up quick when you’re doing this a few times each week.
I’ve also loved knowing what I’m going to buy and cook. Who’s gone to the grocery store, bought whatever looks or feels right, returned home and realized that you need a few more ingredients to make an actual meal? We’ve all been there. Or the flip side is to have rotting vegetables in your fridge, because you never got around to finding a radicchio recipe (or whatever veggie happens to be on it’s way out). Neither of these scenarios happen when you plan your meals. You buy what’s on the list, you cook what’s on the list and that’s that. No thinking or rotting required.
In addition to meal planning, I’ve been doing a better job at keeping our pantry stocked with a variety of grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. This is yet another great way to save money. For example, a can of organic black beans costs around $2.99. The equivalent cost in dried beans? Around $0.50. I’ll cook extremely large quantities of beans at a time and then freeze the extras in 2 cup containers (approximately the same size as a can of beans).
The wonderful thing about buying lots of dried goods is that they’re absolutely beautiful on display in your pantry, on shelves in the kitchen or simply stashed in a cupboard. And beautiful food is appealing food. You don’t have to go out of your way to buy fancy jars, just save empty food and mason jars for dried good storage.
So, in summary, there are a few things you can do to get organized, save money and take steps to guarantee that you’re preparing healthful meals for your family:
- Plan your meals
- Always cook more than you plan to eat – either store extras away in the freezer or serve for lunch the following day(s).
- Stock up on dried goods
- Make your pantry appealing
Hopefully these simple tips will help inspire some healthy cooking this week! Feel free to share your own tips in the comments below.
Leave a Reply