Day 1: Homemade chicken noodle soup, Crusty bread
Day 2: Bean and cheese enchiladas
Day 3: Homemade pizza, Carrot sticks
Day 4: Steak, Roasted root vegetables with garlic thyme dressing, Baked cinnamon apples
Day 5: Pasta with homemade red sauce (freezer supply), Orange slices
Day 6: Grilled Brats, Coleslaw
Day 7: Sloppy Joes, Herb potato salad
Notes: Food Waste Update
Hi friends! First off, I want to tell you how badly I am craving some fresh greens right about now. I can’t find any greenhouse lettuces or spinach yet and unfortunately my herbs have succumbed to my poor care and are all dried up. The only thing I can find that is local, fresh, and green right now is cabbage, which gets old after awhile. This week’s meals are more carb heavy and with an extra dose of meat than I usually plan (I try to limit to 2-3 per week). Spring cannot come soon enough! Right now I’m getting ready to start seeds indoors and making plans to freeze extra broccoli, green beans, and kale so I can use them next winter when I get to this point!
Next, we need to have a talk… about food waste. I talk a lot about food waste on this blog; it’s kind of my thing. I know you might be rolling your eyes right now, but I happen to believe it should be a topic that everyone discusses! Today I want to provide an update as to where the world is at with food waste.
We now know that 17% of food worldwide is wasted (UNEP 2021) with the largest portion coming from individuals, NOT grocery stores or restaurants. In America, the stats are worse with up to 40% of food trashed. What a waste of money and resources! The main problem, though, is all this food waste goes to the landfill where it is responsible for 8-10% of all greenhouse gas emissions, primarily methane release.
While this news is disappointing, it is also empowering. Sometimes I think that climate change is such a large problem that I feel powerless and want to give up. But this information shows that as an individual, there is actually something you personally can do to help with the problem! In fact, Project Drawdown now lists reducing food waste as a more impactful way to contribute than switching to a plant-based diet, installing roof-top solar panels, or switching to an electric car. This was surprising news to me!
I know I’ve highlighted this problem before, and it is a big reason why I share my weekly meal plans every week. I truly believe that we can do better. So, for 6 weeks I’m going to run a miniseries of certain areas where we can all work to reduce food waste. First up is meal planning. Watch for an article this week that will break down how I design my meal plans and other tips to help you keep your food out of the garbage.
