Day 1: Unstuffed cabbage, Carrot and banana muffins
Day 2: Fried rice with vegetables and eggs
Day 3: Homemade pizza with caramelized onions and arugula, Tossed salad
Day 4: Shrimp scampi with wilted arugula
Day 5: Loaded baked potatoes with steamed broccoli, salsa, cheese, and sour cream
Day 6: Quesadillas, Guacamole, Apple slices
Day 7: Adobo pork chops, Coleslaw
Notes: Have you found yourself with a refrigerator stuffed full one week then mostly empty with some rotting food the next? It’s grocery shopping day today and in preparation I went through the fridge and realized that I was partly panic buying on my last trip. Not knowing when I would be back, I was throwing stuff into the cart without a plan and that has sadly resulted in some food waste. I am curious how this time is affecting the amount of food that we are all sending to the landfill. Prior to quarantine, about 40% of all food was thrown away! That statistic includes restaurants and grocery stores as well as our personal habits. The new way of grocery shopping during a pandemic requires some adjustment, but I’m feeling better about it and getting back on track. The number one thing you can do to prevent food waste during this time is to have a plan! Make sure you know what you are eating for every meal, then make a detailed list and stick to it. If you are online shopping, keep your recipes nearby so you can be sure you are getting what you need. If you want to splurge on a few snacks or stock up on some non-perishables, that is okay, but make sure you at least know what you are doing with your produce. If you happen to have some veggies sitting in your fridge right now and have no idea what to do with them, you can try out the fried rice recipe I included in my plan this week. It pairs well with just about any vegetable. You could also try a curry, vegetable soup, or stir fry to use up all those poor, wilting odds and ends. Look through the recipes above and see if you can substitute something you have on hand. Get your creative juices flowing so you can use up what you have first before restocking. I’m also sticking to my plan of using mostly storage vegetables during this time, with occasional greens to use up quickly. How are you dealing with food waste these days? Do you have any tips to share?
P.S. The plastic on my produce is driving me nuts! However, I was able to score some local arugula from a farm just 5 miles from my house and some potatoes from within state. Definitely some positives here.
