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What systems help with simplifying meal planning and reducing food waste?
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Meal planning feels like a constant battle in our household. We want to eat healthy, save money, and reduce food waste, but it often ends up being stressful and complicated.
I'm looking for ways to simplify meal planning that don't require hours of prep or complicated recipes. How do you create a system that makes dinner decisions easy while still providing variety?
I'm especially interested in approaches that align with simplifying home life overall less mental energy spent on food decisions, less food waste, and more time for what matters.
For simplifying meal planning, we use a rotating two week menu. Same meals every other week. Sounds boring, but it eliminates decision fatigue and reduces food waste because we buy exactly what we need.
We have theme nights: Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, etc. This approach to simplifying meal planning makes grocery shopping automatic and cooking stress free.
My approach to simplifying meal planning: batch cooking on Sundays. I make large quantities of 23 base foods (rice, roasted veggies, protein) that can be mixed and matched throughout the week.
This method of simplifying meal planning means I only cook once but eat varied meals all week. It also reduces food waste because everything gets used.
With kids, simplifying meal planning means embracing simplicity. We have a list of 10 family favorite" meals that everyone will eat. We rotate through these, adding one new recipe per month.
We also use a "clean out the fridge" night weekly where everyone eats leftovers. This approach to simplifying meal planning reduces arguments and ensures nothing goes to waste.
For simplifying meal planning, I use what I call ingredient based planning." Instead of planning specific meals, I plan ingredients that can be combined multiple ways.
Example: chicken, rice, veggies, tortillas. These can become stir fry, bowls, tacos, or soup. This approach to simplifying meal planning provides flexibility while still reducing food waste.
Simplifying meal planning for me means embracing template meals." Each meal has a template: protein + veggie + carb. I mix and match within that framework.
I also plan meals around what's on sale and in season. This approach to simplifying meal planning saves money, reduces food waste, and makes grocery shopping efficient.
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