We’re coming to the end of our summer series of classes. After the slight lull we will be quite busy with many new and exciting classes! I hope all the volunteers got a chance to see the email requesting your help in teaching our classes and making them possible. Once we know where the gaps are in our schedule, we will send out another email asking for help filling those spots. Thank you for your help!
I know that for myself and many of our participants, the recipes that we use serve too many people. As a single person, it can be a bit of a challenge to make meals that serve just one (or two if I want to have leftover the next day). When shopping, it can be a bit overwhelming to see the size of some food items. For instance, the watermelons at my grocery store look great and do not cost much per pound, but when they weigh in around 10 pounds, I get intimidated. How could I possible eat the whole watermelon before it spoils? I also like to shop bargains and bargains generally come in bulk. 5 pounds of chicken breasts that are way cheaper than the 1 pound package? I’m in, but what am I going to do with all the extras? There are a few things that you can do to save time and money.
- If you are going to make a family sized meal, do it when you have extra time. Freeze individual portions that you can take out and reheat when you are running short on time or energy.
- Buy the value pack of meat! Again, use the portion you need and freeze individual portions of meat for the future.
- Buy frozen fruits and vegetables, you can take the amount that you need for your meal and leave the rest for later. I love to buy big bags of frozen berries and use them in my morning yogurt.
- Purchase foods that stay fresh for longer. Some examples of long lasting fruits and vegetables are onions, broccoli, cabbage, carrots and apples.
- If produce that you purchased starts to go bad, use it for breads, deserts smoothies, egg dishes, casseroles or soups.
- Buy dry goods- dried beans, whole grains and dried fruits or vegetables. Use as much as you need and leave the rest- it won’t go bad!
- If you can’t use a whole can of a soup or beans, put it in a Tupperware and save the rest for later use.
- Make larger batches of staple items such as brown rice, beans or roasted vegetables and recombine them to make different meals throughout the week- omelets, burritos, salads or stir fries. Using different spices and cooking methods will help create variety while using the same ingredients.
- Cut recipes in half. In fact, quarter them. Scaling down isn’t difficult in cooking. It’s not as advisable to scale down baking because the proportions and quantities are very specific.
- Invite people over for dinner. Make it a potluck. Everyone will get to try something new and every once in a while it’s nice to share a meal with others. Other times, it’s satisfying to make something that you love without having to worry about others. Both ways of eating are a joy!
Happy eating,
Janna
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