Zero Waste Meal Prep: Week Seven

I don't enjoy failing. I'm not sure I know many people who do? But, sometimes life is about trial and error. Failing isn't a failure if you learn something from it. I'm really hoping that my meal planning endeavors are a success. 

I've been struggling recently. You can read more about it on this post.

We've decided that I'll make sandwiches for him every day for school, and we'll eat dinner together Wednesday - Sunday. I need to plan to make easy dinners for myself Monday & Tuesday. 

inventory:

We're stocked on dry goods, lemons, apples, oranges, and a couple of carrot sticks. I have some banana muffins and bagels in the freezer. In other words, we're running pretty low on food. 

I plan on throwing the oranges into a batch of pineapple, mango smoothies. 

budget:

I'm going to try and keep it at $50 this week. We're running really low on food, so it will definitely be a challenge. 

shop:

PRODUCE

• Mushrooms - $1.50
• Brussel Sprouts - $1.50
• Zucchini - $1
• Broccoli - $1
• Tomatoes - $1
• Corn - $2
• Bananas - $1.50
• Radicchio - $1
• Cilantro - $1
• Romaine - $1

DAIRY 

• Organic Milk - $6.00
• Farm Fresh Eggs - $5

BUTCHER

• Turkey - $8

PROCESSED

• Tortilla Chips - $3.50

TOTAL: $41

I am pretty positive that I will have to pick up one or two items later in the week. But, since we're resetting our schedule, I would rather buy too little food, than too much and have it go bad. 

plan:

BREAKFAST 

• JN - Banana Muffins
• KK - Bagels and Banana Muffins

LUNCH 

• JN - Turkey Sandwiches, Carrot Sticks, Pretzels, Cookies
• KK - Leftovers, Salads, PB&J

DINNER

My Meals:

•  Balsamic Radicchio and Brussel Sprout Bake 
• Zucchini, Tomato Skillet with a Fried Egg

Our Meals: 

• Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
• Veggie/Reg Burgers and potato wedges
• Pizza
• Nachos

prep:

I am not prepping much this week. The muffins and cookies have been made. I'm really excited to see how this week works out! Hopefully, it will go really well, and I'll have good news to report.

I plan on making applesauce, and maybe some overnight oats. 

Meal Planning When Life Throws You a Curveball

Does anyone else feel that as soon as you get the hang of your schedule, it changes? Every time I think I've mastered something, I get thrown a curveball. 

I am a perfectionist friends. And, I know we talk about how it's not about perfection over and over and over again. This is not only a great reminder for you - but an even better reminder for myself. 

Life is messy. You can either fight it and make yourself miserable, or you can embrace it, learn from it, and change. 

Justin and I used to work together. But, he went back to school the first of September. We talked all about school supplies, back to school snacks, and how to make a five-minute meal plan. 

I think my meal planning method is still rock solid. But, our schedules just don't line up. Often times he comes home at 9 pm and he's eaten out or not hungry. Meanwhile, the leftovers will go uneaten because he can't heat them up at school. 

He's restricted to cold meals. And, I am a social cook. If I'm cooking for myself, I tend to just not eat. Which is obviously... not recommended. This is why meal prepping is SO important. 

Now, there's a wrench thrown into how much food to buy, how much food to make, and when to make it. 

hammer out the new schedule:

This takes persistence and flexibility. I know that there's a very high likely chance that Justin will get hungry before coming home at 9 pm. So, I need to focus on just vegetarian recipes or a recipe that can be delicious eaten cold the next day. Or I need to focus on something that can transform into something else. 

I can't just turn on auto-pilot like I have in the past. Instead I'll have to check in more often, and focus on more flexibility.

less prepping: 

I will be prepping less food in one day, and prepping more the night before. I made mini-quiches which were delicious, but they went uneaten because he did not like eating them cold. 

So, now I'll be focusing on muffins and smoothies. Portability has become important. He doesn't have the luxury of a work kitchen. 

how much food to buy:

I'm still figuring it out. We've had several vegetables go bad; because we haven't gotten to them. He's been eating out more, and I've been not eating. We want both of these habits to stop. Temporarily I'll be heading to the grocery store more often, until I can find our new perfect amount of food. 

prepping: 

This week, I'm going to be making banana bread, smoothies, and cookies. 

Cooking is still so important. We want to eat real, unprocessed food, but we're still working on getting on the same page. I'm on the lookout for new recipes to add to our meal rotation that can fit into this new season of life. 

I'd be thrilled if we had this sorted out and back on schedule by mid-October. Do you have any suggestions? What are some of your favorite portable recipes? Or do you have any that are great cold? 

Zero Waste, Meal Prep Week Six

It is week six and we're still going strong with the meal plans. Let me know if you're still finding these helpful! I can go down to two a month if they're starting to be overwhelming. It is definitely encouraging me to be a better planner. 

You can head on over to my instagram to see the prep live through insta stories. But it will only be around fro 24 hours so head on over fast! 

If you're looking for help on where to start meal planning, check out my tips for making a five-minute meal plan. 

This week was very unique. We are working with free food! So some of the normal headers don't apply. 

inventory:

I was running very, very low on food. I have some apple slices and cauliflower in the fridge. I also have some wilting spinach and several lonely bananas. 

budget:

This week we're doing it on a budget of $0! Yes, you read that right. We didn't pay a cent for all the food you see photographed above. And a couple of other things that weren't photographed. 

My biggest advice is - get to know your farmers! Head to the farmers market as it's wrapping up. Ask about some deals. If you know your farmers really well, you can score some very ripe/imperfect produce. 

Which means that it all needs to be prepared and ready to be eaten ASAP. 

shop:

Lots of veggies! It was a free for all. 

plan:

BREAKFAST

• K - Green Smoothies, Banana Bread
• J - Strawberry Smoothies, Banana Bread

LUNCH

• K - Southwestern Salads: Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Black Beans, and Romaine
• J - Ham Sandwiches, Pretzels, Cookies, and Carrot Sticks

DINNER

• Carrot Top Pesto Ravioli 
• Cheesesteak/Balsamic Mushroom Subs
• Fried Buffalo Cauliflower/Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli
• Veggie Fried Rice
• Roasted Veggie Quesadillas
• Waffles
• Loaded Veggie Baked Potatoes

prep:

This weeks prep took 2 hours. I Have six green smoothies and three strawberry smoothies for Justin. I made carrot sticks and diced an onion. With the carrot tops, I made carrot top pesto which is a rift on my pesto recipe. But, even better! I included 1/4 cup of cashews with 3 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast. 

I made three salads for myself and a burrito bowl. Justin has all the fixings to make his daily lunch sandwich. And, I made a whole loaf of banana bread. 

I think we're set for the week. What are you prepping for this week?