How do you eat healthy without going to the store every 2-3 days?
I really like having fresh fruits and vegetables available for my family (though I'm not opposed to frozen). With only cooking what the baby will actually finish in 2-3 days, some stuff just doesn't last long. I'd cook up more and freeze it but some veggies, like zucchini and peppers, are really mushy when frozen and then defrosted. So, I find myself at Safeway just about twice a week if not more. What do people do to keep a variety of fresh snacks in the house? Thanks!
2 Answers
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We go grocery shopping once a week and we get a CSA box every week as well. We start with the vegetables and fruits that wilt or perish easily (e.g. leafy veggies, strawberries, etc.), then later in the week we cook what can wait a bit longer (e.g. zucchinis, tomatoes, peppers, leeks, etc, apples...) and we end the week with starchy veggies and roots. Last resort is legumes...
As for meat and fish, we keep in the fridge whatever we will be able to cook within 3 days, and the rest goes in the freezer until later in the week.
Also, yogurts, cheese, etc. make healthy snacks and can be kept longer in the fridge.
Oh, and I make soups and vegetable purees that I freeze in very small containers and pop out as needed.
Hope this helps...
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This is a continuing struggle.... I was buying fresh , but the quantities just don't make sense, so we'd buy a bunch and throw them out when they got bad. We just don't have the time to go to the grovery store every few days.
I have recently switched to purchasing frozen veggies and then taking out a little at a time to cook. In our freezer, we have spinich, peas, broccoli, green beans, and various meats. To your point, I don't freeze the mushier stuff. For other items that last longer, we have a bunch -- carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes.... I'll generally grab a little of the frozen and fresh and cook enough for our son to have 2-3 servings over 3 days or so. Last night, I made a tofu soup and grabbed some frozen spinich to throw in and added whatever else odds and ends happened to be around.
The other thing I've started doing is squirreling away mini-frozen meals from our dinners. I probably have 8-10 servings for his lunches in our freezer -- taco meat, pasta sauce, carrots+peas, ham, etc. When I prep his meal for daycare the next day, I grab a frozen meal and may cook up something quick that's fresh to go with it. All in all, I've found that this has saved a lot of time, and I feel better about the quality of the meals since they are homecooked with ingredients I know of. Plus, we have someplace for our leftovers to go!
Thanks, Evelyn! I'm off to the store. :-)
- Alana, Apr 20, 2010