I buy my groceries online- once every 3 weeks. (with the exception of fresh soy milk and we get at our local grocery shop ). here is a reminder of the previous episode of “conquering the art of online grocery shopping “: My online grocery shopping: saving money+big time!(and my quick bean stew recipe for no fresh produce situations)
Doing major grocery shopping efficiently is not an easy task, and needs a lot of preparation- while getting the delivery- and afterward.
But-
Once you’ve mastered this – you get to enjoy the massive time+money saving skills you acquired, plus you raise your cooking skills+your healthy eating habits- to a higher level- simply because suddenly everything you need is visible and reachable.
*I know this preparing ahead is a pain in the ***. I am a full-time working mother of 3 (ok 2 are now grown up but I remember the days I had to manage to feed and take care of a 5 person’s household).
But- at the end of the day- let alone at the end of the month- these tips are huge time savers, and the time and money you save because you are eating healthier- well it’s a triple win situation.
let’s get to part 2:( part one is getting the groceries online, as described so vividly in the previous post I linked above)
Preparing a few days before online groceries arrive:
#1: going through your fridge: emptying fruit and vegetable cabinets!
Got some leftover tomatoes? peppers?
Read here how to avoid this situation.
My zero food waste tips: part 1: vegetables.
My zero food waste tips-part 2: fruit
But- if you still have some veggies hidden in the corner of your vegetable drawer, this is the time to be creative!
#2: going through your freezer- taking out long timers to see some sunshine!
“breadsticks” -had some pieces of 2 months old whole wheat bread that was no longer appealing. cut them to stripes, mixed in a bowl with olive oil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper- and while baking focaccia in the oven- these went in as well.
*Yes saving electricity as well. (READ HERE FOR MORE TIPS ON THAT- ALWAYS USEFUL TO BE MINDFUL).
How I reduced 25% of my electricity and gas bills ( 5 tips and another V for enVironmentalism)
#3: going through my pantry- (wow I forgot I had that pasta!)
Even the dry products in the pantry need some TLC.
Clearing and cleaning the fridge and freezer a few days ahead is important because:
- it makes room for the products you ordered-makes much more sense than standing in front of a full fridge and trying to manipulate the new products.
- so much more environmental to use what you already have first…believe me 3 weeks is enough time for me to forget the treasures I have stacked in my fridge, let alone the freezer…(by the way the stuffed peppers you saw above- were filled with a frozen quinoa and surrounded by tomato and bean sauce- matched together simply because I didn’t have enough space in the freezer for all the beans I cooked…turned out marvelous!)
- knowing what you already have at home- saves you a lot of precious money! one of the clear benefits of online grocery shopping is the ability to add and remove products from your list until the last minute. believe me, I change my list every 2-3 days- when I think of a new recipe when I check the fridge and find my nooch is gone, when I find out walnuts are on 35% sale, or when I find a hidden treasure of oats in my pantry.
- Clearly, it is so much healthier to revisit your food items and check for unwanted visitors like ants and such. (dried dates attractants in the summer like crazy! do yourself a big favor and keep them in the fridge during the hot months!)
- obviously, a clean and tidy fridge-freezer-pantry are nicer to use and to look at as a general rule of living. thus more appealing to look for new healthy meals to prepare!
#4: check your cabinets for empty jars :
No use standing in front of 200 grams of paprika and having nowhere to store it. (Just a random example I came up with).
Hope you enjoyed- the cooliflower.
A Wise-ass Vegan 