Green Meal Planning: Save Money and Reduce Waste When You Shop

Menu Planning is an amazingly productive habit to get into. You may think it takes too much time or just isn't worth the bother, but you will save money and time if you stick to your plan. Imagine only shopping for food one day a week and buying only what you need. No more throwing away limp veggies at the end of the week. Weeknight dinners will no longer be a daunting task, and you may even have leftovers for lunch the next day.

If you belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture, such as Local Harvest), wait until you get your box of vegetables for the week. Then find recipes that go with the veggies you received.

If you usually shop at the farmer's market, look at a few seasonal recipes before you head out. Then come home and tweak your menu according to what you found. You might come too late to get what you wanted, or mother nature may have decided this isn't the week for fresh tomatoes.

Going to Whole Foods, a co-op, or regular grocery store? Pick out your recipes and make a grocery list from your choices. If you get veggies elsewhere, still make your menu and grocery list before you go. Stick to your list. If something is on sale and will last for awhile, and it's in your budget you can grab it for next week. But try to stick to your list, you'll make your life less cluttered that way.

Sounds like a contradiction, but this is one place that you really can have it all. Keeping your plan simple is the best way to start. Plan one week at a time, and if you can, only plan dinners the first month. Once you start cooking 5 - 7 meals a week, you'll have leftovers that make great unplanned lunches. Think of all the money you'll save just by not going out to lunch everyday, not to mention the trash that you won't be sending to the landfills every day.

Don't make the mistake of making one pot of chili to eat on all week. You can make a pot of beans and use them in 2 of your dishes this week, then freeze the rest for next time. Keep the week interesting by adding variety into each meal. You could try planning your menu by country, protein, or by picking a vegetable a day from your CSA box. It's easy to have pasta every Monday if one week you have whole wheat angel hair with marinara sauce, orzo with an arugula pistachio pesto the next, and pumpkin white bean lasagna after that.

Plan a leftover night each week. It gives you a chance to go out if you want without messing up your menu plan, or it gives you a night to relax at home and not cook at all. If you do go out, freeze any leftovers in individual containers to use for lunches, or a dinner one night when you don't feel up to cooking.

Here are a few ideas for your weekly theme template:

• Mon - American, Tues - Chinese, Wed - Italian, Thurs - Thai, Fri - Mexican, Sat - Leftovers, Sun - Indian
• Mon - Tofu, Tues- Chickpeas, Wed - Tempeh, Thurs - Wheat Gluten, Fri - Chickpeas, Sat - , Sun - Leftovers
• Mon - Cabbage, Tues- Green Beans, Wed - Tomatoes, Thurs - Broccoli, Fri - Cauliflower, Sat - Potatoes, Sun - Leftovers