Cooking the majority of your meals will do you (and your budget) good.
Calendar it in
Spend an hour over the weekend perusing your go-to sources for inspiration and plotting out meals. Aim to add at least one new dish to your regular rotation every week—updating a longtime favorite also counts.
Start with what you have
Take inventory of your foodstuffs—it’s easy to lose sight of items you come across every day (or when they’ve been pushed to the back of the shelf). Plan meals around anything that’s approaching its end date, including eggs, dairy, and produce in the refrigerator.
Work in seasonal produce
Eating what’s fresh will always result in the best-tasting and most nutritious meals. The more local, the better—scour the specialty grocers and supermarket for “local” signs, visit the farmers’ market, and/or sign up for a weekly CSA share. Use foods that perish most easily early in the week.Also, put trimmings to use—broccoli and cauliflower stalks and leaves can be eaten raw (shaved into salads) or roasted (just like the florets).
stretch ingredients
Account for a surplus by incorporating them into more than one meal. Cilantro, for example, can be in Monday’s dinner and also Wednesday’s breakfast scramble (or make pesto, page 54); save extra rice from Tuesday’s dinner for the next day’s lunch salad or fried-rice supper; add leftover buttermilk to your morning smoothie.
The goals: fewer trips to the market, getting the most value from your dollar, and avoiding waste.
Make a list
After you’ve decided on your weekly menu, jot down all the ingredients (on paper or digitally) you need to shop for; some meal-plan apps generate a list for you. It helps to organize the items to match the store’s layout—with produce, dairy, grains, oils and vinegars, and so on grouped together—so you can easily tick off the boxes as you go and avoid overlooking anything.
Shop for the freezer
Take advantage of “two-for-one” or other discounts on bacon, sausage, butter, flour, cornmeal, hard (not soft) cheese, bread, and milk (dairy and otherwise)—all of which can be frozen and used later.
Go green
Bring along your own washable totes, preferably made from natural fibers. Unless your store has compostable ones, skip the bags and put produce directly in your tote (you’re going to wash those greens anyway)—or bring your own fabric bags.
Rather than immediately putting vegetables in the refrigerator (only to forget about them), prep them right out of the shopping tote or CSA box. You’ll save valuable refrigerator space—and be more inclined to use your purchases. The same idea goes for prepping produce the night before or morning of, so dinner is that much quicker to prepare.
aromatics
Garlic: Peel cloves and keep in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; they’ll stay fresh for a week or longer. Mince or slice when ready to use.
Onion, shallot, and scallions: These are best when chopped or sliced only a few hours—or up to overnight—before using. Seal tightly (and double-bag them) to keep your refrigerator from smelling like onions.
Fresh ginger: Peel (with a spoon), wrap in plastic, and freeze in a resealable bag for six months (no need to thaw before grating or slicing).
Asparagus
Snap off tough stems and stand, tips up, in a glass with a couple inches of water; they will stay crisp for two or three days longer in the refrigerator.
Bell peppers
Trim to remove stem, ribs, and seeds; chop or cut flesh into strips, or leave whole or halved for stuffing; refrigerate in an airtight container for two or three days.
TIP
When storing prepped (diced or sliced) produce in a plastic bag or airtight container, wrap it in or top with a damp paper towel to keep the items fresher longer.