These days I shop for all my bulk health food ingredients at Mrs Flannery's every 2-4 wks, preferring to shop on their Supersaver Saturdays and Member Saturdays for better prices. I shop usually once a week for all my fruit and vegetables at my local greengrocers for super fresh produce at great prices. Generally I'll opt to freeze chopped fruits that won't last as long and store more perishable items in my Tupperware fridgesmart containers. My Coles grocery list is almost always identical these days with the odd exception of a change in my lean white meats for the week or the odd stock-up of long-life pantry items (such as canned bean mix, cereals and soy milk/lactose free milk for the boys).
Having my set list of raw ingredients means I have a multitude of meals ready to make quickly and easily without resorting to takeaways every second or third night like I once did! Yes cooking and preparing meals can be time consuming but there are ways around that too! Try chopping up a whole bag of carrots, beans, potatoes, etc at a time and storing what you don't require that night in a well sealed container in the fridge and then you can use the prepared ingredients for 2 or 3 nights in a row! Or cook twice as much as your family will eat and freeze the leftovers to eat at the end of the week when you need a quick and easy go-to meal.
One of the other big tips I have is start simply. Having all the ingredients for a basic salad in your fridge means you've always got a side ready to go for lunch, dinner or simply add your salad stuff to your juicer when it's looking a little tired!! Always keep your staple ingredients on hand like rice, potatoes, pasta, noodles, etc to go alongside your chicken, meat, fish. Buy your meats in larger portions for better prices and freeze in individual portions, thawing out the day before in your fridge so it's ready to go the next day. I've learnt to look at a piece of chicken breast and vegies and instantly I have at least half a dozen dinners I can make from this. Eg: chicken and veg stirfry, curry chicken, chicken and veg soup, steamed chicken with salad, chicken skewers for the bbq, chicken bolognaise.
Don't forget when keeping a plan that your pantry should really be organised as well as possible so you always know what needs replenishing and you use what is actually there for you. Ever done a pantry cleanout and found loads of food sitting up the back that need to be chucked out because you forgot it was there? I think we're all guilty of this but when you organise your pantry efficiently from the start you'll find this happens less and less which eventually means less money going straight in your bin ;)
Below is a picture of my pantry. I sort my pantry so everything that I use daily is at eye level. All my baking ingredients are up high as I don't tend to bake all day every day. I keep the kids snacks in clear containers at their reaching height so they can help themselves to good healthy snack options throughout the day. Almost all my containers are clear and labelled so I never forget what is in them and know when they need topping up when doing a quick check before grocery shopping. My pantry took at least 2 years to look like this. I know that buying all the right containers can be expensive so I made my purchases bit by bit over the years. I'm at a stage where I pretty much have exactly what I need now, hence the reason it's looking so well organised!
I hope some of this has been useful to you guys. Don't forget I love your feedback but you may be best leaving your feedback on my Facebook page as more people will get to see your comments that way and you'll probably find I'll respond to you much quicker that way!
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