A little spring cleaning project to save on groceries and waste less food
Dig into that pantry to see what's in the back, then let those foods become your meal-planning guide for the next few weeks.
Last week at work I attended a training session about taking inventories for food service operations.
During the training session, I realized I could apply some of the principles to my home kitchen to save money and waste less food. The food in your pantry has real monetary value that is going down as it spoils and you’re likely continuing to spend more money on additional items rather than utilizing what you have. When planning your meals, consider using the items in your pantry as the main drivers.
Here’s a little project I did (and you can do too!) to start to address this issue at home:
Step 1: Simply take everything out of your pantry.
You can do this in stages, like one shelf or cabinet at a time. Just get everything out and onto the floor or a table so you can really see it.
Step 2: Next, put back the items you know you'll keep and write them down on a piece of paper as you do.
This doesn’t need to be a fancy excel sheet…but knock yourself out if you’re so inclined!
The purpose of this list is for your future meal-planning self to scan over quickly to remember what you have in your pantry. To make things more organized, I divided my list into some basic categories like grains, beans, baking supplies, condiments, etc. Each item on the list can be an inspiration for a meal you’d like to make; for example, farro and chickpeas could be a great start to a Mediterranean-inspired dinner. And truthfully, many of the items on my list were bought with a specific meal in mind - like this delicious Alison Roman split pea soup that explains the bag of green split peas.
Step 3: Get rid of items you won’t use by giving them away to someone who can use them.
Share with a friend or donate! You can search online for local food pantries or shelters that accept donations.
Have expired items? Non-perishable foods like canned goods past their best-by date are typically fine to eat, as long as the packaging is still in good condition. It's important to use your best judgment and assess the condition of the food before consuming it. If you’re not comfortable eating an item, it’s best to empty the contents into the trash or compost, and then recycle the packaging.
If you end up doing this, let me know how it went in the comments!