Step Four: Organising

I think this step is crucial when it comes to sticking to your budget, cutting down on waste and enjoying your food. So you’ve worked out your budget, created an epic shopping list, bought your groceries and now they’re all laid out of the kitchen counter. Now what?

In order to make the most of your food shop, it’s time to get organised. Put everything away as soon as you can, neat and tidy. Check the dates of what needs to be eaten sooner rather than later and adjust your meal plan accordingly. Think of what needs freezing to be used later on in the week. Does it need portioning now so as not to get stuck together in the freezer? I open my packs of chicken breasts to divide them up so I can defrost them one at a time. I’ve seen some tips include cutting up vegetables to save time, but as they leach vitamins once they’ve been cut, I always try to do this on the day I’m eating them. Other organisation tasks might include bagging up smoothie fruits for the freezer or making pesto, or having a good clear up so you’ve got a nice clean kitchen to work in.

You might save it until the weekend, depending on what your shopping day is, but it’s a great time to meal prep when you’ve got all of your fresh ingredients. I think spending an hour in the kitchen on a Sunday afternoon is a rewarding activity. It’s an increasingly popular method of planning ahead in order to eat well during the week when there are other demands on your time. Normally, I make a batch of sweet potato wedges and a dish for Lawrence as standard. Then I normally make a couple of dishes for me to make up some lunch boxes with. This week, I’m having veggie chilli and brown rice alongside my sweet potato.

There’s heaps of inspiration to be found when it comes to nutritionally balanced lunchboxes. I’ll be adding my own ideas to the mix at a later date. Some disciplined people even prepare some dinner dishes in advance, so all they have to do is cook some pasta before getting dinner on the table. I’m not quite at that level yet, but it’s something to aim for.

I’m a firm believer of planning ahead and organising myself. It makes me feel accomplished, relaxed and able to enjoy other hobbies and interests.

Do you like to meal prep? What’s you’re favourite meal to cook in advance?