Helpful Hints

My friend Andrea asked me a good question today that I thought I would straighten out for all of you and just give some helpful hints for our next 3 week menu rotation. You will be joining me won't you :) Anyways so she called and asked me some questions today and I thought these were good questions that some of you might be wondering as well.

#1: Q - How do you keep your produce fresh for three weeks?

A - I don't! I only buy what I know my family can consume before it goes bad. I don't buy 3 weeks of fresh produce at a time otherwise it will go bad because we can't consume it that fast and fruit especially tends to go bad. I really haven't had a problem with veggies such as carrots, lettuce etc. So I only buy what I KNOW we will eat before it goes bad. If you see your fruit starting to go bad, slice it up, wash it and freeze it and use it for smoothies or after school snacks! My kids LOVE frozen grapes, bananas, peaches and strawberries! On my 3 week rotation you will notice that I usually do most of my freshest recipes at the beginning of my rotation so that I can use my fresh produce first and then towards the end I have other menu items that I can use while rotating my food storage. For example at the end of the 3 weeks I might have a Fruit Salad but obviously I don't have any fruit so I pull out my canned fruit cocktail from my food storage, whip up a little cream with a tiny bit of sugar and that's my fruit salad for the side. Occasionally I goof up every once in a while (shocking I know ;) ) and I might put a side down or ingredient that was supposed to be at the beginning of my menu...no stress! Substitute it with something from food storage or choose another side altogether with ingredients you have on hand.

#2: Q - I find that I run out of snacks, do you have to run to the store in between rotations?

A - This is a good question. The more you do this rotation and build up your storage, the easier this is. You can still do it without having to run to the store, just pick up and store your items. My trick is that every time I go grocery shopping I buy all the things I know we are continuously using...fruit snacks, flour, sugar, butter, crackers, etc...When those things are on sale, such as cream of chicken soup, I buy a lot of them while still keeping within my budget. So even if I have fruit snacks at home, I still buy 2 more boxes each time I go. This way I am building up my stock each time. For instance, in my basement right now I have 15 bags of flour. when I go grocery shopping at the end of next week, I will probably still have 14, however I am going to purchase 2 more like I always do and store them downstairs. Same with sugar, fruit snacks, soup and all those things I use on a regular basis. I also find that if I keep ALL my snacks upstairs at once, my kids want to eat ALL day long which is probably not the best idea. But if I keep one box of each snack upstairs at a time they limit their portions and eat what they really want! Then I still have some downstairs when I need to bring it up. This also helps me to encourage them to eat the fresh produce snacks first such as celery with peanut butter and raisins, and then at the end of my rotation I have the other boxed items needed.

#3: Q - What do you do about milk and bread and things?

A - The only thing I have to run to the store for in between rotations is milk. That is the only thing I find that doesn't taste the same after I freeze it. Since it's only one item, when I know we are going to need some I just have my husband pick it up on his way home from work. Simple list...no stress...no ordering around required ;) For bread, when I go shopping I purchase 4 loaves of bread (you may need more or less depending on your family's needs) and I freeze the other 2 loaves that we are not using so they don't go bad. Trust me it still tastes the same and saves you a hassle! In the winter, I make my own bread loaves so I can make them fresh when needed or make 6 loaves at a time and freeze the unused portions. Don't worry, I am going to convert you to homemade bread this fall and you will love it...that's my goal!

Things To Remember

- Don't stress! You will get the hang of this, I promise! It is really super easy even though the first time may have been tricky, the second time is going to be a breeze!

- Freeze your fruit and produce that is going bad for a later use in a recipe or as snacks!

- Remember, this is not doctrine! Make changes where you need. This is here to help you and give you ideas, suggestions and guidelines to make your life simpler.

- If you have any questions, I am always here to help so feel free to ask. Whether it be with a recipe or meal planning, don't be shy!