Grocery shopping is one activity my husband hates spending time on. So I almost have to do my shopping in a jiffy (really!) I don't like to stock up too many things and not use them at all. So I always plan the grocery list well ahead of time. Growing up in a typical Indian household has gotten me used to a typical breakfast/lunch/Evening/ dinner routine. Being a vegetarian, we definitely include a minimum of 1 vegetable a day. Initially, when I started cooking and planning my own menu, I often used to buy more than what was required by the two of us for a week and ended up throwing away rotten spinach and tomatoes after few weeks of not using them. Here are some ideas that I follow to cut down on wastage and spend for what is required:
1. Plan ahead : For example, I consider Tomatoes, onions and potatoes as staple so I pick up these 3 anyway. Other than this, I have (based on preference and ease of cooking/chopping etc) a select set of veggies that I alternate every week. Here is a table that I mostly follow:
So I choose 5 veggies from the weekday list for lunch and 2 veggies for dinner along with tofu/mushroom/paneer(I alternate this every week). Mostly for dinner we have light Indian Tiffin or pasta so I would not need more than a couple of veggies because I often use tomatoes and onions to make dip for dinner.
Break fast meal is also quite planned : 4 options- bread/egg/cereal in milk/oats. I alternate these week.
This kind of table makes it simple to pick and choose a variety of veggies and saves time in planning a weekly menu. Of course, This is just a guideline we will often end up throwing in a bunch of spinach and bell peppers because I love them! But with this kind of a plan you will most likely not buy too much in excess or too little for the week.
Fruits:
We almost always buy banana and apples other than this I alternate between oranges,kiwi , watermelon,oranges, cantaloupe based on season and what we feel like buying at that point. I limit my self to not more than 3 varieties of fruits for one week(because they get spoilt real quick)
2. Stock Check:
I have a small note pad in the kitchen and when I notice any of the storage canisters half full I immediately note it down so that I can stock them back. This really helps and saves time for my weekend grocery shopping.
3. Add some pep :
Milk, buttermilk, water - My husband goes around to pick these 3 up (heavy lifting, right!) :)
Its fun and faster when you divide the grocery list with family and see who gets to the checkout counter first!(i do this all the time):)
