Today's kitchen principle is closely related to the first one, eat what you store and store what you eat. Today's principle broadens that concept to include fresh produce. It is:
Use up what needs to be used up!
So, let's say it's that lovely time of day when I'm deciding what to make for dinner. Before I discovered the value of a principle-based kitchen, I would randomly choose a vegetable, like frozen peas, just 'cuz it sounds good and easy. Then, a week or two later, I would be throwing away nasty produce from the fridge drawer that I had purchased because I knew I should but now it was wasted.
Nowadays, though, based on my "Use up what needs to be used up" principle, when it comes to that magical moment of decision-making, I remind myself to open the fridge and find the veggies that my conscience led me to buying. And now I rarely have to waste fresh produce -- but if I do, at least I have a compost pile so it doesn't feel half as bad.
This also applies to expiration dates on canned items. I try to have a system to help me (I'm great at making up systems -- it's the USING of the systems that I humbly confess my inaptitude). Since I don't always follow my own system, I still end up rummaging through the pantry to check dates, but I feel like it's worth my time to avoid wasting things.
Leftovers are another "use-it-up" item. I'm pretty good at mentally keeping track of when we had which meal and when those leftovers need to be used up. We generally have a leftovers-based meal once or twice a week. My sister-in-law taught me to call it "Feast Night" because the kids get to choose from a wide variety of offerings. I am blessed with a wonderful husband who has a great attitude about taking leftovers for lunch.
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