Meal planning aims to help individuals to reduce household waste

By Stacey Roy

Those who are tired of coming home only to stress about what to make for dinner and finding a surprise science experiment hidden in the fridge won’t want to miss the Journey to Sustainability Committee’s Nov. 14 information session on how to meal plan.

The free evening, which takes place at 7 p.m. inside  Trinity United Church (Market Street across from the post office), will provide a step-by-step method to beginning to meal plan that very week. Representatives from Trinity United Church and SFDCI’s hospitality program will be on hand to speak about meal planning for all ages. Heather Mitchell-Adams of Modern Thymes will join the conversation from a parental perspective. She has spent years meal planning for her growing family, and hopes to empower individuals and parents alike to start meal planning in their home.

“For me, because I’ve kind of got it down to a science, it may take me 10 minutes [to meal plan each week] at the very most”, Mitchell-Adams said.

She suggests first timers to slot in 30 minutes to start. In the end, meal planning is about making your life simpler and with less food waste, which ultimately saves you money. There are two popular methods to choose from: a food item focused meal plan or a schedule based meal plan depending on life’s demands. Mitchell-Adams relies on her whiteboard menu in her kitchen for those nights that suddenly change with a moments notice.

“Everybody has a night like that”, she said.

A meal plan gives you several alternatives that you know you have everything for. It’s as easy as switching the dates around! Attendees to the Nov. 14 session will also go home with tips on how to prepare for a busy week if shift work or the surprise schedule change is more common in your home.

This meal planning information session is part of a series being offered by the Journey to Sustainability Committee.