Even before we started our farm, we’d stock our freezer with bulk meat from local farms. This was a way for us to save money and know we had good meats on hand.
We loved being able to make one purchase and have meat for several months or more. It gave me trust in the meat I was feeding our family since I knew exactly where it came from. I also loved the variety that came with purchasing the whole animal.
It was so convenient to shop from our freezer and not have to worry about buying meat each week from the store, especially since I wasn’t really sure what I was getting or how the animal was raised.
I wanted to walk you through some tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way for how to plan and prep meals inspired by what you have on hand, especially when you already have a freezer full of awesome meats.
How We Meal Plan
This is what we do in our home to use up what we have first, eliminate waste, lower food costs and enjoy homemade meals with good ingredients.
Consider purchasing local foods in bulk. This can look like a quarter cow, half pig, bulk whole chickens or cuts, fresh produce from the farmers market that you can preserve, meat subscription or a veggie CSA that provides you with fresh produce all season long. The Carteret Local Foot Network has a great one!
Keep a good inventory of what you’ve got in your freezer. This is especially important if you’re using a chest freezer since things tend to get lost in the bottom of those. I keep it simple and just have a piece of paper with everything listed on it. I cross it off when I use it and add more to the bottom if I add things to the freezer. One day, I’d like to make it electronic and keep it organized by category, but this works for me for now.
Look at your schedule for the week and decide how many dinners you need to cook. We rarely plan meals on specific nights since we like to remain flexible, but I like knowing I’ve got the ingredients on hand to make at least 3-4 meals per week. Also, I like at least 2 of them to give us leftovers to eat on the nights we get home late.
Assess your fridge/pantry and see what you already have on hand that may inspire a meal or two. I really love trying to use up as much as possible the last week of the month to eliminate food waste and lower our grocery bill. You can do this by making a soup or frittata with any unused veggies you may have!
Decide what other meals to make based on what’s in season at the farmers market or what you’re craving. I like to keep a list of meals that I like to cook and that everyone enjoys to give me inspiration. You could even make a monthly meal plan that you keep on rotation to make it simple going forward!
Make your grocery list and make sure to add breakfast & lunch items. We don’t really plan breakfasts or lunches. We mainly eat eggs and fruit or oatmeal for breakfast and leftovers or sandwiches for lunch. We usually don’t buy a ton of snacks since they’re not cost effective and most don’t actually provide much nourishment. I’ve found that as long as my kids eat filling meals with good protein, they usually aren’t hungry until the next meal.
Thaw your meat for the week. I keep a plastic basket in our fridge lined with a washcloth or towel to soak up anything that may leak. Last thing you want is meat juices seeping into your fresh produce! I like thawing it all at once so I know it’s ready for when I need to cook it. I use the small cuts first since they thaw first and save the roasts for later in the week since they may take a few days to thaw. Our meats are generally good for 5-7 days once thawed since everything is frozen right after processing.
Schedule in any food prep you need to do. I like to do this to eliminate stress in the evening when things can be chaotic and the kids are hungry. I set a reminder if I need to throw ingredients in the crock pot in the morning, chop veggies ahead of time to make dinner prep easier, cut up a watermelon, bake a loaf of bread, or if I need to brine meat. I’ve been just doing dry brines lately which simply means I sprinkle salt all over and let sit in the fridge for at least a few hours before cooking. Makes for more tender and flavorful meat!
Be sure to save any bones or veggie scraps for bone broth. I keep a container in the freezer that I toss chicken bones & scraps into, along with any scraps from onions, garlics, celery or carrots. This makes your food dollars go further and gives you extra nutrition to add to rice, soups or really anything that calls for broth.
Eat the oldest leftovers first. When we first got married, so many leftovers went to waste and it took me a while to realize how much this may be costing us. Now, we make sure to eat the oldest leftovers first to ensure nothing gets tossed.
We hope this was helpful. Please share any tips and tricks you utilize in your home to simplify meal planning and save money. We’d love to know!