The Basic of Meal Planning with Homegrown Ingredients

Learn how to use the food you are already growing or have access to in order to plan your family's meals easily.

Transcript

There's something truly special about incorporating freshly harvested produce from your own garden into your meals. So, grab your gardening gloves and apron, because we're about to dive into the basics of meal planning with homegrown goodness!"

Hello, and welcome back to Prepping Positively! I'm Annie, and today we're delving into the wonderful world of meal planning with homegrown ingredients.

There's a unique joy that comes from growing your own food. Whether it's juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce, or fragrant herbs, there's an undeniable satisfaction in harvesting ingredients straight from your garden. Not only do homegrown fruits and vegetables taste better, but they're also packed with nutrients and are free from harmful pesticides.

Getting Started with Meal Planning:
Meal planning is the secret sauce to successful home cooking. It helps you stay organized, saves time, and reduces food waste. But how do you incorporate homegrown ingredients into your meal plans? Let's break it down:

1. **Assess Your Harvest:** Take inventory of what's ripe and ready to harvest in your garden. Consider seasonal availability and the quantity of each ingredient.

If you don’t have a home garden, try to shop at local farm stands or at the whole food and organic providers as much as possible.

2. **Plan Around Your Produce:** Start by selecting recipes that feature your homegrown ingredients as the star of the dish. Whether it's a fresh salad, a hearty stew, or a flavorful stir-fry, let your garden bounty shine.

There are a ton of apps for your phone that provide healthy recipes as well as recipes on Pinterest. Just search easy recipe ideas for (whatever the main ingredient is).

3. **Balance Your Meals:** Aim for a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and vegetables in your meal plans. Incorporate a variety of colors, textures, and flavors to keep things interesting.

Print out a food pyramid as a reference so you know how many helplings from each of the food groups is required in a day's meals.

4. **Be Flexible:** Embrace the spontaneity of gardening by being flexible with your meal plans. If unexpected harvests or bumper crops occur, adjust your recipes accordingly and get creative with preservation methods like freezing or canning.

This is a great way to use up that bulk purchase you make when certain vegetables or meats go on sale too.

5. **Utilize Preservation Techniques:** Speaking of preservation, don't let any excess produce go to waste. Preserve your homegrown bounty through methods like canning, freezing, fermenting, or drying for future use.

6. **Plan Ahead:** Take the time to plan your meals for the week ahead, considering your homegrown ingredients and incorporating them into your recipes. This will streamline your grocery shopping and ensure you use up everything you harvest.

Check the show notes for some quick and easy free meal planners you can download from my website, Road to Reliance.

One of the joys of meal planning with homegrown ingredients is embracing the seasonal ebb and flow of your garden. From crisp salads in the spring to hearty soups in the fall, let the seasons guide your meal planning and celebrate the flavors of each harvest.

Thanks for joining me today as we explored the basics of meal planning with homegrown ingredients. I hope you feel inspired to get into the kitchen and create delicious meals using the fruits of your labor from the garden. Remember, there's nothing quite like the satisfaction of enjoying a meal made with love from seed to table.

You will find links to my posts that relate to this episode in the show notes if you wish to learn more about meal planning with homegrown ingredients.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your friends. Stay inspired, stay self-reliant, and until next time, this is Annie, stay positive, stay prepped, and keep on growing!