Hennepin County employees

This week I purchased square glass containers with silicone lined lids for my flour and rice to preserve them longer.

I have been drying my orange mint, and I then I made a hot cup of mint tea: it was delicious.

I have enjoyed the last 8 days of the challenge. Checking my action plan each day has helped me remain mindful of adhering to my meal plan, using up the food I already have on hand and including my daughter more often in meal creations.

The amount surprises me initially, but through just the last week of doing this challenge, I see how quickly food waste adds up. I would much rather use that money on a vacation or hockey fees for my child haha.

Along with meal planning, making and sticking to a list is really helpful.

I would rather spend the money on vacation instead of wasted food! Meal planning helps save time during the week, figuring out in the moment of what to cook. The meal tends to be more well balanced and use what we have on hand.

Some times I buy more fruits or vegetables than what is on my list because they look good or there is a sale I wasn't aware of. However, I also tend to buy cookies that aren't on my list. If I skip that aisle, I can avoid the cookies altogether.

Fruits tend to taste better from a farmers market versus the grocery store.

veggies. I pick up a lot at the same time, and then dont use them as planned; or have too much left over after eating. look to reuse the veggies 2 days in a row; rather than planning a different veggie each night and having too much left over.

I put different meal options in a hat and had my daughter pick them out to assign a meal to each day of the week. she had a lot of fun with that.