How to Build a Meal Plan Using What’s Already in Your Kitchen

There’s food in the fridge, but nothing for dinner. 

Who can relate: You open the fridge to see half a bag of spinach, leftover rice, a container of soup, and a half-used container of cream cheese.

This isn’t a recipe for dinner, but for food waste. Food waste is almost inevitable when we grocery shop without a plan or intention. But smart grocery shopping isn’t just about what you buy at the store; it starts in your kitchen. 

Shopping without a plan is an easy trap to fall into when life gets busy, and it’s impossible to remember what you already have in the fridge or freezer. When you go to the grocery store, you shop out of habit, instead of what you already have at home. This leads to random purchases or double-buying items you don’t need. 

It only takes a few quick steps to reduce food waste, use what you have, and save money on groceries. 

Step 1: Take a Quick “Kitchen Inventory”

Before you meal plan or go shopping, you need to make note of what you already have, so you can work with it. All it takes is a quick 5-minute scan of your kitchen. You want to pay attention to produce that needs to be used soon, leftovers from other meals, open items that have a time limit, and any frozen ingredients that can contribute to recipes this week. 

It’s best to focus on ingredients that will expire soon, not necessarily everything in your kitchen. Once you have an inventory, it’s time to give those ingredients a job.

Step 2: Build Your Meal Plan Around Those Ingredients

Now it’s time to create a plan, but instead of planning recipes first and shopping second, reverse the process. This requires a bit of resourcefulness and creativity, but the goal is to plan meals that use the food you’ve already paid for. 

An example is: you have some rotisserie chicken, rice, and bell peppers. You can turn that into chicken fried rice, burrito bowls, or a stir fry. 

In Plan to Eat, you can use the With Ingredients filter to enter the items you already have at home, and the program will populate recipes that use those items! If you don’t have any recipes in your account that work for what you have, a simple Google search or AI query can help spark some ideas. Or text a friend and ask for suggestions! 

Step 3: Shop to Fill In Gaps

Now it’s time to head to the store with a list of ingredients that match what you actually need. 

Instead of a full shopping trip, you’ll be buying a few missing ingredients, fresh produce to complete meals, and any staples you’ve run out of. It makes for a smaller and more concise grocery list. 

If you create your meal plan in Plan to Eat, make sure you cross-check your inventory list with your shopping list and tap off any items you already have. “Shopping” at home is the best way to ensure you don’t buy duplicate items. 

With this method of planning and shopping, you’re going to waste less food, have a smaller grocery bill, and a quicker trip to the grocery store. A triple win!

A New Weekly Routine

Here’s what your new weekly meal planning routine could look like:

1. Check fridge, freezer, pantry
2. Choose meals that use ingredients you already have
3. Make a grocery list for what’s missing
4. Shop intentionally

This might feel clunky and time-consuming at first, but with some practice, this style of planning becomes second nature.

Try It This Week

Whether or not you regularly create a meal plan, if you’re constantly tossing out unused food, something needs to change. Food waste contributes to 58% of methane emissions from landfills, and it’s like throwing your hard-earned money in the garbage. You don’t need to overhaul your plans to waste less. Here’s your simple way to get started:

1. Take a peek at your fridge and pantry.
2. Write down 3 ingredients that need to be used soon.
3. Plan one meal around those ingredients.

Keep it simple, and you’ll notice the reduction in food waste and savings in your grocery budget in no time!