What sucks about eating healthy is...

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JessicaLP643
JessicaLP643 Posts: 5 Member
in Food and Nutrition
...the food spoils faster than I anticipated. I way overbought Monday, starting my diet out, & now I have to throw over half of it out, because it's going bad. So disappointed! I'm going to have to grocery shop 2-3 times a week to keep stocked on things & with two kids that just sounds like total...fun! Any tips on keeping fruit & veggies fresh for longer periods of time?!
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  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
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    Buy frozen, or tinned. Some stuff will ripen and spoil slower in a fridge/cool dark cupboard than it will in a fruitbowl in a warm, humid kitchen. Make smoothies or sauces if things look like they're on the turn.
    At least you know now that the shelf life for some items can be quite short, so you won't get caught out again!
  • Jacleepin
    Jacleepin Posts: 48 Member
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    What are you buying? I buy a 2 large bags of organic power greens at Costco, a week of peppers and cucumbers, apples, bananas (yes, I struggle with keeping those good), avocados, and melons. This all keeps good for a week except I may have to have a banana run.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Some last longer than others. Apples, oranges, and greenish bananas will last longer than strawberries, for example. Try to buy some that keep longer and some to eat sooner.

    For veggies, I find that cucumbers and bell peppers go south sooner than radishes, celery, and broccoli. So I try to eat the former earlier in the week.
  • Amik07
    Amik07 Posts: 13 Member
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    you can google any veggie or fruit for info. good luck.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Google, as was suggested, and plan ahead. Use the vegetables and fruits that will go bad quickly first, then use the ones that hold up better (stuff like cabbage and cauliflower and broccoli, for example) later.

    Don't buy more than 3 or 4 days worth, though.

    I tend to make a quick run to the store just for veggies after I hit the gym twice a week. It only takes me 5 minutes, and I'm in and out.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
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    Jacleepin wrote: »
    What are you buying? I buy a 2 large bags of organic power greens at Costco, a week of peppers and cucumbers, apples, bananas (yes, I struggle with keeping those good), avocados, and melons. This all keeps good for a week except I may have to have a banana run.
    Bananas freeze well. I chop them up and weigh them out for protein shakes but freezing them whole works too.

  • 23susu23
    23susu23 Posts: 68 Member
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    I guess if it isn't greens (and maybe even if it is) throw veggies in the freezer to use in soup or sauces. I find that the power greens and spinach go very well in pasta sauce. squash and cucumbers keep a little longer if you take them out of plastic bags and wrap in paper towels, I discovered.

    I hardly buy bananas anymore because I can only keep so many in the freezer. They are not worth the calories to me right now. I used some raspberries that I put in the freezer in my oatmeal the other day. Frozen veggies were on sale the other day and I bought 10 bags. My freezer is too full. I'm going to have to work on eating out of the freezer for the next week (or two).
  • ChefSteveUrso
    ChefSteveUrso Posts: 84 Member
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    Most fresh produce lasts a week in the fridge. Learn how much you will realistically use and just buy that amount. I used to buy to much and throw a lot away also. I tend to eat more veggies and fruit when I wash and cut up certain things ahead of time for omelets, salads, and cooking. Try slicing up small amounts of peppers, onions, cucumbers, mushrooms, zucchini, pineapple, mango, ect. wash your berries, lettuce and tomatoes. You'll be surprised how much quicker and easier it is to make a meal when your veggies are already washed and cut up. You'll start using more produce in everything, which is very healthy for you and your family.
  • JessicaLP643
    JessicaLP643 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks for the tips guys! I think I just got overzealous with the first "healthy eating" shopping trip & went a little crazy. My salads & most of my fruit was bad within 2-3 days. Most of my veggies were bought frozen thankfully & then I bought a pack of 10 chicken breast that I grilled & had in Tupperware in the fridge. After weighing them I realized I was only allowed 1/2 of each chicken breast making it now 20 chicken breast I had to eat or throw away in 2-3 days! Lol. It's deff a learning experience! I've learned so much already in just a week. I won't go so crazy next time.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Oh no... NEVER wash berries until right before you use them. Washing them ahead of time is a sure fire way for them to grow mold on you.
  • ChefSteveUrso
    ChefSteveUrso Posts: 84 Member
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    mamapeach910 wrote: »
    Oh no... NEVER wash berries until right before you use them. Washing them ahead of time is a sure fire way for them to grow mold on you.
    If you're berries get moldy because you washed them it means you didn't eat them within a reasonable amount of time like a day or two, which goes back to the first advice I gave, Don't buy more produce than you will eat. If your berries are washed and drained you can grab them as a quick healthy snack and they will be gone way before they ever get moldy. Mama don't tell a Chef about food.
  • Noelv1976
    Noelv1976 Posts: 18,948 Member
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    It gets expensive
  • Valtishia
    Valtishia Posts: 811 Member
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    I tend to limit the stuff that spoils faster.. but I make it gets eaten first. I also have a machine that takes frozen fruit and turns it into a sorbet kind of thing. If I notice fruit is starting to go a little, I will stick it in the freezer and use it as a frozen treat later :)
  • Noelv1976
    Noelv1976 Posts: 18,948 Member
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    I don't have diabetes
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
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    Take berries. Wash, Dry. Freeze.
  • adamjackson213
    adamjackson213 Posts: 12 Member
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    It takes more effort and a longer time to prepare food in general.
  • Justygirl77
    Justygirl77 Posts: 385 Member
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    JessicaLP643 wrote: »
    ...the food spoils faster than I anticipated. I way overbought Monday, starting my diet out, & now I have to throw over half of it out, because it's going bad. So disappointed! I'm going to have to grocery shop 2-3 times a week to keep stocked on things & with two kids that just sounds like total...fun! Any tips on keeping fruit & veggies fresh for longer periods of time?!

    Maybe your refrigerator is not as cold as it should be.
    Also, are you storing things in the correct compartments? Greens and veggies in the high humidity drawer? A shoebox type plastic container really helps to keep produce fresh longer.

    My diet consists mainly of veggies (I eat a pound of vegetables every day, and 4 of my children started copying my diet lol!) So I got out our BIG cooler that keeps things cold for 6 days and started storing all the produce in there, so I don't have to stuff my fridge or keep opening up the fridge to sort through produce.

    I find it helpful to make up a pot of beans (black ), lentils to go with meals. It's pretty cheap, fun to eat and is satisfying.
  • tiffanybrooks530
    tiffanybrooks530 Posts: 140 Member
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    Increased cost in some cases. We made zucchini spaghetti instead of using pasta and the zucchini was organic and 2.99 for 2, we used 8 zuccs which only ended up being two servings after cooking it so it cost = 8 zuccs X $2.99 = $23.92 just to substitute pasta which only cost 2 bucks for an 8 serving box. We decided not to do that again, we just cut back on eating pasta type dishes all together.

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