Produce Delivery

alanadylanr
alanadylanr Posts: 1 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone else get produce delivery boxes / have a grocery setup where you're not 100% on what your main food options will be?
How do you structure meals around that?
What do you add to your meals to supplement them?

I eat mostly plant based (sometimes fish and eggs, minimal dairy) and am finding I'm not eating enough, even if I feel full after eating. I'm pretty good about "I have X Y and Z to work with, i can make this" but I'm not great at making sure they have enough calories, vitamins, etc.

I usually end up having food waste because i can't get through everything, even with protein shakes some mornings.

Replies

  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,887 Member
    I do during the growing season, a CSA from a local farm. I've found it helped my creativity as a cook and my flexibility to learn to use it up, although sometimes it's still hard. When it comes I do a little planning as to how I will use the ingredients (and my look up ideas if there are more unusual things I don't use so much), and I also force myself to use the produce I have on hand rather than buying something specifically for a recipe -- I create recipes around my ingredients.

    I tend to have a standard breakfast (when I was eating eggs it was a vegetable omelet with the veg I had on hand plus fruit on the side), and then I often make lunches ahead for the week or do salads with some kind of protein on them. For meal planning I think about protein, veg, and starch as my basic template although the resulting meal could be something one-pot.

    Maybe think through how much protein and calories you need your various meals to have and then practice coming up with some ideas that fit that? Once you know what will give you those, you won't have to plan so much. If you are not getting sufficient cals, are you cutting too low on fat?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,055 Member
    Smoothies and soups are great ways to use lots of produce, especially produce that shrinks when being blended or cooked, notoriously spinach, but also leafy greens like kale and Swiss chard.

    Allrecipes.com has an ingredient search filter, so you might be able to come up with new ideas by using 'vegetarian' or 'vegan' as a keyword plus the particular produce as an ingredient.

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,055 Member
    I grow Swiss chard and usually keep it under control by using it daily in smoothies, but if it gets away from me I use up the excess in casserole.

    https://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2008/07/alice-waterss-s.html

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    That dish is only 8 x 6".
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,491 Member
    I used to get produce from an organic CSA, I loved getting it but they raised prices so I discontinued. You could go online and pick what you wanted in the box or have it be a surprise, they had fruit boxes, veggie boxes, and mixed from small to large. It's Farm Fresh to You if you're in CA.

    Last year I started getting Imperfect Produce, they have organic and conventional options, pantry goods, meat and dairy and plant alternatives, and other stuff. I was able to get a medium box for almost half the price of the CSA box. I really loved getting a box but I'm pretty good at bargain shopping so it came out about the same with more options in the store. I chose what went in my box. I really loved it in Spring and Fall but come winter I started getting potatoes that sprouted in a day or two, slimy cucumbers, and wilted kale. It was just one thing every other week and they refunded it but it was frustrating as I planned meals around what I was getting so I canceled. Misfits is similar where Imperfect Produce isn't delivering and seems to be better from posts I've seen of the produce. They're both "imperfect" produce that would otherwise be thrown away but rarely were deformed.
  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,285 Member
    Soup has already been said but it also goes for soup-like substances (think chilis or stews). I'm getting my first CSA this summer and look forward to all the "happy veggie surprises."

    And, if protein is your concern, then consider roasting veggies with nutritional yeast. If you like tofu, tempeh or seitan or those processed vegan meat substitutes then you can go a lot further with your meal ideas too.
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