Don't Pass Up Free Meals

Right now we’re still in the midst of a pandemic. There a lot of unsettling things that have taken place over the last year and there’s been a lot of loss. One of the small things we could be thankful for is dinner in a box. Over the course of the last year, local churches, schools, and community organizations are giving away boxes of fresh veggies. I remember a time when it was common to say, eating healthy was expensive. Unhealthy foods from the local fast food restaurant only costs a few bucks. But shopping at the local whole foods market can be pricey.

One or Two-day Event

You can do it one day, but I recommend two. Take a day and wash and chop, slice, dice all your veggies. Some can be for stir fries, some for soups, some for pot-roasts or a big batch of roasted veggies, some for salad, some from sauteing or grilling. Most veggies can be frozen in a freezer bag and saved for another date. That means, you can stock your freezer full of onions, peppers, squash, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes, corn on the cob, etc. You can do the same thing for fruits like berries, and melon. The same fruits and veggies you can walk into the frozen food section to get, you can freeze yourself. That can save money handsomely.

I recommend two days to carry out this task, if you have a lot and are working alone. It take me two or three hours to wash, chop, slice, and dice and store a couple boxes of veggies. If I’m just storing them away in the freezer, it’s no big deal and I can knock it out in a few hours. But if I want to make a soup chock full of all the veggies I have, it’s going to be another couple hours of stirring, tasting, and tweaking- 

 especially if I’m making up the recipe as I go. I like to do my cooking on Sundays (because my weekdays are so busy), that means I may want to slice some in big pieces to go the grill or to sauté. Before you know it, six hours or more have passed, my legs and feet are dog tired and my neck hurts. My reward. Several healthy items I can chose from over the course of the next several days or more. It didn’t cost me a dime, only time and energy.

Frozen Meals

Another thing you can do is freeze some of the soup or dishes you make. Use freezer bags or old Chinese food containers and lids. Then, on days when you are pressed for time or lacking energy, you can grab something out of the freezer. Many a day, I was so relieved to find soup or a dish that only needed to be heated up. They taste just as good as (and many times, a whole lot better than) a frozen dinner from the supermarket.

Share Them

If you’re a good cook or if you think you did a particularly good job on your recipe, you can use that as opportunity to share it with others. You can share meals with someone who is sick or has a sick loved one. Share it with a single mom or single person. You can get a couple people to help cut up a bunch of veggies so you can make a big batch of something for the homeless. Taking opportunity to use these free produce boxes makes fresh veggies more accessible than I ever remember them being.

Conclusion

Be as creative as you want to be but please do take an advantage of the opportunity. There’s no reason to spend money to buy what you can get for free. Save the money you would normally spend on buying pretty pre-washed and pre-packaged items. This season will be over before you know it.