I am a huge proponent of meal planning and not having lots of food waste. I read the other day that on average Americans throw away 219 pounds per person in a year. That is money each of us are throwing away. There are people going hungry in the world and country and a family of 4 is throwing away approximately 875 pounds of food a year! How do you keep from throwing away food? By knowing what you have on hand and having a plan to use it.

I cook meat for 2 or 3 meals at a time most nights but I have have a plan on what we are going to make with the extra. The chicken we had with this meal will also be made into a casserole and possibly a pizza. Do you have a good idea what is in your freezer and pantry? We are doing “No Buy January” and now is a good time to jump in and join us! Make a list of what is in your pantry or cupboards. Have things that have already expired or are questionable? Get rid of them. Place everything where you can see it and know where it is. Then sit down and think about what you can make with what you have on hand. Soups, casseroles, and pizzas are good uses for odds and ends of items. Get creative. Need a bit of fresh produce or dairy? Of course buy those things but see how far you can go with what you have on hand!

Verdict: My family was so excited for a simple salad after a few weeks of excessive treats. We made this as a salad bar so that each person could customize their salads to what they wanted on their salad. We loved this meal. The dressing is simple and we had a tube of anchovy paste on hand! I love the little tubes so that we can make one or two salad dressings and there is not a ton of waste like a jar.

This is also a great way to use leftover chicken breast, shrimp, or steak.