If you’re a busy mum or dad attempting to feed a household with completely different tastes, grocery buying can shortly flip right into a chaotic—and costly—chore. Between inflation, meals waste, and the limitless “What’s for dinner?” dilemma, many people are hungry for options that assist us do extra with much less. Enter Chef Will Coleman’s 6-to-1 Grocery Procuring Technique: a sensible, versatile technique that makes planning, buying, and cooking less complicated and extra sustainable.
What’s the 6-to-1 Grocery Procuring Technique?
Designed to assist consumers deal with components that can be utilized throughout a number of meals, Coleman’s methodology is easy: store for six greens, 5 fruits, 4 proteins, three starches, two sauces, and one enjoyable merchandise. The consequence? A cart filled with cost-effective, versatile components that may stretch into every week’s value of meals with out waste or overwhelm.
Earlier than coming throughout the 6-to-1 Technique on social media, I believed I had an honest grocery buying technique. I’ve at all times been acutely aware about meals waste, so every week, I’d plan meals round components I already had and solely store for what I used to be lacking. Appears easy and environment friendly sufficient proper? Whereas that technique does work, I discovered myself in a relentless loop of attempting to not waste leftover groceries from the earlier week, and I wasn’t at all times prioritizing produce and more healthy entire meals. Plus, buying that manner simply wasn’t thrilling.
“I created the 6-to-1 Technique out of a necessity for extra intentional grocery buying,” Coleman informed me. “I needed a system that made it simpler to plan balanced meals, cut back my reliance on processed meals, and minimize down each time and spending on the retailer.”
I lately put Coleman’s methodology to the check, and the outcomes have been spectacular. I loved the flexibility to be inventive and plan how I’d use contemporary components in numerous methods for a number of meals inside the identical week in order that I may begin contemporary the subsequent. I shopped with intention, stayed below finances, and had what I wanted to make 9 full meals (three breakfasts, three lunches, and three dinners) for my household of 4.
what I purchased:
Greens: Butter lettuce, celery, Caesar salad combine, onions, contemporary herbs, cucumbers*
Fruits: Apples, citrus fruits (orange, lemon, lime), strawberries, grapes, tomatoes
Proteins: Floor beef, salmon, rooster, eggs
Starches: Spaghetti, brioche buns, flour tortillas
Sauces: Mayonnaise, avocado cilantro sauce
Enjoyable merchandise: Chocolate chip cookies
Photograph by Typhanie Stewart
*Though cucumbers are technically a fruit, I categorized them as a vegetable right here since I solely used them in salads and inexperienced juice. Once more, one of many nice issues in regards to the 6-to-1 Technique is it’s customizable!
what I made:
Breakfasts: Breakfast burritos, inexperienced juice, fruit salad
Lunches: Salmon Caesar salad, floor beef burritos (with pantry rice and beans), jerk salmon burgers with lemon-garlic-herb aioli
Photograph by Typhanie Stewart
Photograph by Typhanie Stewart
Dinners: Curry rooster (with pantry rice), spaghetti and meatballs (with store-bought sauce), candy and bitter rooster with do-it-yourself fried rice
Snacks: Fruit, chocolate chip cookies
Photograph by Typhanie Stewart
Photograph by Typhanie Stewart
Value Breakdown for the week
Whole spent: $117.90
Meals made: 9 (with 4 servings every)
Value per serving: $3.28
Why this methodology works
As a working mother, I can’t at all times put together three meals a day, daily. However even with my hectic schedule, this methodology helped us eat most of our meals at dwelling fairly than resorting to quick meals, takeout, or spending lots of on a single dinner out. Past the associated fee financial savings, I additionally appreciated the way it inspired us to eat more healthy—with contemporary components and balanced meals I felt good about serving.
“Prioritizing entire components not solely helps higher consuming habits, however it additionally helps to keep away from overspending on pointless or overly processed meals gadgets,” Coleman defined.
Along with price financial savings and more healthy meals decisions, the fantastic thing about the 6-to-1 Technique is in its customizability. It really works whether or not you’re looking for choosy eaters, attempting to scrub out your pantry, or simply eager to keep away from the temptation of impulse buys. Plus, you don’t should be an expert chef to make it work—only a dwelling cook dinner seeking to simplify the weekly meals routine.
And should you’re all in favour of studying extra, Coleman lately expanded on this idea in his debut cookbook, From Cart to Kitchen, which dropped on June ninth. The guide options 60 recipes and ten grocery lists that comply with the 6-to-1 Technique, making it simple for anybody to begin buying smarter and cook dinner with confidence. It’s accessible for pre-order now, and after attempting the strategy myself, I can confidently say it’s value each penny.
What are you finest grocery buying tricks to save time, cash, and waste?
