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Due to the fast lifestyle most of us live, we do not have too much time and space to prepare delicious meals every day. We often decide to order food or buy more food than we need, so we throw it away.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), each day approximately one pound of food per person is wasted in the United States. This equates to 103 million tons (81.4 billion pounds) of food waste generated in America in 2017, or between 30-40 percent of the food supply.

Learning how to prepare food can reduce food waste and save you money! Follow our steps below if you are a total beginner and do not know where to start.

1. Get organized.

Before you start preparing delicious meals, do the most important part first: get organized. Good organization is the key to any successful meal preparation. Organize your fridge, kitchen, pantry, and everything you will use for preparing food.

2. Create your digital collection of recipes.

Looking for mom's or grandma's recipes in drawers can be frustrating, especially when you need them urgently. Take advantage of digital format and create your digital collection of recipes. This could be in a digital format on your computer, tablet, or cell phone. If it’s handwritten, you can take pictures of it or scan it and store it online. Save one folder for recipes and collect them in one place. This way you will find the recipe you need wherever you are in a few seconds.

Read also: Rules for healthy eating on a budget

3. Always make a shopping list.

Going to the store on an empty stomach means that your wallet will also become empty, and you will bring home a pile of food to throw away. This is why you should always go to the grocery store with a shopping list. A shopping list will save you time and money. On top of that, you’ll buy just the groceries you need to prepare food.

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4. Buy in bulk.

Imagine preparing food every day, and you don't have all the necessary groceries in the kitchen, so you have to go to the store. Don't waste time. Make sure to buy in bulk. Foods like rice, nuts, seeds, beans, potatoes, and dried fruit are groceries that are not expensive, and you can always buy in bulk. 

5. Keep spices on hand.

Sometimes a completely ordinary dish can have a fantastic taste only if you add the right spices. Spices are a powerful weapon that can help you a lot in preparing food. Make sure you always have spices like oregano, primrose, basil, turmeric, and others on hand.

6. Invest in good Kitchen gadgets.

Kitchen gadgets are great for food preparation especially as they are a great time-savior and can be funny. Gadgets such as knives, food processors, slow cookers, hand blenders, sushi makers and others, will help you quickly and easily make your favorite food in different shapes and quantities. It is very wise to have tools for quick food preparation in the kitchen, such as OXO Good Grips Spiralize, Grate & Slice Set.

This three-in-one tool is your best ally in preparing delicious food when you don't have enough time. With three blades, you can do almost any kitchen task without having to dirty an arsenal of kitchen tools. The Spiralizer creates uniform vegetable noodles out of zucchini, carrots, and more. The slicer yields uniform slices of fruits and veggies, and the medium grater makes fluffy shavings of hard cheeses and chocolate. Finally, the coarse grater is perfect for semi-soft cheese, butter, onions and more!

Also, the tool is safe since the non-slip feet keep the container steady and the food holder protects your hand while slicing. The container measures and collects food, and doubles as a lid when storing the blades neatly inside the set. Get it now with our subscription box!

7. Keep your fridge organized.

An unorganized refrigerator will not only look dirty, but it will help you make food. How do you make food if you don't know where things are in the fridge? Do you even know what foods you have in the fridge? Organize your fridge right now! Put the foods you’ll eat first towards the front, along with fresh and roasted veggies.

Foods you’ll eat later in the week, as well as proteins, go towards the back of the fridge. Also, make sure to separate ethylene-producing fruits and veggies (bananas, apples, avocados) from ethylene-sensitive produce (eggplants, carrots, yams) to keep your groceries from ripening too quickly.  

Read also: These hacks will help you keep your food fresh longer

8. Purchase containers.

When it comes to perfect food preparation, you can’t even try that without having quality containers for storing food. Invest in good containers of various sizes and materials. Also, buy ones that can be frozen or heated. Glass or stainless storage containers can be purchased in a set for little money. Glassware is the safest solution, so make sure to avoid plastic containers whenever you can.

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9. Keep meal prep simple.

If you’re a total beginner make sure to start with simple meal preparation. Make one-pot recipes or focus on one main dish. Don't rush to make sushi if you don't know how to cook rice at all! Start with simple but delicious meals and try making just one recipe ahead of time.

10. Cook for the whole family.

Unfortunately, we don't have enough time to cook every family member's favorite dish every day. If you want to prepare food for several days or a whole week, choose a dish that the whole family likes. A great choice would be stew, soup, or broth. Keep such a dish in the refrigerator for a few days and serve as one meal a day. Also, dishes like these can be taken to work or school.

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In this case, make sure you buy a quality lunch box. NONA Roll-top lunchbox fits your favorite on-the-go meal. Constructed with soft yet durable insulation and adjustable buckled closure, it can easily be adjusted to snugly fit everything from a few small snacks to a larger lunch. Simply stuff, snag and let Nona keep your snacks secure until you're ready to eat. This cool gadget can be yours if you subscribe to BREO BOX now. 

11. Use frozen foods. 

Fresh is best, but sometimes we don't have time to chop fruits and vegetables to prepare meals. Be smart and buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Frozen veggies are not only cheaper and just as nutritious, but they are also usually prepped for you. Vegetables like carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, as well as a variety of vegetable mix can be found in stores. Buying frozen foods can make meal preparation much easier and faster.