Reduce Food Waste: Meal Prepping Strategies with Microgreens

Innovative solutions are crucial in a world where food waste is a growing global concern. According to the UNEP’s Food Waste Index Report 2024, a staggering 19% of the worldwide food supply goes to waste, with the United States seeing figures as high as 30-40%.

Enter meal prepping: a devastating way of dealing with wood waste. If you introduce microgreens into preparing meals, you will change the way you use food, reduce waste, and improve wellness at the same time.

Meal prepping has many advantages regarding healthier eating habits and food waste. When preparing meals on the weekends, people are able to eliminate the weekday cooking rushes, make healthier choices, and cut on waste tremendously.

While some people prefer meal prep delivery service offers, many take joy and are in control once they prepare their meals on their own. This is where microgreens come into play – these tiny powerhouses of nutrition can elevate your meal prep game, offering intense flavors and health benefits in small packages.

What Are Microgreens?

Microgreens are young, tender greens harvested at the earliest stage of plant growth – about three weeks after germination. These tiny delights are nutritionally dense and available in various tastes.

They range from mild sweetness to hotness and sourness. Some widely known microgreens are arugula, basil, cilantro, kale, and radish sprouts. Due to their high nutrient density, they are ideal for any meal plan and bring many benefits.

Benefits of Using Microgreens in Meal Prep

Health and Nutritional Benefits

When it comes to nutritional value, microgreens are off the charts. Research has found that the young plants are richer in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than the mature plants. An example is red cabbage microgreens. It has been shown to contain even more vitamin C than an orange. The nutrient density enables you to get a lot of nutrients from small portions.

More than that, microgreens not only contain a significant number of vitamins and minerals, but they are rich in polyphenols. These are strong antioxidants that are good at reducing inflammation and ensuring there is a healthy heart. Various researches have revealed that total phenolic content in microgreens, especially broccoli microgreens, is 10 times higher than in the mature ones.

It helps to enhance glucose regulation and several other metabolic functions in the body. This explains why microgreens are first-class ingredient to be used in meals for people who seek to achieve the most in nutrient intake, while avoiding food wastage.

The incorporation of microgreens into meal prep promotes improved digestion. Their high enzyme content aids digestion, which is beneficial when added to heavy meal prep staples like grains and proteins. Additionally, their rich chlorophyll content can help maintain steady energy levels, preventing the afternoon slumps that often lead to unhealthy snacking. Chlorophyll also boasts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Time-Saving Advantages

A hidden but significant benefit of adding microgreens to a meal prep plan is the small preparation that is needed. Unlike the full-size vegetables that require washing and peeling and slicing, microgreens can be just rinsed and used.

The small size of microgreens is another advantage to take into account. They take minimal space in meal prep containers to aid in better organization of storage.

Versatility and Culinary Enhancement

Microgreens offer unique advantages in meal prepping through their versatility in temperature applications. While many vegetables need to be cooked, and thus, they lose their appeal when added to hot dishes, microgreens can be incorporated into meals at any temperature point. They maintain their texture and nutritional benefits, whether added to cold salads, room-temperature grain bowls, or as finishing touches to heated meals.

Their intense flavors also mean you can reduce or eliminate the need for salt and heavy seasonings in your meal preps. This natural flavor enhancement helps maintain your meal’s healthfulness while satisfying your taste buds.

For example, spicy radish microgreens can punch otherwise bland protein bowls, and citrusy sorrel microgreens can brighten up prepared grain salads without additional dressing.

Economic and Environmental Impact

Meal-prepping strategies involving the use of microgreens are among the most efficient ways of reducing the cost of food.

This will, in turn, assist different households in reducing their monthly grocery bills and reducing the high demand for expensive takeaway meals. Consuming microgreens in large quantities or cultivating them is cheaper than conventional vegetables since they are sold in small portions.

Also, research shows that microgreens can provide four to twenty times more nutrients than mature veggies, as their nutritional density is higher. In other words, eating an X amount of microgreens offers more nutritional benefits than consuming the same amount of mature plants.

The advantages of less food waste that is brought about by meal prepping cannot be underestimated. Reduced food waste also leads to low emissions of greenhouse gases from landfills and a decreased use of resources employed in food production and distribution.

To reduce your carbon footprint, buy microgreens from local farmers or grow them yourself. For those who want to grow microgreens indoors, here’s an article on how much you would spend on electricity bills while increasing your microgreens and how to lower the cost.

Meal Prepping Basics with Microgreens

The very first step in the process of meal prepping is the planning stage. Evaluate your weekly timetable. Calculate the number of meals you must cook in a week.

When planning your meals, consider the nature of your job, schedule, and tastes and preferences. Make a list of what you want to cook and shop for all the ingredients you need for the meal preps you intend to prepare.

Here are some additional planning tips to consider:

• Plan to purchase or harvest microgreens at most 2-3 days before your prep day to ensure maximum freshness.
• Calculate portion sizes carefully – most dishes require only 1/4 to 1/2 cups of microgreens per serving.
• Design your meals with “microgreen windows” – spaces in containers where you can add fresh microgreens just before eating.
• When planning, consider the flavor profiles of different microgreens. Pair spicy varieties with mild dishes and delicate ones with boldly flavored meals.
• Plan for backup greens in case your microgreens spoil earlier than expected.
• Create a rotation schedule for different microgreen varieties to maintain nutritional diversity.
• Include both raw and garnish applications in your meal plan to maximize versatility.

Essential Tools and Equipment for Meal Prepping with Microgreens

Some crucial items that should be revised regarding meal prepping include containers, nice knives, cutting boards, and a measurement scale. Good-quality food storage containers will prolong the lifetime of already prepared foods. Plus, the use of plastics is also minimized.

Schedule a certain day of the week, perhaps Sunday, to prepare and portion your meals. This will create a reliable schedule for such activities and make meal prepping a more natural part of your life.

When meal prepping with microgreens, your kitchen setup requires specific tools beyond basic meal prep equipment. A salad spinner becomes a game-changer for gently washing and drying delicate microgreens without damaging them.

Small, breathable produce storage containers with adjustable vents help maintain optimal humidity levels for different microgreen varieties. A set of sharp scissors or herb snips is crucial for precise cutting and portioning of microgreens (regular knives may crush these delicate plants).

Consider investing in compartmentalized containers with removable dividers. They help keep microgreens separate from other ingredients until serving time. Mesh produce bags are valuable for storing unwashed microgreens, featuring proper airflow while protecting them from moisture.

For those planning to pre-wash their microgreens, a set of fine-mesh filters in various sizes is necessary. They are just great for gentle handling during washing and drying processes.

The Cost-Effectiveness of Using Microgreens in Meal Prep

Microgreens contain a high level of nutrients, in that the small amount has solid nutritional advantages. This high nutrient-to-size ratio can usually pay off their sometimes higher price tag because you’re getting a whole lot of nutritional value for your money.

Those who wish to save a buck, think about indoor microgreen farming. Instead of buying greens in the supermarket, you can produce microgreens daily using a few instruments and little space. This way, you’ll get constant fresh, naturally-grown produce at a lower cost.

Microgreens can also reduce overall food waste in your meal prep routine. Due to their compact size as well as long shelf life, you’re less likely to throw away unused portions.

Only a small amount of microgreens can make plain foods such as rice, beans, or eggs seem fancy. Feel free to create more satisfying and nutritious meals at an additional little cost. Such a transformative ability of microgreens makes this ingredient useful for budget-friendly meal preparation strategies.

For additional cost-effectiveness optimization, think about seasonal buying. Buying microgreens when they’re in season locally often results in better prices. Many farmers’ markets offer microgreens at competitive rates. Keeping in touch with local growers might lead to even better deals. Some suppliers offer discounts for buying microgreens in larger quantities. However, balance this with your ability to use the microgreens before they spoil.

Try incorporating microgreens as a substitute for more expensive greens or herbs in certain recipes. Their intense flavors mean a little goes a long way. This potentially reduces the need for other, pricier ingredients.

For instance, traditional pesto recipes call for a large quantity of fresh basil leaves, which can be expensive, especially when out of season. Substituting a portion of the basil with basil microgreens can significantly reduce the cost while maintaining or even enhancing the flavor.

Another example – a full-grown arugula. It can be pricey, especially when purchasing organic. Arugula microgreens offer the same peppery flavor but in a more concentrated form. In a mixed green salad that might typically use 2 cups of baby arugula (often sold in expensive small bags), you could instead use 1 cup of cheaper mixed greens as a base and top it with just 1/4 cup of arugula microgreens.

Meal Prepping Strategies to Reduce Waste

Meal prepping with microgreens also involves portioning the food. This can efficiently reduce food waste if the meals are cooked in batches. Cook large loads of the basic components like grains, proteins, and roasted vegetables.

These can be incorporated into different meals throughout the week. For instance, prepare a large portion of quinoa. It can be consumed in salads and Buddha bowls or as an accompaniment to different meals.

Since several bases and toppings can be used in many different ways, this minimizes the chances of getting bored with the meals and throwing them away. Create multiple sauces, dressings, and toppings that can be used in multiple meals served during the week.

Microgreens can be integrated into these ingredient parts in the following ways. For example, add pesto sauce containing microgreens or use microgreens as a topping to soups and stews.

Conclusion

Prepping meals with microgreens adds many benefits, and it would be an excellent ingredient to consider whenever cooking. From a health point of view, these nutrient-rich powerhouses punch the diet with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in small quantities, and therefore, boost the nutritional impact of your meals.

Economically, their concentrated flavors and nutrients may allow a little to go a long way, thus potentially cutting costs and waste of food.

Environmentally, using microgreens in meal prep would support sustainability through reducing food waste and minimizing the carbon footprint generated by food production and distribution. Their versatility in salads, smoothies, and garnishes also guarantees variety in your meal preparation routine.

You could not have a better time to transform your meal-preparing skills with microgreens! Start with a little and add a serving of a few microgreens to one or two of your weekly prepped meals. As you get comfortable, slowly make them part of your routine. Try different microgreens to discover your favorites and don’t be afraid to experiment with them.