Week One of the latest time-bound experiment I’m doing to help myself create a new restorative habit has been incredibly refreshing! I just started a new project to change my habits from primarily eating takeout and microwavable meals that create waste through single-use packaging to cooking healthy meals mindfully.

I kicked off the project by sharing a video on my Instagram asking for recipes and tips from my friends, which brought an element of fun into the project. One friend excitedly shared her tips for batching, as well as a recipe for Magic Soup that I’ll be making for the first time tonight! (Thank you, Meg!)

I also took some time to clean out and organize my two fridges and pantry – there were a number of items that were expired and everything was super cluttered.

It felt good to get things in order, but I also saw how much pantry food I already had like rice, lentils, and black-eyed peas, as well as some packages of meat in the freezer. I made a commitment to use what I have first versus buying a bunch of new stuff.

Since a lot of the single-use packaging that I counted up from the first three weeks of the year were from sparkling water, I also decided to buy a Sodastream and stop buying 12-packs.

And because I regularly have been throwing out produce that gets buried in the crisper drawer, I decided to get some new produce storage bins for my counters so I can keep what I have more visible. This probably was unnecessary for the project, but giving myself a little joy around this challenge felt like a good move.

Here’s how things shifted in Week 1!

By the Numbers: Week 1 Progress

Home Cooked Meals: 6 | Outsourced Meals: 2

Containers/Packaging: 1 single-use container

Financial Impact:

• Spent on convenience (takeout/DoorDash): $50.51
• Spent on dining out (restaurants): $52.22
• Spent on groceries: $102.32
• Total food spending: $205.05

Comparison to Baseline:

• Baseline average: ~24 containers/week → 96% reduction
• Baseline average: ~$81/week convenience → Week 1: $50.51 (38% reduction)
• Baseline average: ~$162/week dining out → Week 1: $52.22 (68% reduction)
• Baseline average: ~$88/week groceries → Week 1: $102.32 (16% increase)
• Home cooked meals increased from ~2/week to 6/week

The bottom line: I spent about $125 less on food this week compared to my baseline average of $330/week. Not only did I triple my home-cooked meals and eliminate 96% of single-use container waste, but I also saved significant money by reducing both takeout and restaurant spending.

What’s Working

The biggest thing that made this easier was using my InstantPot to cook beans and a bunch of chicken breasts that I then shredded to add to healthy bowls of rice and vegetables. I made rice a few times during the week, sautéed some mushrooms and onions one night, and roasted veggies (squash, zucchini, carrots, Brussell sprouts) several times during the week as well.

For lunches, I heated up leftovers. One night, I had a friend over for dinner and it felt good to share a healthy, tasty meal without a lot of fuss.

I usually make protein smoothies in my Nutribullet for breakfast, but I made a commitment to cook myself a healthy breakfast – real food – at least once during the week. On my six workout days, I did the smoothies, then on my rest day I made eggs. I think next week, I’ll add cottage cheese and some fruit to that breakfast plan.

The Hard Parts

There was one meal this week where I blatantly chose convenience. My 20-year-old step-sibling was visiting from out of town, and I know how much they love Chipotle burritos (something that is not available in their small town.) I originally thought I’d cook for them, but decided it would be easier and make me feel good to treat them, so we DoorDashed that night. I also took them out to lunch the next day.

If I hadn’t done this, my spend on single-use containers would have been zero for week one, and my budget would have seen a much better number. (DoorDash tends to take at least $50 from me every time!)

Overall, I didn’t have any temptations to “cheat” mostly because I just didn’t buy the stuff I would have turned to when I didn’t feel like cooking. Stocking my kitchen with the right stuff has been key so far.

Deeper Reflections

I noticed a little sense of pride in myself for eating food I prepared myself, but the coolest thing I learned is that I actually do have time to do this. I had been telling myself I didn’t have time, but that was because I wasn’t stopping work when I said I would. Knowing that I needed to preserve time each evening to prepare my food forced me to wind down my work on time. This had a domino effect – because I got off my laptop earlier, I also got to bed earlier. I had time to read, to take my time with my wind down routines, and to get to sleep at my desired time. And getting better sleep meant better energy throughout the day.

Additionally, I found myself thinking more about the Earth and my energetic connection to the Earth. In qigong, we work with the elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Earth, and Fire) and I intentionally focused on exercises that connected me to these elements. I think this is something I’ll continue to do and see how that feels as I get deeper into this project.

I also found the whole process kind of fun – I began viewing my cooking “chore” as a creative act instead of something I had to do. My first batch of chicken was pretty bland because I used water instead of broth, but I saved the stock and reused it for the next batch so it had more flavor. I felt kind of crafty doing that! 😂 I also liked experimenting with different seasonings and am excited to tweak some of the stuff that I wanted to taste differently.

This Week in Photos

I didn’t take many photos of food this week (this isn’t a food blog! LOL) but I’ll share photos from the week.

Into Week 2

I’m excited to take what I’m learning and incorporate new ingredients in Week Two. I’m also going to keep using the InstantPot as much as I can, sticking to Meg’s tip to batch-prepare rice and beans and protein, then make fresh veggies to add throughout the week.

I think I’ll also try to find some more snacks – I ate some grapes and mandarins, but I think I’d like some savory snacks, too.

And lastly, Emily was gone all of the last week, making it a bit easier for me to do things somewhat last minute. I want to make sure she has good food to take with her on her next trip, so I’ll need to plan ahead a bit more next week.

Join Me

If you’ve been thinking more about sustainability or even just eating healthier, let’s connect! It could be fun to cheer each other on. And if you have any favorite easy recipes or tips for easy preparation, let me know!

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