One Week Meal Plan - Example Menu for Planning A Week Of Meals For One

Storing Foods

Store newer foods to the back of shelves so the older ones will be used first.

Recommended Cupboard Storage Periods:

Crackers 3 months

Opened ready-to-eat cereals 2 - 3 months

Flour 6 - 8 months

Granulated sugar 2 years

Pancake mix 12 months

Biscuit, brownie and muffin mix 9 months

Coffee, instant (opened) 6 - 8 months

Mustard (opened) 6 - 8 months

Peanut butter (opened) 2 - 3 months

Catsup (opened) 1 month

Store perishable foods in the refrigerator as quickly as possible.

Recommended Refrigerator Storage Periods:

Butter 1 - 2 weeks

Margarine 4 - 6 months

Carrots, cabbage and celery 1 - 2 weeks

Lettuce 5 - 7 days

Eggs in shells 2 - 3 weeks

Milk 4 - 5 days

Apples 1 - 3 weeks

Juices 6 days

Bologna and frankfurters 4 - 6 days

Fresh, uncooked ground meat 1 - 2 days

Processed cheese 3 - 4 weeks

Opened canned fruits 1 week

Opened canned vegetables 2 - 3 days

Salad dressings, bottled (opened) 3 months

Frozen foods require low storage temperatures (at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below). Many freezing compartments (without a separate outside door) cannot reach or maintain 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep frozen foods no longer than a week in this type compartment.

Morris, this means you! I used to try keeping ground turkey in the top freezer section of an little one door fridge, the kind that makes ice with difficulty. I wondered why the turkey used to change color, but it seemed kind of frozen so I used to cook and eat it anyway. Can't tell you how often it went through me in a hurry.

Recommended Freezer Storage Periods at zero degrees Fahrenheit or below:

Ground Beef 2 - 3 months

Beef roasts 6 - 12 months

Beef steaks 6 - 9 months

Pork chops 2 - 3 months

Cod, flounder, haddock and sole 6 months

Perch, mackerel and salmon 2 - 3 months

Chicken 10 months

Frozen vegetables 10 months

Breads and rolls 3 - 6 months

TV dinners: ham, pork, frankfurters 3 months

TV dinners: beef, turkey, chicken and fish 6 months

Butter 6 - 9 months

Margarine 12 months

Ice cream 2 months