Simplify Your Food: Set in Order

It used to be that we’d look in the fridge and say, “There’s nothing to eat!” Even though we had food, we didn’t have a plan. It made meal time stressful.

We started thinking about food like we think about farming: Keep the right stuff on hand. Then use it wisely. 

Set your food in order

The first step is to Sort your food by determining what is essential and getting rid of waste. Following along in the "5S" framework of Lean Management (what I use at my manufacturing job and here on the farm), this is the second "S": Set in Order. On the farm, this is like keeping the right packing materials stocked and in the proper place.

In the kitchen, here's how it looks:

1. Keep What You Need

We figured out what foods we use all the time—things like eggs, milk, beef, broth, and whole chickens. Now we make sure to always have those stocked.

We don’t buy a lot of extras. Just what we know we’ll cook with and eat. It saves money, and we waste less food.

2. Organize It

A big part of sorting out the foods that aren't helping you, is to make room for the foods that do. When you order a meat bundle you need a good place to keep that meat frozen until you're ready to use it. A chest freezer is indispensable for most farm-to-table eaters.

It may be a good idea to keep an inventory sheet of what is inside your chest freezer. A simple tally for every pound of meat that goes in will help make sure you use it all before ordering more. 

Pro tip: You can use a wet-erase marker directly on most chest freezers to track inventory without any fuss. 

3. Have a Plan to Use It

That pack of ground beef? Know when it’s getting eaten. A dozen eggs? Decide if they’re for breakfast or quiche. Don’t let great ingredients drift aimlessly.

Plan the week's main meals. Start with dinners, and make sure those ingredients are set aside and others in the house know that they are reserved for meals. This tactic alone will save you a lot in your grocery budget and on trips to the grocery store.

Why This Works

In manufacturing, "Set in Order" prevents waste, delays, and chaos. In the kitchen? Same story.
When we started treating our food like it mattered—enough to manage it well—our stress dropped and our health improved. We had the building blocks we needed, in the right place, at the right time.

Running a home is a lot like running a farm. When things are in order, the work is easier and the food turns out better.

If you want to eat better without making it more stressful, I think the "5S" framework can help.

One Final Tip: Start With the Staples

At Hobby Ag, our customers tend to build around a few core ingredients—eggs, milk, chicken, and beef. They’re nutrient-dense, easy to work into meals, and available weekly through local pickup or home delivery.

Start with a basic order. Use it well. Repeat.