- Shop in your refrigerator Initially
We’ve all experienced the all too familiar sense that nothing in the refrigerator is intriguing or alluring enough. But use your imagination before you go to the grocery store or a restaurant! Take whatever you’ve got and experiment. Even while cooking something new and strange at home isn’t as enjoyable as eating out, leftovers remain a common cause of food waste. According to an NRDC study, behind fruits and vegetables, leftovers are the food category that is wasted the most.
However, this does not imply that leftovers must be dull. By setting aside one night per week for “whatever’s around,” you may still add some variety to the food you currently have. Call it a “use-it-up” lunch or a potluck evening. In any case, you may still create unique dishes with the stuff you currently have, saving you time and money while also contributing to environmental conservation.
- Create a list of groceries.
Yes, it does seem easy, and for good reason. You can cut down on impulsive purchases just simply outlining your needs before you go to the grocery shop. Plan your meals and snacks for the week based on what you already have at home, paying particular attention to what is about to expire and go bad. Next, create a thorough shopping list that includes all of the ingredients you’ll need, and follow it. Purchase only the items on the list; otherwise, they will undoubtedly be wasted.
Plan your meals realistically as well. On the weekend, we frequently feel ambitious and purchase a healthy week’s worth of meals, with fruits and vegetables, but by Wednesday, we’re using Uber Eats. After that, the vegetables and fruits you had planned for will go bad and be wasted. Naturally, that does not exclude you from placing an order for takeaway. Realistic grocery shopping and meal planning should incorporate some meals that you eat at home without cooking.
- Purchase More, Purchase Less
Make a few fast, smaller trips to the grocery shop during the week rather than one large trip that covers one or several weeks’ worth of meals. You may have more alternatives if your pantry and refrigerator are well-stocked, but when plans change and one meal becomes many due to leftovers, it’s a surefire way to end up with ruined, wasted food.It just doesn’t work to plan to eat fresh, wholesome, and nutritious meals yet only visit the market every two weeks. However, since you know you’ll be returning in a few days anyhow, you’re more likely to buy only what you need if you’re buying for fewer meals in the future. - Use Your Stores Carefully
Food aging is actually influenced by storage conditions. Did you know, for instance, that you should never keep potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, or garlic in the refrigerator?Additionally, some fruits and vegetables release more ethylene gas than others, which encourages ripening and may cause food to spoil. For this reason, they should be stored apart from other fruits and vegetables. Apples, leafy greens, berries, and peppers are more sensitive to ethylene than bananas, avocados, peaches, and pears, which release ethylene gas.
Befriend your freezer, of course, but consider it a temporary storage solution rather than a permanent one. If not, you might simply leave perfectly delicious leftovers in there, allowing them to slowly dry up when you could be using them, reducing food waste, and saving money.
Try using FIFO in your refrigerator as well. First In, First Out is what it stands for. Put the newer items at the back and the older ones in the front when you unload your shopping. By doing this, you’ll use the older items first, reducing the likelihood that they will expire.
- Take Pleasure in Everything
Consider the skins, stems, seeds, and stalks of the fruits and vegetables that were left behind. They are all very helpful in reducing food waste, even though they typically end up in the trash or garbage disposal. You may use everything from celery ends and herb stems to broccoli stalks and carrot peels to increase your intake of nutrients while reducing the amount of food you throw away. Even while leftover vegetable portions are frequently excellent sources of fiber and nutrients, be sure they are first and foremost appetizing. Not all vegetable scraps are edible, but you can find out what to compost and what to consume with a quick Google search.
Are you having trouble putting all these leftovers to good use? We understand that they aren’t usually particularly tasty on their own. Simply combine them into a nutritious smoothie. In this manner, you can have a tasty beverage that contains more of the essential vitamins and nutrients your body need.
