Waste not, want not

My refrigerator... And yes, there's Pepto in
the door.

How much food do you waste? Think about it for a second. What's in your refrigerator? How often do you clean out the fridge and throw out "expired" food or produce that looks a little less than perfect (ok, mushy or moldy)? Are you saving leftovers? Are you eating leftovers?

Alright, I'm done with the interrogation. You can relax. I recently read a book called American Wasteland about food waste in America. The book covers all aspects of food waste from grocery stores to homes to farms (yes, farms... lots and lots of food waste on farms). While most of us are not able to make changes in supermarkets or on farms to reduce food waste, we can certainly make changes in our own homes. Americans produce 4.5 pounds of trash each day and most of it in the home comes from the kitchen. All those food scraps buried in landfills create methane (everyone now, "ew"). Not only are you throwing away food, you are throwing away actual money. So... to save money, throw less out. 

But how? 

Take an inventory of your refrigerator and pantry. Here's a photo of my fridge. It's kind of sparse. We've been accustomed to having small refrigerators and I rarely ever use the drawers in the fridge. Drawers are "out of sight, out of mind" for me. Veggies get forgotten and end up rotting in the drawers. I have a veggie basket and a meat dish on the shelves. 

Leftovers. Save them. Eat them. Freeze them if they won't get eaten and then remember to eat the frozen leftovers within 6 months. 

Multipurpose food. Get a little creative here. Roast chicken, a meal at least once a month in my house, can be used the next day for stock, soup, chicken salad, casserole, enchiladas, BBQ chicken sandwiches, shredded chicken sandwiches, chili, or whatever else you use cooked chicken in. Freeze the stock if not using right away. Utilize these types of multipurpose foods... proteins can be used in a variety of ways the next day. 

Store veggies and produce to minimize waste. Wrap celery and carrots in foil and they will last longer. Leave tomatoes on the counter. Put onions and potatoes in a bin or basket. For salad... place a papertowel in the salad bag to draw moisture off the leaves and onto the papertowel. Check out this stie for a comprehensive list of storage tips: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/dg1424.html

Plan meals ahead. This takes time to sit down and right down the "what's for dinner" list, but it's worth it. Even if it's only for 3 dinners at a time, planning ahead slightly will help out tremendously. 

Shop with a list (don't forget it) and try using cash to buy groceries, instead of a credit or debit card. This will keep you from making impulse buys and buying too much. Just buy what you need. Oh and eat before you go. Don't shop hungry. 

Make an effort to "cook from the pantry or freezer" to use up what you've already purchased. Do you have lentils sitting in the back of the cupboard waiting to be used? Well, it's time to use those up. 

Compost food scraps if you can.  http://www.composting101.com/

Teach your kids to only put on their plates what they can eat. This is a good way to teach portion control and the feeling of fullness. 

Remember the basics of food sanitation (I'm taking my Servsafe test on Thursday, so this is fresh in my head) -- use leftovers within 7 days. Got that? You have 7 days before things start really going bad. Also, pay attention to "use by" dates. "Sell by" dates are for the supermarket, not for you.

Being aware of your own food waste is one step forward. Most of the time I feel pretty good about my own food waste but there are days when I'm throwing out old leftovers or forgetting to compost my food scraps. There will always been some sort of food waste but reducing the amount helps keep methane emissions down in the landfill and might even save you some money.