For the longest time I wasted food... For very many reasons... but mostly because as a kid, I was "forced" to eat my whole plate in order not to waste food... and I HATED IT!!! It was always too much and not quite stuff I liked...
So for years after I moved out, wasting food was a sign of freedom for me. I know! Stupidest thing EVER!!! But still... I could do it without anyone saying anything! Imagine.
Years passed by... over 20 some years!
A few weeks back, after watching a documentary on how much food is wasted in America as a general rule, and how it could feed the world, I realized that I could no longer be part of that "waste"... Even though I understand that there is no direct relationship between the food I put in my garbage and starving people on our planet (I mean, I can definitely not send them my left over!), I understand that the food that I buy, creates a demand, which results in someone growing the food for me... taking up resources, time, money... for nothing if it ends up in the garbage! If we all stopped wasting food, we would buy less and it would have a direct incidence on the demand and hence the production - we would either produce less or send the extras to people who are hungry. Really hungry. Dying hungry. If we would produce less to feed the garbage and the landfills, we could share Mother's Earth resources and feed more of us... Believe it or not, this planet has enough resources to feed 10 billion people - if, and ONLY if, we use those resources properly. Which we are far from doing right now...
So, I decided to embark upon a challenge for a month to have no food waste... not knowing it could be so challenging, sometimes boring (at first) but oh so rewarding and time and money saving!!!
To sum up my four weeks:
Week 1 - wasted one cucumber - to my defense, I bough it and it was already rotten inside
Week 2 - waster one green belle pepper - same reason as cucumber
Week 3 - Zero food wasted.
Week 4 - Zero food wasted.
I shared my progress on IG.
Now, some of you have been asking me HOW I did it... and asked me to share my findings...
I didn't want to at first because quite frankly, I have had a few incidents while discussing food in the past... and I've come to believe that food is like religion or politics! Something you do not talk about. Nonetheless, I decided to share... because although I have a very strict and selective way of eating, my principles can be adapted to any way of eating... and it can save you time, money an food waste no matter what you eat or not... so bare with me, do not judge the food I eat but rather look at it from a "method" that can work for anyone... any diet plan.
First, I must say that to lower your food waste, planning is key. You need to make a grocery shopping list and plan for your menus... every week. I can do the list, but not the menu... plus I HATE cooking! In general. As this was not my first attempt at lowering my food waste and budget, I had already did part of the work... I got in the habit of using a grocery shopping list. Also, to avoid having to come up with menu planning weekly and in order to spend the least time possible in the kitchen, I had, months ago, come up with a yearly menu... stuff I eat 90% of the time. Those recipes were made to be equilibrating, filling, healthy, mostly vegan, easy to make and not too much time consuming... and cheap! Being versatile and easy to modify, they make sure that I can eat this way three seasons of the year and they are based on mostly locally grown and in season food.
Here is the local food I eat from fall to spring:
apples, potatoes, carrots, turnips, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower (mostly fall), corn (mostly fall), beets, onions, garlic, bread and eggs (the only animal derivative product I eat and a dozen last us about a month).
Additionally, I almost always have those in my home:
bananas, oranges, sweet potatoes, basmati rice, brown rice, oatmeal, chick peas, black beans, red lentils, brown lentils, short pasta, barley, canned tomatoes, nuts, seeds and all you need for baking. Herbs and spices.
I buy my local food mostly at the farmer's market - Saturday.
When veggies are getting older, and I know I won't be using them in time, I cut them up and freeze them to be later used in soups - and make sure I don't buy then the following week at the farmer's market or in lesser quantity to be used as fresh produce only.
I use fresh bread over the week end and on Sunday night freezes what is left - some bread freeze really well and since I use it always toasted, there really is not much of a taste difference even if the freezer dries it up a little.
I buy 2-3 each bananas and oranges and eat them on the following days.
If I buy a pomegranate I prep it on the next day and refrigerate the seeds which I eat over a few days.
I make my own muffins and scones, keep a few out and freeze the rest.
I cook a big batch of black beans and chick peas (separately of course) once a month, freeze them in smaller portions and use them to make dips (hummus or black bean dip), add to soup, Buddha bowls.
Typically, on Sunday or Monday, I will cook a huge batch or soup using my fresh veggies and canned tomatoes. I will then divide it into containers, perhaps freeze one. For most of the week, this is what we'll eat. On different days, I will add different thing to it to make it last longer and be more filling - for example, I can add barley and black beans, or pasta and chick peas. We can have a side of roasted potatoes or garlic bread with hummus.
Another go to for me is mashed potatoes... but not just plain old mash potatoes - first I do not use fat or milk in them! You cook your potatoes (skin on), carrots (peel on), sweet potatoes, turnip and red lentils in water. Once cook (the red lentils will cook just as fast as your veggies and add tons of proteins and minerals - plus it makes the mash creamier!), pour out most of the water keeping just enough to mash, add garlic powder, a little salt, smoked paprika and mash to desired consistency. Enjoy! Then again, this is filling enough to be enjoy on it's on... but if you feel "fancier", serve some greens with bread... or crudites with hummus or black bean dip. We must eat 3 times a week...
And my last go to, is some hash Brussels sprouts and eggs. Finely slice your Brussels sprouts and cook them alongside garlic in a pan, add lemon juice and pepper to taste. When cooked, add 2 tbsp water, and crack some egg, cover and let the eggs cook to however you like them. Serve with bread, hummus, potatoes, any other veggies... be creative! This is awesome as breakfast, brunch or lunch... we even had it for supper!
Last not but least, is the famous Buddha bowl! You cook some rice, I prefer brown for that, and you throw in anything you have left... roasted sweet potatoes, cooked or raw veggies, legumes, seeds, nuts, tofu... and top it off with your favorite sauce: mine is tahini diluted in water with a little soy sauce and garlic powder.
On some occasion, I'll make some fried rice with mushrooms, bell peppers and tofu. This is awesome, create some diversity and left over are just as good cold the next day as a lunch for work!
Breakfast is almost always oatmeal with brown sugar, dried raisins and cinnamon. If I have homemade applesauce, I will throw it in and skip the raisins. Sometimes, I'll had chopped walnuts or pecans if I find them at the right price. Throwing in some flax seeds adds Omegas...
But most importantly, no matter what you eat, eat fresh food as soon as you can when you get it, batch cook, freeze left over or extra raw veggies. If you buy or make some food, eat it. Do not buy or make something else when you have food in the fridge. This may mean eating the same a few days in a row but dress it up... "sides" add a lot to a meal you're having for the third day in a row! Do not forget that herbs and spices go a long way!
Or, if you do not like to eat left overs, come up with a menu plan for the week and buy just what you need for the week making sure your freshest food is cooked before it goes to waste. Or stop at the grocery store more often and buy ONLY what you need - to avoid ending up with extra food that will inevitably go to waste...
And as anywhere else in your life, be creative!
If my 4 repetitive meals that I eat over and over again for months is too boring, use is as a menu plan for a week or two... and then it will give you time to come up with your own menu plan! You can create a menu for a month and repeat for a season... coming up with something different every season... it is really up to you!
One last thing I should mention is that in our case, we eat to stay alive and healthy... we are NOT Epicurean and spending time in a kitchen or sitting at a dining table is torture. Therefore, as a biochemist and nutritionist, I came up with what works for us! Simple easy to cook meals that keep us alive and healthy... and ensure not too much of our budget goes into food!
I hope this helps and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask!
Chloe 💜&✌
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