Although this blog is primarily about food, reducing all waste is important to me.
Over the last couple months I have hosted a few events with reducing waste in mind. Reducing your waste is not just about not throwing things out, but also limiting your consumption. I hosted two baby related events to allow moms to buy and sell their used items and clothing. Both were a great success despite bad weather and we raised $135 for the Hospice House.
Last weekend, I hosted a clothing swap with some girlfriends. This one was the most fun. If you haven't been to one before I urge you to set one up with friends. It's very simple to do. Invite a few girlfriends over and ask them to bring gently used clothes and accessories. We organized them into piles; skirts, summer, accessories, etc. Everyone tried on clothes for the first half hour and then the swapping began. Based on random numbers, everyone had a minute to select 3 items. If you didn't like how they fit, you threw them back and chose 4 the next round. Once everyone was happy with what they had we had a free for all, taking whatever you wanted. We ended up with two ginormous tubs for the Hospice House thrift store and we all came away excited about the new clothes we picked up. The most important thing is to have enough committed people invited. Of the 13 who rsvp'd only 5 showed up. It won't work if only 3 of you come, so make sure people are committed.
Friday, February 25, 2011
February Fail
There has been mass amounts of food in the garbage so for this month. So let's begin the justification of why it's not my fault. lol I joke, but it does seem like a pattern.
The Good: I made a couple delicious cupboard/fridge meals. Just by combining things I had to use up. The curry I made was fantastic and I won't be able to recreate it again. We also used up a tray of Jello shooters leftover from a party. Yay us!
The Bad: I made a giant pot of "The Best French Onion Soup Ever" It did not live up to the hype. I struggled to finish it off and threw out a bowl. I do believe the amount of delicious leftovers taken from my mom's house had a part to play. Today I threw out 1/4 cup of organic yogurt. Well, that should have been thrown out 10 days ago. eep! I did ask Kris to finish it when it was a few days part it's expiry, but that didn't happen. I have an issue with near expired dairy. Those are the two things I will take full credit for.
The Ugly: I cleared out my mom's fridge after a party at her request. Once I got it home, I realized the 7-layer dip was already expired. Almost a full container trashed. There were also two pre-made chip dips. I had full intentions of finishing these- they were good till March 8. Have you ever looked at the ingredients on these? Oh man, I was not eating this on it's own or hidden in something else. I will stick to my Epicure dips.
The Good: I made a couple delicious cupboard/fridge meals. Just by combining things I had to use up. The curry I made was fantastic and I won't be able to recreate it again. We also used up a tray of Jello shooters leftover from a party. Yay us!
The Bad: I made a giant pot of "The Best French Onion Soup Ever" It did not live up to the hype. I struggled to finish it off and threw out a bowl. I do believe the amount of delicious leftovers taken from my mom's house had a part to play. Today I threw out 1/4 cup of organic yogurt. Well, that should have been thrown out 10 days ago. eep! I did ask Kris to finish it when it was a few days part it's expiry, but that didn't happen. I have an issue with near expired dairy. Those are the two things I will take full credit for.
The Ugly: I cleared out my mom's fridge after a party at her request. Once I got it home, I realized the 7-layer dip was already expired. Almost a full container trashed. There were also two pre-made chip dips. I had full intentions of finishing these- they were good till March 8. Have you ever looked at the ingredients on these? Oh man, I was not eating this on it's own or hidden in something else. I will stick to my Epicure dips.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Questions: Shopping Tips
I had a couple chats with people on what exactly I am doing to not waste any food. One my aunt asked was if I shop everyday.
No. We get produce maybe once a week and one big shop a month. What this means is that usually our fridge or cupboards look very barebones when it is near shopping time. I don't get food when we still have some available. That is where you have food piled in and you loose track of what you have. I also like it when the cupboards are bare. It forces you to get creative with what you have and use up that stuff that has been pushed to the back.
You don't have to be organized to do this, in fact it is an unorganized way of shopping and cooking. I use what I have. I eat what's available. Couldn't be easier. I am finding it takes the power out of food. I don't eat what I want. I eat what I have to eat. I can find happiness from things other than food.....
No. We get produce maybe once a week and one big shop a month. What this means is that usually our fridge or cupboards look very barebones when it is near shopping time. I don't get food when we still have some available. That is where you have food piled in and you loose track of what you have. I also like it when the cupboards are bare. It forces you to get creative with what you have and use up that stuff that has been pushed to the back.
You don't have to be organized to do this, in fact it is an unorganized way of shopping and cooking. I use what I have. I eat what's available. Couldn't be easier. I am finding it takes the power out of food. I don't eat what I want. I eat what I have to eat. I can find happiness from things other than food.....
January in review
One full month done. Was it easy? Kinda Could I have done better? You bet.
The end of the month had me throwing away 1/4 cup of a starbucks latte. Much to the shock and horror of my auntie. I don't have a problem reheating coffee, but the last syrupy bottom of a latte, I couldn't stomach it. Another reason I don't drink Starbucks.
Other than that nothing hit the trash. Not bad for the month right? I am feeling a bit guilty about those 2010 purchases that have been thrown away. I thought it was time to make use of this bag of nuts that had been in the cupboard forever. Added them to some food before realizing they were rotten. It was probably two years old, but it pained me to put it in the garbage. I also feel bad about the food the girls don't eat. Maybe the baby has a half a banana and decides she doesn't want it. In our house, we go with "I decide what and when they eat, they decide how much and if they eat" I don't make them be a part of the clean plate club, so sometimes that means a half a bowl of food gets tossed. In some cases, I can wrap it up for later, but other times that's just not possible.
The end of the month had me throwing away 1/4 cup of a starbucks latte. Much to the shock and horror of my auntie. I don't have a problem reheating coffee, but the last syrupy bottom of a latte, I couldn't stomach it. Another reason I don't drink Starbucks.
Other than that nothing hit the trash. Not bad for the month right? I am feeling a bit guilty about those 2010 purchases that have been thrown away. I thought it was time to make use of this bag of nuts that had been in the cupboard forever. Added them to some food before realizing they were rotten. It was probably two years old, but it pained me to put it in the garbage. I also feel bad about the food the girls don't eat. Maybe the baby has a half a banana and decides she doesn't want it. In our house, we go with "I decide what and when they eat, they decide how much and if they eat" I don't make them be a part of the clean plate club, so sometimes that means a half a bowl of food gets tossed. In some cases, I can wrap it up for later, but other times that's just not possible.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Week 2 recap
There were a few moments this week when I looked at the leftovers in my fridge and felt a little stress. Kris had brought home some leftovers from my mom's that I had left on purpose and now had to find a way to use them. We do well with her leftovers, but what we always were throwing out was the salad. My mom makes a big salad and sends it home with us. If it's not eaten in the first night or afternoon it's no good to anybody. This means I had a big bowl of salad for breakfast this week. I followed that with a big bowl of Chinese food, so you could say it is all balancing out.
The only thing that is left in the fridge is a big container of gravy. This is a large amount so, I am thinking I should make a shepherd's pie. Kris asked me if it was the beef barley soup my mom made and I said yes. He almost ate it, but he doesn't ever eat gravy, so I felt too bad to let him.
Tip: Freeze gravy in small baby food containers and thaw out as a treat for the dog.
If you haven't figured it out yet, most of my food is coming from my mom's house. She is a chronic over cooker and I love it. She has been more thoughtful of her food waste this month. I went to her house for the day and we had the same meal for dinner as we had for lunch. I have NEVER had leftovers at her house before. This was a big step! When Evy pointed this out, my mom said she was embarrassed that she was serving the same meal again. lol Joking, but probably a little serious.
The good: Kris isn't really fully participating, but I left him some 4 day old yogurt and told him it was his job to eat it. He put it in a smoothie, good boy!
The bad: Some small spoonfuls of my avocados were brown and Wyn wouldn't eat them (just kidding, I didn't try to make her) I threw out the gross looking leftovers that Kris brought home from my mom's. They looked old when we got them and I can never be too sure how long they were in her fridge. I don't consider this a fail.
Another rule I have decided over the last month. If the food was purchased in 2010 I am allowed to throw it out. It just means I should have done a better job of cleaning out my cupboards prior to this challenge. There was some junky baby cookies in the cupboard that I was not going to feed either of the girls, so in the garbage they went.
Suggestions please~
What to do with this container of gravy?
What to do with a box of raspberry shortbread cookies?
The only thing that is left in the fridge is a big container of gravy. This is a large amount so, I am thinking I should make a shepherd's pie. Kris asked me if it was the beef barley soup my mom made and I said yes. He almost ate it, but he doesn't ever eat gravy, so I felt too bad to let him.
Tip: Freeze gravy in small baby food containers and thaw out as a treat for the dog.
If you haven't figured it out yet, most of my food is coming from my mom's house. She is a chronic over cooker and I love it. She has been more thoughtful of her food waste this month. I went to her house for the day and we had the same meal for dinner as we had for lunch. I have NEVER had leftovers at her house before. This was a big step! When Evy pointed this out, my mom said she was embarrassed that she was serving the same meal again. lol Joking, but probably a little serious.
The good: Kris isn't really fully participating, but I left him some 4 day old yogurt and told him it was his job to eat it. He put it in a smoothie, good boy!
The bad: Some small spoonfuls of my avocados were brown and Wyn wouldn't eat them (just kidding, I didn't try to make her) I threw out the gross looking leftovers that Kris brought home from my mom's. They looked old when we got them and I can never be too sure how long they were in her fridge. I don't consider this a fail.
Another rule I have decided over the last month. If the food was purchased in 2010 I am allowed to throw it out. It just means I should have done a better job of cleaning out my cupboards prior to this challenge. There was some junky baby cookies in the cupboard that I was not going to feed either of the girls, so in the garbage they went.
Suggestions please~
What to do with this container of gravy?
What to do with a box of raspberry shortbread cookies?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The things I have eaten
Ok Brianne people are reading this. No pressure.
First, thanks for everyone who has enjoyed my blog and who have left me notes of encouragement. If anyone has any tips they want to share I welcome comments, so that everyone can benefits by all the great tips and tricks that people are using.
Already this week I have thrown away one of my muffins. And that was after I froze half of each kind. It seems like we can't quite get through muffins in this house, but I do enjoy making them. I gave up baking years ago because Kris and I just don't eat it, so maybe it's time to stop with the muffins too. So much reflection of such importance. le sigh.
My experiment for week was testing out if croissants froze nicely. I am happy to report they did. A little more flaky but still very edible. We have about 8 that I don't think we can finish in time, so in the freezer they go for another day.
The big event was a Usborne book party that I hosted. I made all the snacks totally aware that whatever was left would have to be eaten by me. That said, no one ate ANYTHING! That night I drank the rest of the punch, put the chips back in their bags and packed everything else up the fridge. I confess I have been eating leftover rice, mixed with extraordinary cheese dip and chicken salad tarts. Yes, all together. If you have tasted that Epicure dip you know that it is mayo, cream cheese, cheese and some spices. So maybe this plan is not going to be the healthiest this week, but I did finish nearly everything. We just have some fruit compote left. (or compost as Kris calls it)
Tip: The fruit compote is going into ice cube trays to be used for smoothies or ice cubes for a punch.
First, thanks for everyone who has enjoyed my blog and who have left me notes of encouragement. If anyone has any tips they want to share I welcome comments, so that everyone can benefits by all the great tips and tricks that people are using.
Already this week I have thrown away one of my muffins. And that was after I froze half of each kind. It seems like we can't quite get through muffins in this house, but I do enjoy making them. I gave up baking years ago because Kris and I just don't eat it, so maybe it's time to stop with the muffins too. So much reflection of such importance. le sigh.
My experiment for week was testing out if croissants froze nicely. I am happy to report they did. A little more flaky but still very edible. We have about 8 that I don't think we can finish in time, so in the freezer they go for another day.
The big event was a Usborne book party that I hosted. I made all the snacks totally aware that whatever was left would have to be eaten by me. That said, no one ate ANYTHING! That night I drank the rest of the punch, put the chips back in their bags and packed everything else up the fridge. I confess I have been eating leftover rice, mixed with extraordinary cheese dip and chicken salad tarts. Yes, all together. If you have tasted that Epicure dip you know that it is mayo, cream cheese, cheese and some spices. So maybe this plan is not going to be the healthiest this week, but I did finish nearly everything. We just have some fruit compote left. (or compost as Kris calls it)
Tip: The fruit compote is going into ice cube trays to be used for smoothies or ice cubes for a punch.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Just think about it
Even if you aren't ready to completely eliminate food waste from your routine, just think about what you are throwing away. Not just leftovers, but old fruit and vegetables, a box of crackers at the back of your cupboard, dairy hitting it's expiry dates or even old coffee!
I hope I can share what we do in my house to keep our waste under control, but for now just be keep in mind how much we thrown away mindlessly.
Every morning I wake up and drink the last couple cups of coffee from the day before. At some point we will figure out exactly how much we need to make, but for now a little more sweetener makes it taste just fine.
I hope I can share what we do in my house to keep our waste under control, but for now just be keep in mind how much we thrown away mindlessly.
Every morning I wake up and drink the last couple cups of coffee from the day before. At some point we will figure out exactly how much we need to make, but for now a little more sweetener makes it taste just fine.
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