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With the economy tanking there is just no room for food waste anymore. According to Mother Earth News, we Americans chuck nearly 15 percent of the food we buy. What a waste! But the good news is, it can be easily prevented. Here's five easy ways to cut WAY back on all that unnecessary food waste:
1. Find interesting uses for your leftovers.
You don't have to reheat your leftovers and eat the same meal over and over again. With a little creativity you can make many a meal from last night's old news. For example, if you made salsa, a veggie side, or extra meat throw it into an omelet, a wrap, or a stew.
Add your own twist on any of these fabulously flexible recipes:
- Add your leftover veggies to A Scrambled Egg Supper.
- Use produce and herbs before they go bad with Planet Green's Soup Recipe Archive.
2. Never throw away past ripe fruits and veggies.
Either throw them into a smoothie right then or freeze them and use them later. Check out Lynda's recipe for a vegan fruit smoothie. Or throw any of your excess fruits and veggies into the juicer to make good use out of them that way.
3. Be flexible about what you're going to cook.
At least once a week make a meal from the pantry using ingredients from a few grocery trips ago. Be creative and don't worry about having the exact ingredients for everything that you need. Read Kelly Rossiter's guide to cooking from the pantry.
4. Don?t overbuy fresh herbs, grow your own.
It's my pet peeve when yummy herbs go to waste. And they often do because it seems each recipe calls for a little bit of this and little bit of that. Instead of buying large portions of three different kinds, grow your herbs at home and enjoy the benefits of picking off what you want when you want it. My top three most important herbs to grow are basil, parsley, and oregano because they have so many uses and they are so easy to grow. Check out my guide to growing your own herbs.
5. Make you own stocks flavored with leftover meats and veggies.
6. Once a week clean out the fridge.
Make sure no refrigerated foods need to go to the freezer in order to keep longer.
