Guest writer Rhyan writes about food waste:
I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts recently. They had an episode that resonated with me about food waste. The opening line was “Around 40% of edible food in the US is not eaten and the average family of four throws out up to $2,200 worth of food and beverages each year.” Before listening to this podcast I was already trying to cut down on food waste, but hearing how much food is actually lost really impacted me. I am so excited to be able to share with all of you ways to reduce your food waste so we can continue to save our beautiful planet, one bite at a time.
STEPS YOU CAN TAKE
1. BUY UGLY ISH
The “ugly” produce never gets picked up because it looks imperfect. Let’s go back to grade school people where we learned not to judge a book by its cover. Produce that is “ugly” is just as tasty as it’s beautiful counterpart. Everyone gets to be Beyonce when I’m choosing produce. If you live in an area where Imperfect produce delivers you can get discount produce that is “ugly”. If you’re planning on using an item right away buy a product that is closer to expiration.
2. BE CREATIVE
If you have a random food item that you bought on a whim look up an awesome recipe and try something new. Or if you have a fridge of almost expired food make something fun with it like Dumpster Pizza. This pizza is an awesome clean out fridge meal or an I don’t know what to make tonight meal.
Here are some ideas on how you can make your own Dumpster Pizza
- Whole wheat tortilla or flatbread
- Any type of sauce will do (pasta sauce, pizza sauce, bbq sauce etc)
- Leftovers, I used a chickpea burger I made earlier in the week
- Preheat oven to 350•F
- Place desired ingredients onto tortilla or flatbread.
- Bake until tortilla is crispy but not burnt! ~10 minutes.
3. WHAT ABOUT SCRAPS?
There are just some parts of a plant that you don’t eat. I use strawberry tops in smoothies instead of throwing them away. If you have leftover onion butts, carrot tops or any other vegetables parts try saving to create your own veggie broth, or you can toss it into a compost pile. Composting in an apartment is possible. When in doubt add newspaper or water. See what happens and adjust.
4. PARTING GIFT
Reducing food waste is a great way to save the Earth. Try using reusable produce bags and reusable bags. Millions and millions of plastic bags are used yearly, using reusable bags can make a great impact on environmental health. Ditch the plastic, we don’t need it anyway!
From Rhyan: “My name is Rhyan, kind of like Diane but with an R. I am the creator of myohmyitsrhy a fun place for nutrition where living a life that makes you say oh my!- in a good way is the main focus. myohmyitsrhy is a plant-based resource to find tasty recipes that show eating healthy can be easy + delicious! Follow me on Instagram @myohmyitsrhy for more fun tips!”
Connect with Rhyan
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myohmyitsrhy/?hl=en
On her blog: http://www.myohmyitsrhy.com/