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I am shocked and far from proud of myself. So much garbage and that although I only run a small 1-person-1-cat household. And I actually thought that I was living consciously. Puff cake. But you only notice that when you take a critical look at your own behavior and lifestyle. A plastic bottle or cat food can is quickly thrown in the trash for sheer convenience – instead of recycling. Or bought the lettuce wrapped in plastic. Because tearing open a bag instead of quickly washing the fresh salad saves maybe 2 minutes ?! Or, or, or. The longer I think about it, the more it occurs to me what I am doing so unconsciously every day – in the belief that I am taking care of the environment anyway. And then my job as a food blogger comes on top. People cook, try out, take photos, cook again – and of course waste is produced again. Although that is relatively limited for me – at least when it comes to food waste. Because either my friends are fed or I eat it myself. Mostly cold. But I’ve got used to that by now. This is my “sacrifice”, so to speak, that I make for a nice photo and against food waste. [And I can’t stand cold food. I must have inherited that from my mom. Because as soon as the food was on the table and everyone had a portion on their plate, my mom and I took turns running to the microwave to reheat the food 🙈😂]. It’s just important to me that everything I cook for my blog is edible and is eaten too.
#ReduceFoodWaste – My everyday tips against food waste
But back to the subject, because today it’s primarily about what can be done to reduce food waste. And since bloggers are in public, I would also like to use my voice to draw attention to the enormous waste of food. But above all I would like to give you a few tips on how everyone can do a small part against food waste.
PS: If you read my recipes carefully, you may already know one or the other zero food waste tip;)
#1: Well planned is half the battle: Make a meal plan for at least 3 days and only buy what you really need or can use before the food spoils. This may be a small adjustment to start with, but it really helps keep you from buying too much and it even saves you money! I also had to learn that first, but since I always plan my contributions in advance, I was practically forced to write shopping lists in advance. Lo and behold – less food waste and more money in the Spar-Unicorn;)
#2 A tidy fridge and pantry – My best friend: A tidy fridge and / or pantry really helps against food waste. But then I often have to grab my own nose. It’s also much easier to just stuff the freshly bought groceries into the fridge or pantry. But: out of sight, out of mind! And so the products rot in the farthest corner. In addition, one tends to buy everything twice or three times. A real tip here is: keep a list for your grocery cabinet. This helps you to keep an overview and saves money. PS: The FIFO (First In First Out) principle can also be helpful here. Older foods come forward and fresh foods come back. So the “older” products are used before the “newer” ones and do not rot.
#3 Collecting karma points made easy: you cooked too much ?! Then just freeze the leftovers in portions. Of course, that doesn’t work with every meal. So an even better tip: ask your neighbors or friends if they are hungry. Who doesn’t enjoy freshly cooked or baked food ?! You don’t believe how quickly “they” stand in front of the door when it says “I’ve cooked too much. Who wants to come to dinner?” [To my friends – I LOVE YOU THAT YOU FEED ME EMPTY ON CALL – EVERYTHING FOR A GOOD PURPOSE;)] PS: I would say this is a win-win situation. Because you not only make your friends and acquaintances happy, you also top up your karma point account at the same time! #SharingIsCaring
#4 Do it like Pippi Longstocking: And now to my favorite tip. Twice three makes four … Or something like that. Many dishes can be processed almost infinitely and the result is a whole food loop …. For example, I made a delicious pesto from the leftovers for my basil and coriander oil [the recipe for this will come soon]. The salad from the previous day is packed in the sandwich. You can make a dessert or a cake base out of the dried out cake. You only need the egg yolk? Simply freeze the egg white and make an egg white omelette out of it. Simply dry the remains of the homemade almond or hemp milk and use it as a flour substitute for cakes or bread … There are so many ways in which leftover food can be further processed. And I can tell you one thing: it feels really good when you do NOT have to throw away food.
#5 Recipes-against-food waste: So, actually I wanted to give you 5 clever pieces of advice … But … Let’s put it this way #ToBeContinued – There is a new section on my blog where you will find many new ones in the future Find “left-over recipes”, but also upcycling ideas and beauty DIYs on the subject of leftover recycling!
I hope I was able to give you some input against food waste! Do you have any other tips? Then bring it on. I’m glad to hear from you
PS: You have probably already noticed that I have changed a little towards sustainability and a more conscious lifestyle. No, that is not entirely true: I have always made sure that I shop consciously, that I do not produce as much garbage or throw away food. But if, as I said, you take a closer look at your everyday behavior, you notice that you may not be doing as much as you could. At least that’s how I felt. And I’ve decided to do something about that. I would say I’m in the middle of a big challenge that not only questions a lot of what I thought was good or normal, but above all is a constant learning process. I look forward to taking you on my journey. Let’s learn something together every day in order to contribute an important part (even if it is only a small part) to a more conscious society!
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Cheers,
💕Cat 💕