The Zero Food Waste Challenge
Now that we are about to enter a recession, most of us can’t afford to throw away perfectly good food. I had a quick look around the web to see how other people are coping with the rising cost of food bills. Surprisingly, I didn’t find anything that showed me how to transform that bunch of black bananas into a million quid! However, I did find a family who’ve started tackling the problem…
A forgotten and very furry loaf of bread…
The Green family, prompted by the discovery of a forgotten and very furry loaf of bread, have challenged themselves to a week of zero food waste. Mrs Green has been checking her use by and best before dates, and planning her grocery shopping around what she already has got in her fridge, freezer and store cupboard. Already she feels she’s saved money and drastically reduced how much food she was throwing away. So just how is Mrs Green getting her family to eat up those leftovers? “If you don’t eat it, you’ll find it in your soup!” Inspired!
Take the challenge…
Challenge yourself to a week of zero food waste. It’s a brilliant way to see just how much food gets thrown away in your house – even if you don’t think you are very wasteful, it’s a real eye-opener. It is also great to see just how much money you can save. Start by getting to know your Best Before and Use By dates which can be quite confusing. Knowing what your dates mean will help you use up stuff safely without having to cross your fingers!
More tips for a week of zero food waste…
Store cupboard essentials
Five sure fire ways to save money on your food bill
What i do as i will eat anything is as follows. I use a slow cooker and fill it with odds and ends all through the week and i live on this as no one else will eat it they are fussy. Todays pot has in it as follows – Duck meat off whole duck, peas, cauliflower, onions, pepper, cayenne pepper, mint, sage, garlic, 1 old jar of chicken tonight sauce, old soft potatoes, oxo cube, bit of sweet & sour pork, odd bit of chicken, all i have to do is add scraps as i go, this pot will feed me all week and it tastes ok to me.
I am absolutely passionate about saving money and eating well! Well before the “global crisis” emerged I would always only buy exactly what I needed, what was in season (therefore cheaper) and plan meals for the week by creating two meals from one! This is what our grandmas used to do and it’s such a shame that good home economics and basic cooking skills are not taught in schools anymore! Although the recession is terrible for more than the majority of us I think it will be a good lesson for those who are motivated to save rather than spend! Also probably eat healthier too… i have created the website below in praise of saving money and using food wisely… take a look and feel free to add your feedback or any good ideas… Happy New Year!
http://www.squidoo.com/recipesusingleftovers