Waste not want not right? Well, it seems most of the western world hasn't paid much attention to this old adage in a very long time.
When I was a kid growing up, if I didn’t clean my plate, I’d hear, “Do you know how many hungry kids in Colombia WISH they had something to eat?” At that point, I’d almost always finish my plate- the guilt of hungry kids weighing on my slight shoulders like omni-present skeletons.
Guilt aside, it’s true that we waste tons of food. According to a recent BBC World News online article, 6.7 million tons to be exact- or roughly one third of the food we buy! Shocking, yes. But why?
I took a random survey at my work office (and heck, I work on a Food Net TV show so you’d think these folks might be a bit food savvy) and most of them tell me they just shop for what they like at the grocery store. No list, no plan, no nada. So when they get home, they wonder “What the hell do I make with tinned tuna and potatoes?” Hence the waste factor...
Tossing edible food was literally criminal during WWII in England where every scrap was repurposed into soups, casseroles and other dishes. I always suggest starting off with a list of grocery items based on dishes you know you’ll want to make for the week. Leftovers? Freeze them. For me, there’s nothing better than a big bowl of chili that I’ve made the week before, heated through and enjoyed at lunch with a little salad and a whole wheat roll in the dead of winter.
Here are some other ideas to whet your whistle:
- Made a cake and have left over egg whites? Try these delectable Merengue Cookies.
- Have some lovely bread that's starting to get a little stale? French Toast it!
- Left over roasted chicken? Turn it into a Mango Coconut Chicken Sandwich.
