Reduce Your Food Waste:

A large amount of food waste in the United States gets thrown away every year, and that’s just not right. As much as 40% of all the food produced in the country never gets eaten!

• Food waste contributes to climate change and its effect on global warming and has other negative effects on the environment as well.
• But you can help reduce your food waste by following these simple steps to learn how to reduce your food waste today!

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1) Freeze berries instead of buying ice cream

Berries are great in yogurt or frozen as a tasty ice cream substitute. You don’t need to spend money on expensive frozen treats when you can enjoy these sweet fruits right out of your own freezer!

Raspberries and blackberries freeze particularly well and can be stored for several months without losing any of their nutritional value.

Simply transfer them to an airtight container, label it with their name and date and pop them into your freezer until you’re ready to enjoy them. Frozen berries make an excellent summertime treat that won’t cost you an arm and a leg!

2) Freeze cooked meals

You might be surprised to learn just how much money you can save by simply freezing your leftovers and forgetting about them for a few months.

But cooking a meal for two only to toss most of it into a landfill is a waste of time, money, and resources—so try planning out your week’s meals and freezing some for future use.

You’ll likely be impressed by how much cash you save from eating at home more often! If you need inspiration on what to eat when hunger strikes, check out our recipe section or even let us do it for you with our meal plans!

Just think: all of those colorful fruits and veggies that would otherwise go uneaten could become tomorrow’s delicious dinner.

3) Freeze your leftovers

Some foods just taste better when they’re frozen. Spaghetti is one of them. Don’t toss that leftover spaghetti in a trash can.

Instead, pour it into a Ziploc bag and freeze it for another day—and save some food in your refrigerator while you’re at it. When you’re ready to eat it again, all you have to do is thaw it out and pop it in a pot with some oil.

Remember that freezing doesn’t kill bacteria so take precautions by heating your food all of the way through before eating (just not on high; allow five minutes at 140 degrees F). Check out these tips for how long frozen foods last as well as how to read expiration dates when shopping.

4) Try a frozen smoothie bowl

Many of us throw out scraps and unused fruits and vegetables, when they could actually be put to good use. Take smoothie bowls, for example.Smoothie bowls are simple to make: just blend leftover or unwanted fruit into a smoothie.

Then, simply spoon it into a bowl and add toppings like nuts, granola, chia seeds, cacao nibs—the possibilities are endless!And if you’re struggling with what fruits to use in your next smoothie bowl recipe?

Try frozen ones. Frozen fruits don’t go bad quickly (since they’re already frozen) so it won’t matter if you freeze them again after blending them up with other ingredients.

They also tend to have more nutrients than fresh fruits because they’ve been picked before ripening, which means that all their sugars and vitamins are still intact.

The best part is that you can eat these smoothie bowls straight from a bowl or cup without worrying about any extra dishes.

You can even take them on-the-go by packing everything separately and then assembling at work or school! If you want some ideas on how to get started making your own smoothie bowls, check out some recipes here .

5) Use fresh ingredients as soon as possible

I know it’s tempting to save that tub of sour cream for later, but if you’re not going to use it within a week or two, it’s time to throw it out.

Bacteria can multiply quickly on food you’ve left out and may cause spoilage or even food poisoning (depending on what was growing).

Don’t leave perishable foods (like meat and dairy) unrefrigerated for long periods of time. Cook as much as possible from scratch:Cooking from scratch is one of my top 10 money-saving tips.

If you must resort to using prepared foods, make sure they don’t contain too many preservatives, which can also shorten their shelf life. Make your own spice blends:

I’m notorious for forgetting to use up my spices before they go bad!

6) Cut off fruit peels, tops, or ends that go bad quickly

Fruit peel, tops, and ends are usually not eaten anyway—but they could be. For example, many people don’t like tomato stems because they contain a bitter taste.

But most of them can be cooked and eaten in soups or broths just as easily as you would a piece of produce with no part missing!

By cutting off parts of your fruits and vegetables that don’t get eaten, you save food that is otherwise going to waste.

Even better, it will reduce food waste when you throw away less scraps and peels (and fewer leftover bits on your plate).

This small change can also help prevent messes by preventing spills from peels sliding around in a bag or carton. All told, every little bit helps when it comes to reducing food waste!

Most items last longer than their expiration date: Don’t let expiration dates on foods scare you into eating moldy bread or spoiled milk – most items last longer than their expiration date says they do.

While some expiration dates have an actual shelf life set by federal regulation (milk is one example), others are merely suggested guidelines for peak quality at best.

7) Add watermelon rinds to chicken stock

This is a great way to infuse a delicious, summery flavor into stock without using fresh watermelon. No need to cut it up—simply toss in the rinds whole and use as you would carrots or celery.

Just be sure to remove it before serving! Cooking time will vary depending on how long you simmer your stock. If you add watermelon rinds near the end of cooking, about 30 minutes should do it.

They’ll soften and pick up flavor from other ingredients. You can also chop them into small pieces if that’s easier to fit in your pot; either way works fine. Also try adding them to jambalaya or soup—the rinds are especially tasty with cabbage!

8) Store apples separately from other fruits

Apples are easy to bruise and ripen quickly, which means they’re also easily spoiled by nearby produce. Keep apples at a lower temperature than other fruit, since they ripen faster.

To extend your apple supply, store them separately in a cardboard box or paper bag in a cool, dark place like your pantry or basement.

You can also opt for slightly unripe apples; they’ll be easier to keep long-term because you can simply store them for longer and let them ripen when you’re ready to eat them.

Apples are easy to bruise and ripen quickly, which means they’re also easily spoiled by nearby produce. Keep apples at a lower temperature than other fruit, since they ripen faster.