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We’re already on week 3 of the challenge, which means we are halfway done! This week’s focus area is cooking, which presents many opportunities to prevent wasted food. Cut down on food waste by using up wilting or soft produce, experimenting with scraps that normally go uneaten, and turning leftovers into new, fun meals.
Did you win a prize? Read on to see if you are one of the lucky raffle winners!
Learn to improvise
Recipes are a great foundation for cooking. Learning how to improvise can make your recipes go further.
Use ingredients you already have on hand by substituting them for similar items in the recipe. For instance, try basil instead of parsley, lemons instead of limes, or fresh tomatoes instead of canned.
Check out this list of alternatives for common herbs in cooking from Authority Health Magazine or search the internet to find a substitute for something you don’t have.
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It's also a good idea to take stock of the ingredients you have on hand and look up recipes that combine them. This can open up opportunities to cook "root to leaf," or use parts of veggies you might have thrown away.
For example, broccoli stems can be turned into fries, kale stems can be stir-fried, and small scraps can become broth. There’s a recipe out there for almost everything! For ideas to get you started, see delicious ways to use vegetable tops and stalks from Cooking Light or watch the video how to not waste your extra vegetable parts (YouTube) from Potluck Video.
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Leftovers are a common type of food that goes to waste, whether they are forgotten or because we just don't want to eat them. To make sure you eat up your extras, plan an Eat It Up night into your meal plan or pack leftovers for lunch.
You can also use leftovers as ingredients for other meals. Throw in extra cooked veggies in a frittata or use your leftover chicken for tacos or a casserole. Local Chowgirls Executive Chef Liz Mullen has a great way use up small amounts of leftovers as pizza toppings! Watch the recorded presentation here. Learn more creative ways to use leftovers from I Value Food.
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Practice your creative cooking skills by choosing one or more of these actions in the cooking category:
- Swap this for that
- Reimagine leftovers
- Use the edible portion
- Cook from root to leaf
Stop Food Waste Challenge tips
First raffle winners!
Congratulations to the first raffle winners, Montana Kalina, Nancy Hovanes, Lisa Ballard, and Melissa Palank. These winners were entered into our drawing for submitting their food waste audit or earning 100 points. Winners should email zwc@hennepin.us for more information about their prize.*
Additional chances to win prizes
Check out the prizes page for more information about how to be entered into the raffle. There are still opportunities to earn prizes. Winners will be chosen throughout the challenge, and prizes will be sent once the challenge ends.
*Ramsey County and Washington County employees and their immediate family members are not eligible to receive a prize.
City of Brooklyn Park
Here’s what Stop Food Waste Challenge partner, the City of Brooklyn Park, had to say about why they care about preventing food waste:
"The average American family of four wastes hundreds of dollars on food that is purchased, but thrown out. Food scraps are the highest amount of material by category in our trash. By preventing food waste we can reduce our trash, save money and protect the environment."
City of Eden Prairie
Here’s what Stop Food Waste Challenge partner, the City of Eden Prairie, had to say about why they care about preventing food waste:
"To support reduction of food waste in the city!"
City of Falcon Heights
Here’s what Stop Food Waste Challenge partner, the City of Falcon Heights, had to say about why they care about preventing food waste:
"We are interested in being a partner with the Stop Food Waste Challenge because we see and understand the problem with food waste. As a GreenStep 4 & 5 city, we are focused on sustainability and reducing our footprint on the environment."
City of Minnetonka
Here’s what Stop Food Waste Challenge partner, the City of Minnetonka, had to say about why they care about preventing food waste:
"The Stop Food Waste Challenge is a great opportunity for people to learn about their waste consumption trends and ways to reduce their waste. The program is also very flexible. It provides several actions items and community members can try incorporating new actions that fit their lifestyle."
Wednesday, August 2: Get to know what you throw
Friday, August 4: Meal planning to waste less and save more
Monday, August 7: Keeping track of the food you buy
Wednesday, August 9: Lower your "foodprint"
Friday, August 11: Creating a grocery list and sticking to it
Monday, August 14: Buying just what you need
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