Grocery shop fail

eddiesmith1

We used to toss a fair bit because we'd buy more than we were eating
Kale - Chips are great . I prepare part way salad i make regularly by shredding kale and brussel sprouts and storing in a produce bag then i can just the dressing (already made up) parmesan and toasted almonds tada -a work day no brainer quick salad
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/kale-and-brussels-sprout-salad

EDIT - the way we cut the waste most was planning the week at least loosely - and the weight loss goal has us eating more greens for sure. In season I will shop the assorted markets around town on the way home for veg for a day or 2 - there are at least 3 farmer markets near me downtown.

peleroja

I live with three tall, active 20-something men. Food is NEVER in our house long enough to go bad.

Ninetta

Don't buy it with good intentions instead buy it and go straight home and make these:

Cheesey Kale Chips - SO FRIGGIN GOOD - But you HAVE to make the time!!! Otherwise, I do the same thing as you!

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Bunch Kale - Torn into desired chip size
1/2 Cup Nutritional Yeast (found at health food store and a staple in any vegans pantry to mimick cheezy goodness!)
1/3 Tsp Sea Salt

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
2.Drizzle olive oil over the kale in a large bowl and sprinkle with the nutritional yeast and salt. Stir with your hands to coat kale.
3.Spread kale onto baking sheets.
4.Bake in preheated oven until kale begins to get slightly crisp; rotate racks and flip the chips, and continue baking until completely crisp, 45 to 60 minutes total. Make sure to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn; if you notice certain chips ready much sooner than others, take them out.

Try it at least once and see if it's worth it to continue

smc864

Sweet potatoes... pretty much every time I buy them.

enchantedgardener

As far as green onions go, store them in a glass of water on the kitchen counter. Seriously. That's it. Change the water every day or two. You can cut off the top half, put the root end back in the water and they will grow back. No more wasted green onion!

Ninetta

Buy Almond or Soy milk - lasts WAY longer and there's no puss!

You can even make your own almond milk - below is a great recipe:

http://ohsheglows.com/2013/01/24/my-favourite-homemade-almond-milk-step-by-step-photos/

cici1028

I use kale instead of lettuce on my tacos.

climbing_trees

You can freeze just about anything. I live alone and when I have food about to spoil that I can't or don't want to eat, I cook it or blanch it or however best to preserve it, then toss it in the freezer.

lesteidel

Nope. I don't have enough money for that mess.

If I buy it, it gets eaten. I can't afford to waste food.

ibjent

Milk and bread savers for me are to put the bread in the freezer and take out what I need each time. If frozen in the morning it is thawed by lunch if I'm making a sandwich.

I also found that if you moisten a paper towel (squeeze out all excess water) and wrap your sandwich in it bread that is not fresh and soft will be softened up in just a little while.

For milk, I have saved coffee creamer containers and divide my milk up and freeze. Take out one when I need it. 2% and FF freeze well.

Some may not like these options but when I was ramen noodle broke and trying to eat healthy, I couldn't afford to throw anything out.

say_pocket

Any and all bread I buy goes moldy before I can eat all of it. They need to sell half loaves. Q_Q

I'm another vote for you to try Kale chips. I buy a package of that ranch powder stuff and add a tsp or two of that to my kale when I'm mixing in the oil. They don't taste ranch-y in the end, but they're nice and salty and perfect for when I'm craving salty chips or fries.

tcunbeliever

Actually, this happens to me with a lot of things unfortunately. It's mostly because I live alone. There are weeks when I can get through all the fresh stuff I've purchased, no problem. But then there are weeks where I for some reason had no desire to eat any of it it, so it inevitably goes bad & I have to throw it all out. It's the worst.

I would say my two 'most thrown out' are milk & bread. Which is kind of crazy since those are such staple foods. But I only drink milk with cereal, & I only eat bread if I make tuna salad or eat toast for breakfast. I'm someone who gets hooked on foods & eats them for weeks on end. I used to eat cereal every single day for breakfast & could easily get through a half-gallon of milk before it went bad, but then I switched to a banana & PB2 & it took me weeks to realize I kept buying milk that I no longer needed because I was no longer using it in my cereal, & that's why I kept having to throw it away! Ugh!


EDIT to say: WINE. It makes me so sad because I lovelovelove wine, but I only have like one glass of wine every few days at most. Wine goes bad pretty quickly, & since I live alone there's no one around to drink it up when I don't! :[ I've finally found a wine I love that comes in the baby bottles, so that's what I think I'll have to start doing from now on.

Milk in paper cartons will last longer than milk in plastic cartons - it can also be frozen, when it thaws it will tend to separate but a good shake will fix that...and bread can be frozen, just stick part of the loaf in a gallon ziploc, squeeze out the air, and then thaw a few pieces at a time by leaving at room temperature for about 4 hours.

mons2014

There are weeks when I can get through all the fresh stuff I've purchased, no problem. But then there are weeks where I for some reason had no desire to eat any of it it, so it inevitably goes bad & I have to throw it all out. It's the worst.

I do this too, it makes me feel bad because it is such a waste! I have made a commitment to myself to go to the store more often and buy less so I waste less.....Not sure how long that is going to last.

I purchased 2 cans of Progresso soup, I ate one and then watched the sodium on my fitness pal go so far into the red that i thought the thing was going to explode. Why do they need to put so much salt in stuff!!! Anyway, I have that second can that I refuse to eat. I definitely read the labels now.

LTKeegan

I'm thankful to have my garbage disposal (aka boyfriend) to eat all the food that is going bad. Yesterday he scrapped mold off cheese then ate it.


If it were me alone, cucumbers! I LOVE THEM but they go bad so fast!! (like less than a week)

autumnsquirrel

Do you guys have anything that you end up buying at the grocery store and always end up throwing it out?? Mine is kale! I always buy it, and then don't know what to do with it so I end up throwing it out

It was kale, but I stopped buying it because it was wasteful:/ Raw spinach, too. Oh, strawberries. I have to absolutely be in the mood for them, and lately with low carb living, I push them on the family or I end up tossing them out.

kennie2

courgettes cos some days i'll really be craving courgette noodles and some days i won't go near them.
also soy milk as i normally use 1/4 of the pack before it goes off

leahsays

It's always cucumbers for me. I ALWAYS forget they're in the bottom crisper until it's too late.

JLHNU212

I am bumping for the great ideas of what to do with the same stuff I usually buy and usually throw away! Thanks!!!

caroldavison332

I regularly sacrifice fresh fruit and veggies to the refrigerator god. So I started buying frozen.

Then I started freezing bread. I would pull it out when I wanted a sandwich and toast it. Yum. I little damp if not toasted.

Buy the smallest container of what milk, cheese, eggs, whatever you have. Use some and freeze the rest.

lesteidel

Try grocery shopping every couple days and only get what you need at that time instead of buying everything all at once,. Fruits and veggies don't last that long