Combating leftovers and food waste

Living by yourself or in a couple means that you are only feeding one or two mouths. Coming from a family of five, I have had to change the way I shop, plan and cook meals since moving out of home. It used to be simple. My family would buy in bulk and find ways to use all the leftovers up. There were always hungry mouths around. When it came to shopping, my family had the luxury of buying in bulk and saving money. Now that I live on my own, I frequently find myself having to choose between buying cheaper, bulk products and random discounted ingredients, or spending more money on smaller quantities and the ingredients I need to cook with.  

Buying what’s on special

When I do my weekly shop, I scout around to see what I can find on the cheap. It’s always a bit fun and exciting, and it can inspire me to cook new and exciting things. I walk into a shop with no idea of what I need to buy or what I would like to cook and end up walking out with random fruits, veggies and cheese. This can sometimes leave me in a pickle. What I’ve learnt, and what I am trying to practice is that it’s not always best to buy what’s on special unless you have the other ingredients you need and a plan to use what you buy. If I buy something with a best before date that will soon expire, I can find myself using it for a meal and then not knowing what to do with the rest of it and before I know it it’s ready for the bin. To combat this, I try to cook big batches and make sure I have enough vegetables to use. The beauty about having a fridge and pantry stocked with vegetables is that they don’t go off as quickly as other, more precarious foods such as meats and cheese. They also play a big part in being able to formulate a healthy delicious dinner.

Lunches

I frequently find myself either not eating lunch or staying at home to cook lunch. This wastes time and keeps me locked in the house. The reason I find myself not eating lunch is because my pantry falls into the trap of having quick go-to portable foods. When I do my shop, I always forget the simple things for lunch. To combat this, I’ve been trying to add some of my favourite lunch snacks including;

• Pistachios
• Vitaweats
• Apples and bananas
• Muesli bars

I haven’t been doing it long, but I just get up and grab a handful of crackers and pistachios, a muesli bar and an apple and I’m ready for my day.

Using leftovers

Using leftovers can be really tricky. You can find yourself stuck with some really odd stuff (I had tofu, sweet potato, an avocado and a lemon the other day and I was stumped). To combat this, I try to make sure that I’ve got some simple staples to help me through. If I have bread I can always turn something into a toasty or a sandwich, or if I have rice I can whip up a curry to have (there is always a way to use up vegetables in a hearty curry). Unfortunately, the best way to deal with leftovers is to avoid having them. Sometimes it’s just smarter to buy a small tub of feta that you will be able to eat rather than a whole block that goes off the next for the same price (speaking from experience). Less can really can be more when it comes to using up leftovers and planning meals.