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Waste Not, Want Not: Tips for Saving in The Kitchen

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Do you ever wonder how people eat healthy and save money? There are many ways to cut corners and make food last longer, thus saving a few bucks.

One way is to waste nothing (or as little as possible). I’ve noticed that the less I waste, the longer my food lasts and the fewer trips I make to the store or the farm. It’s a pretty reliable system.

Here are just a few of money-saving tips I’ve learned over time and through trial and error:

Find a home for leftover meats. Omelets, soups, stews, casseroles, stir frys, rice dishes…endless possibilities.

Save leftover vegetables. These can also go in many foods like omelets, soups, casseroles, and stir frys.

Use the carcass. Chicken carcasses are great for soups and broths.

Keep bones. Bones are good for soups and broths. I save my meat bones every time we have a meal and put them in a container in my freezer.

Save fat. We keep bacon drippings in a jar to use with all kinds of cooking – vegetables, garlic, onions, scrambled eggs, even to cook with other meats. But my favorite way to use it is to make refried beans. Yum!! There are so many other possibilities with leftover fats – again, soups, stews, casseroles, sautees, stir frying, etc.

Have a few meatless meals. Instead of using meat with every meal, use bone broths, cheese, butter, and other dairy, olive oil, coconut oil, or even cook your rice and vegetables in lard or tallow for your healthy fats and loads of flavor.

Freeze anything you can’t use right away. If you make a large meal that has leftovers and you know you won’t be able to eat it in the next day or two, freeze it.

Make your own salad dressing. A bottle of salad dressing from the store costs anywhere from $1.99 and up, more for the “healthier” brands. I’m here to tell you that most of the brands on the market are not healthy, even the “organic” and natural brands because most of them contain vegetable oils = bad. And that $1.99 brand will cost you more down the road in chronic health problems.

Do yourself a favor and buy a bottle of olive oil, and a bottle of balsamic and red wine, or whatever your favorite vinegars might be. Mix these together in a 3 to 1 ratio (olive oil to vinegar), throw in some salt, pepper, spices, and you have a delicious salad dressing that is good for you. You can add many other ingredients to salad dressings. Get creative. Here is my home-made salad dressing recipe link. There’s even one there for home-made ranch dressing!

Use sour raw milk. This is a fantastic and versatile health food! Make yogurt or kefir, buttermilk or cream cheese, smoothies, and use in cooking – think pancakes, hot cereal, or mashed potatoes.

Buy in season. Buying in season guarantees a lower price. Foods that are not in season and that have to be shipped in are more expensive in more ways than one.

Buy local and buy direct. Local products are often cheaper because there are no transportation or other associated costs for the farmer/merchant. You may have to spend money on gas to go pick something up that is local, but you can plan your trips or carpool and make more than one stop on your way to other necessary obligations/tasks.

Cook from scratch. Anything you buy that’s already been prepared will cost more up front or on the back end (health problems later), or both. Here are some recipes for ideas.

Eat more nutrient-dense foods, and less junk. You will get full and stay that way longer, which will cut back on eating between meals and save money. If you are eating a lot of junk, you will be hungry more often, and have to keep eating more to get full – but you won’t be full, and your body will pay for it in the end.

Plan ahead and make lists. I don’t always do this, but when I do, I reap the benefits.

Consult the Dirty Dozen.  Although I always try to buy organic whenever I can, sometimes this is not possible. Find out which foods are best to buy organic, and which can be left to conventional selections if you are on a budget.

Plant a garden. If you grow your own food, the savings are substantial.

Grow and dry your own herbs. Wash them and shake them of moisture and dirt or insects that may have become trapped. You can bunch herbs together and secure with a tie, then hang them upside down for 1 – 3 weeks. Use care to tie the string securely around the herbs, but not too tightly which can cause broken stems. Best place to hang is in a dark, dry, well-ventilated area. Herbs are dry when they feel crumbly to the touch. You can also use a food dehydrator or oven (if you have a setting that goes down to 150 degrees). Wash, rinse and allow to dry thoroughly. When dry, place a parchment paper sheet in your dehydrator or oven. Place in the device of your choice for 40-45 minutes or until crumbly and dry. Make certain to spread well out and not overlap while drying. Store in an air-tight container, glass is best, or zippered plastic bag in a cool, dark place.

Buy whole foods, and buy in bulk when appropriate. Some bulk items are cheaper, but some are lower quality. Weigh those factors with whether to buy from bulk bins, frozen, fresh, or from the farm directly. A bag of prepared lettuce may seem more convenient, but a head of lettuce is usually cheaper and the savings on packaging is better on the environment.

Instead of toxic, costly cleaners, use vinegar to clean everything in your house. Use about 6 – 7 to 1 ratio of water to vinegar for cleaning. Walls, floors, counters, glass containers, bathrooms, sinks, toilets, and almost any surface you can think of.

Reuse containers. We have a bunch of glass containers and jars in our house that we’ve saved from products we’ve purchased, and they come in handy in many instances. My daily water container, for example, is a 32 ounce (liter) glass jar from unsweetened cranberry juices I buy. Use single-serving juice jars for drinks and baby food and small jars for lunches and to-go food packs. If you must use something disposable, use parchment or glass lids (plates turned upside down work too!), or paper bags. They are reusable, biodegradable, and better for health.

Throw all your organic matter into a compost bin. It’s amazing how fast you can create a wonderful, healthy pile of dirt for your garden by depositing your mustard and carrot greens, avocado peels, apple cores, coffee grounds, and egg shells into your compost bin.

Share with others. If you are going to pick up meat, milk, or produce from a local farm, find others in your area who also want to do this and share responsibility for pick up/delivery. We share our milk delivery with three other families, and thus only have to pick up milk once a month from the farm that is 30+ miles away.

Be willing to volunteer and you’ll reap benefits. A few years back, a woman who was selling locally-produced vegetables and fruits needed delivery drivers to take items around to subscribers on her CSA routes. I volunteered to be a driver to take produce crates around in my own neighborhood and in exchange I got a free crate of fruits/vegetables in return every week. I also made a new friend.  🙂

More money saving tips:

Food budgets – using creativity and prioritizing for healthy eating

Proof that nourishing food doesn’t have to cost bundle, is nourishing, and satisfies!

Time and money saving tips – the real health and financial implications of food allergies

Eating healthy in a time of recession

Time and money saving tips – getting the most out of your vegetables

Want to know more about real food?

How well do you know your food? Find out!

What are your tricks and tips for saving in the kitchen? Please share!

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays Carnival. Please visit Kristen’s site and read all the other real food posts linked there.

What are your tricks and tips for saving in the kitchen? Please share!

17 replies on “Waste Not, Want Not: Tips for Saving in The Kitchen”

I HATE wasting food! Even if I’ve made something that didn’t turn out good, I find a way to turn it into something else. I’m still trying to be successful at sourdough bread. The other night I had another flop. Instead of tossing the whole loaf (which I put hours into, not to mention all the energy of kneading it) – I cut it into cubes and made croutons for all the salads we will be eating.

Last year I discovered a blog that showcased our food waste for the week. I participated a few months and it really opened my eyes to how much food was wasted. I hate to waste foods, hate it! I might as well throw 20.00 bills in the trash.

Luckily for me, with two very hungry pre-teen boys and a husband who likes to eat, I rarely have wasted foods, unless it’s something they don’t like, like brussel sprouts LOL.

I should start putting bones in the freezer for broth later- I’ve found I’m not in the mood to use it up much now that it’s summer. Bones are easier to store than made up broth!

And I had total jealousy looking at all that clear counter space! LOL!

Tara – what a good thing to do with flopped bread! I hope someday if I get over my issue with grains I will find the motivation to make bread. Hopefully the liver/gallbladder cleanse will do it for me! Have you started reading the book yet?

Paula – it really is an eye-opener when you start to look at how much food and money is wasted. It makes me think of the school lunch programs. When Jamie Oliver was doing his shows, they talked a lot about how much was wasted, and it’s true. When my son was in public school I watched kids throw lunches away every day as I hand delivered lunch to my son at school every day and it was horrific!

Cara – I know what you mean, I’m jealous of the clean counter space in the picture too! That’s not my kitchen, but sometimes I wish I had a kitchen that was that clean!! Mine is usually sucha disaster, any pictures I take are close-ups and where you can’t see anything else around the item being photographed. Although if you think about how clean that kitchen is, it’s pretty obvious it isn’t being used for anything – or at least it doesn’t look like it is. A kitchen that’s not being used is a wasted space, in my opinion! 🙂

This is a great list…I’m printing this out so that when we finally get our house sold, I am going to make it my goal to accomplish all of these things from the start at our next home! 🙂

Laryssa – thanks for stopping by, I hope this list is useful to you! 🙂

Emilee – thanks for stopping by, it’s a great idea to print things out that you find which are useful. What is your living situation right now and where are you going to be going?

Robin – So many people misunderstand about eating healthy, and maybe just lack the confidence or tools to do so. That’s why I’ve been writing various articles with suggestions about eating healthy that include cost saving ideas and tips; I really want to encourage people that they can do it, that it’s important, and that some things are worth spending a little extra on (for the quality of the food and its positive effect on our health), and that by stretching things out – like by making broth with a chicken carcass, you really can get more food out of your meals and save some money along the way. Besides, the money you save on your health becoming worse is worth it all the way, in my opinion. 🙂

[…] 3. Don’t waste anything – if you have leftover bones, fat, meats, vegetables, etc., put it in a freezer container such as safe glass or plastic (with no BPA), and use for later. If you only have a small amount, add to it over several meals and then pull it out when you want to make stock, soups, stews, chili, rice or casserole dishes, etc. Here’s a post with tips on how to do this: Waste Not, Want Not: Tips for Saving in the Kitchen. […]

Try roasting brussels sprouts – this brings our their sweetness and they are outstanding! I have converted brussels sprouts haters using this method.

Hi Catherine – Thanks for your tip! My husband and I love Brussels sprouts, but my son is not keen on most vegetables, so this might be a good idea to try to get him interested. 🙂

Pone la masa con la forma deseada en una bandeja para horno cubierta con papel de horno, cúbrela con un harapo húmedo
y deja fermentar durante 1 hora (sigue el mismo proceso precedente para fermentar).

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