Plan out meals weekly – Perishables picked up without a meal plan can go bad before you have a chance to use them. If you plan meals out between shopping trips, you’ll buy only the perishables you need.
Don’t prepare too much food – Scale down recipes to ensure you only make what you need.
Reuse leftovers - A lot of what gets thrown out from the frig is leftovers. If you’re not going to reuse it within a couple of days, freeze it.
Become a diner – I’ve been known to utter the phrase “This isn’t mom’s diner. I make one meal and you get what you get,” quite a few times in the past. I’ve learned to modify that. I’ll be a diner if someone is willing to eat leftovers. If I’m making salmon, my six-year-old’s world seems as if it’s ending. I’ve learned this is a perfect time to use leftovers. I offer him some leftover chicken or pasta in place of the salmon.
Share – After a big party send home leftovers with guests or offer food to neighbours the day after. Put together a plate with leftovers after dinner for a single or elderly neighbour. Donate those canned goods you bought for a casserole but never made to a food pantry before their expiration date arrives. There are tons of ways you can share instead of waste food.
Know what you’ve got – Put food in clear containers in the frig so you can see what you’ve got.
Doggie bag it – If you eat out, take your own containers for a doggie bag and bring home your leftovers. Then actually eat them.
Grow you own – I can guarantee you that not one tomato, pepper or herb from my garden has gone to waste this summer. It’s a lot of hard work to grow them, and I’m not about to throw that hard work in the trash.
Be truthful with yourself – You may have the best intentions in the world to cook a healthy dinner every night, but don’t buy a week’s worth of food if in reality you know you’re going to end up picking up take out or eating out a couple of times each week. Shop for who you really are, not for who you want to be.
These simple steps can help stop world hunger. By sending left over foods to needy people where the people there lack proper food, we would be 1 step closer to stopping world hunger.
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