Food waste is such a growing problem in this part of the world what with big corporations throwing perfectly good food into the trash - food that has been sent cross country to ensure the freshest product for consumption turns into garbage. To top that off, during the winter here in Canada so much of our food is shipped from warmer climates and with them come a substantial hike is price. The issue I see here is that while some people will surely fork over $7.00 for a cauliflower from the USA, the majority of the public will not, or can't. As a result all of the effort it took for these in-demand vegetables to reach us, ultimately will be a waste because they'll go unnoticed and subsequently wither their way into the garbage too.
This is the sad result of waste in the Western world.
It's this time of year in my household that we basically live off items from the discounted rack that most grocery stores now have. The unfortunate part of this off-season practice is that most of our store-bought vegetables aren't locally grown. Luckily though, we still have some of our own stored food from the summertime to help keep a balance.
Many grocery stores that have these racks offer a 50% discount on any produce on their shelf while some are now simply slapping on a small monetary amount per packaged item. This way you can often get a more varied selection because they mix and match different fruits or vegetables for the same price. The only downside to this is that most grocery stores put the produce on Styrofoam plates which a lot of communities don't recycle, fortunately ours does, though I still don't love the idea of it's use. The silver lining is that at least I can take the time to recycle it instead of it also ending up in the garbage.
I had mentioned earlier in the month that I wanted to show how we eat a fresh, wholesome diet on a small budget and showcase recipes created with them. This begins now. Our cupboards are already relatively stocked with a variety of whole grains, beans and some legumes, oats and some seeds and nuts. I buy these from a bulk store to keep the cost down and to try to eliminate weird additives in canned products. We also have a decent variety of dried herbs and spices on hand. (Also from the bulk store.)
I want to show people that you can eat well at a small cost while still keeping flavour as a priority. One of the most typical comments made by people is how expensive it is to eat healthy, I'm going to prove that otherwise. I'm not saying it can't be expensive because it can if you buy purely organic or focus on a lot of pricey nuts and seeds but there are ways to still get what you need without breaking the bank.
As a staple we keep chopped, frozen bananas in our freezer for smoothies - or nice cream - which means if there are bananas on the discount rack, chances are some of them are going to end up in our basket. I'm always envious of other bloggers and their banana box finds as I have never seen such a thing at any of the grocery stores in my area. Until one day there it was. As if waiting for me. This baby.
This is the sad result of waste in the Western world.
It's this time of year in my household that we basically live off items from the discounted rack that most grocery stores now have. The unfortunate part of this off-season practice is that most of our store-bought vegetables aren't locally grown. Luckily though, we still have some of our own stored food from the summertime to help keep a balance.
Many grocery stores that have these racks offer a 50% discount on any produce on their shelf while some are now simply slapping on a small monetary amount per packaged item. This way you can often get a more varied selection because they mix and match different fruits or vegetables for the same price. The only downside to this is that most grocery stores put the produce on Styrofoam plates which a lot of communities don't recycle, fortunately ours does, though I still don't love the idea of it's use. The silver lining is that at least I can take the time to recycle it instead of it also ending up in the garbage.
I had mentioned earlier in the month that I wanted to show how we eat a fresh, wholesome diet on a small budget and showcase recipes created with them. This begins now. Our cupboards are already relatively stocked with a variety of whole grains, beans and some legumes, oats and some seeds and nuts. I buy these from a bulk store to keep the cost down and to try to eliminate weird additives in canned products. We also have a decent variety of dried herbs and spices on hand. (Also from the bulk store.)
I want to show people that you can eat well at a small cost while still keeping flavour as a priority. One of the most typical comments made by people is how expensive it is to eat healthy, I'm going to prove that otherwise. I'm not saying it can't be expensive because it can if you buy purely organic or focus on a lot of pricey nuts and seeds but there are ways to still get what you need without breaking the bank.
As a staple we keep chopped, frozen bananas in our freezer for smoothies - or nice cream - which means if there are bananas on the discount rack, chances are some of them are going to end up in our basket. I'm always envious of other bloggers and their banana box finds as I have never seen such a thing at any of the grocery stores in my area. Until one day there it was. As if waiting for me. This baby.
You're reading that price correctly, $7.00! 40lbs of beautiful bananas ready to be taken home and loved.
Just over an hour later, 119 peeled and chopped bananas headed into the freezer. Well just about as I kept a few bunches out for everyday, fresh eating. Out of this entire box I tossed five into the compost. Five! This was a thing of pure beauty. We saved money and the earth by not allowing this box of perfectly good body fueling greatness to end up in the landfill and it only took an hour of my time once I got home. In the grand scheme of things that's hardly a blip of time in the day.
Prepping food for the coming days is a part of eating healthy and something that comes with being able to take advantage of these prices.
A whole bag of tomatoes? Sweet. Blend em up and toss em in the freezer.
Mangos? Peel. Chop. Freeze. It's easy.
We'll talk more in the coming days but until then go out and see if any of the grocery stores near you have these racks. Some days they are packed full and others they can be pretty barren but it's all in the luck of the draw. Think of it as veggie roulette. Sometimes that might also mean that you may just have to check more often or if you pay attention to which days they are more plentiful, just be sure to go on these days. They're usually pretty consistent.
Now, speaking of storing goodies from the season past I want to share with you this outrageous pumpkin pie smoothie I had the other day. (I won't lie, I made it again the other day and twice as big.)
The ingredients for this liquid gold drink are:
1 cup cubed, steamed Hubbard squash (any squash would work or pumpkin of choice)
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp raw maca powder
1/2 avocado (alternatively you could use a plant milk of choice, or coconut cream would be awesome too - essentially just to add some creaminess to the mix)
1 chopped, frozen banana
You know the drill. Blend til smooth and silky.
I'm a little biased in how amazing this one tastes because I grew the Hubbard in the starring role. Actually I saved the seeds too! I'm a proud squash Momma!
The great thing about squash is that it's hardy so you don't have to eat it all at once if you don't want to. You can hack pieces off of it, cover it and toss it back in the fridge. Alternatively if you want to cook it all off (steaming I find is the quickest and healthiest), seal it up in a freezer-friendly container and save it for later.
The last time I did this and blended up the half-thawed squash it basically turned into pumpkin ice cream, and really, who wouldn't want that?
Ultimately, let's just stop wasting food. Not only are people going hungry but we're depleting our soil and resources in order to fill our landfills with perfectly good food. This is mind boggling! Let's stop the madness. Let's raid discount food racks. Take the extra trip to several grocery stores to get the best bang for your buck and help the environment. And after all that let's share the wealth! Create amazing meals, snacks and smoothies and show the world that a bruised or lonely piece of produce is just as delicious as that shiny one on display.
Love fruit and vegetables for what they are, not by what they should be.
Whole foods = happy hearts!