In the current climate we are in, more than ever we are looking to reduce food waste and use up what we have at home before attempting to adventure out to the supermarkets. In this post, Megan shares some of her favourite recipes to reduce food waste and make the most of what you have at home. But first, a few tips on reducing food waste more generally:
Top tips
Meal plan before going shopping. Plan the meals you are going to have throughout the week. This means you are less likely to buy random things that ultimately you may never use.
Only buy what you need, not what you want - especially in this current climate. We all need to remember that supermarkets will be replenished daily. So there is no need to panic buy.
Don’t throw it away. If something is coming up to it’s best before date, look at some recipes which include that ingredient and see what you can make from it. I've popped some of my favourite recipes below!
Recipes
One of my favourite breakfasts to make at the moment is homemade granola: it is super easy to make, a good way to use up random bits in the house and it kills time whilst in lock down.
Granola Ingredients:
Oats
Oil
Honey or golden syrup
Salt
Cinnamon
Chocolate chips and raisins (and any extra’s you wish to put in - you can chop and change the ingredient list)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Depending on how much you want to make, put a cup or more of oats into a bowl and add a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of cinnamon, a splash of oil and around 2-3 tablespoons of honey
Mix all together so it becomes sticky, and add more honey if needed
Spoon the mixture onto a greased baking tray and spread it out
Pat the oats down in order to help get those clusters and place the tray in the oven
After 10 minutes turn the oats over and pat them down again
Put the oats back in the oven for a further 10 mins
Once golden, take them out of the oven and leave to cool, then add what you want in your granola e.g. raisins and chocolate chips. Put into your chosen container and there you go... homemade granola.
We all sometimes forget about fruit and it can go a bit soft and mushy - especially apples. Don’t know what to do with the apples? Stew them! They are great for breakfast with porridge, as a snack and can also be easily refrigerated.
Stewed Apple Ingredients:
Apples
50g of caster sugar
1 tablespoon of water
Seasoning of choice. E.g cinnamon
Method:
Peal and core the apples, then chop them into chunks
Heat a pan over a medium heat and add all ingredients. Give it a stir then put a lid on the pan
Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring as and when needed until cooked.
Add some more sugar if it is too sharp.
Keep an eye on our blog in the future for more recipes including main meals. I hope these tips and recipes have helped give you ideas to use up your leftovers during the lock down. Remember: please stay at home if you can and stay safe!
Comments