What is a 'Use It Up Food' challenge?
It's about food waste or more specifically not wasting food ...
It's about repurposing our leftovers into another dish,
It's about using every part of fruits and vegetables,
It's about using up the really small amounts of food ...
It's about using up food scraps, peels and stems ...
It's about being mindful of every bit of food that comes in and through our kitchens and finding a use for it ... all of it!
That's our purpose for this series, so, how did we do this week?
You're going to laugh, but here's what I did!
I opened the jug and smelled it ... it still smelled good!
I poured a little into a cup and tasted it ... it still tasted good!
So, every day for the whole week, I opened that jug and smelled the milk, then I tasted the milk and then I served myself a bowl of milk and cereal. That was one of my meals every single day! I was determined that that jug of milk was not going to waste! In addition to having milk and cereal each day, I used it in cooking our meals replacing liquids when called for every time I could. I was on a mission, and I'm happy to report that I succeeded!
Sometimes we have to be intentional and determined not to waste food ... or in this case ... milk!!!
So, how did you do? I can't wait to read your comments!
mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27
Sharing 44 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building
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I've noticed that milk keeps much much longer nowadays than it did let's say early 2000's. It's not that cows have changed, or that the milk itself is different. No, it is due to better hygiene in all links of the chain - milking is done by robots (very fancy milking stations even for goats!), milk is chilled immediately at the farm, it is transported chilled, it is packed in clean and hygienic conditions... I now have cartons of milk in my fridge with best before date over two weeks ago and milk is still fresh and nice (we have best before date and use by date, no sell by date). I don't remember when was the last time I had milk gone bad - and I buy ALL milk reduced because of the best before date is near...
ReplyDeleteUlvmor
Ulvmor, that's great information! I find that some brands of milk go bad earlier after their 'best by date' than others. We try to steer away from those brands when possible. We don't shy away from buying 'clearanced' milk at all. If it's a really good deal, we'll buy it and bring it home to freeze for future use.
DeleteGood job on the milk! We buy Lactose Free milk which has a "best buy" date w-a-y out from what the regular milk is. I agree with Ulvmor... practices today are super sterile in the dairy industry. Milk, butter, cheese all seems to stay fresher longer.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of staying fresher longer, I invested in (sale priced) containers that keep things air tight in the fridge. There's a head of leaf lettuce a week old still fresh in one, celery and spring onions in another, and carrots in a third. All as fresh as the day they went in them. I bought Lock-n-lock brand. The main thing is for the containers to have a silicone seal and make sure the produce is dry when it goes in. Obviously, salads haven't been on my menu this week with the tooth stuff. Hoping it lasts through dental work on Wednesday, but so far, so good.
Part 2 a little later. ;-)
Elise
Elise, thanks for the info on the Lock-n-Lock brand. I'm not familiar with it but will make a note to check it out the next time I need to replace our fridge containers.
DeletePart 2
ReplyDeleteLast year I bought salted butter whenever there was a good sale/digital coupon and stored it in the chest freezer for holiday baking. We use tub margarine or oil for cooking and eating; Hubs likes tub margarine because it's so spreadable. Well, have you priced tub margarine lately? Yeah. Outrageous. And I have butter, so my solution is simple for anyone to try: bring a stick or two of frozen butter (1/2 to 1 c.) to room temperature in a mixing bowl, add some canola, corn or (my choice) vegetable oil and whip up well using a stick blender. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge. You'll have to play with the oil amounts to find the spreadable consistency you prefer. I don't recommend olive oil unless you don't mind that flavor coming through.
With the tooth pain [I was able to sleep all night for the 1st time in a week last night], I've been eating a lot of eggs. In my younger gardening days, no eggs shells were wasted. I'm heading back to that. It's important to rise them well to keep odor at bay. I'd plop the shells in a bowl of soapy water (dish water works well), rinse them, lay them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and dry them in the oven at 225 degrees. Then they went into a zip top bag for storage. When planting time came around, I'd crush the whole bag or bags and work them into the bottom of planting holes with dried banana and/or potato peels. Alternately, I'd use them mixed with well aged manure, some used/dried coffee grounds, and pulverized peels around blooming or fruiting shrubs and trees.
Most here are probably familiar with apple scrap jam. I made some (it took 2 tries) when we made apple butter in December. What you may not know is the Johnny Appleseed story is more than a legend. When we lived in Ohio, I involved my then young sons and we planted apple seeds in pots after they'd rested in the freezer for 30 days. Not all germinated. A few did, though, and they grew. We were able to plant two apple trees in that yard, about 3 ft. each and branching, before moving away. I have apple seeds in my freezer now. We have nursery pots stacked on the side of the barn shed. I've been told I'd be better served to buy grafted trees from the nursery, and that may be, but it's worth trying. Used to be the trees weren't grafted.
Anyway... just thoughts. Thank you, Patsy! --Elise
Elise, your comment is full of useful information. I'm adding your tips to my notes! I really like the spreadable butter idea. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteGood on you for testing the milk before tossing. I have the opposite issue with milk- James drinks so much of it that I have to ration it to make it last the week! I have some powdered in the pantry that needs using, so I may mix that up and "hide" it by combining with the store bought to make it stretch.
ReplyDeleteI took the no-waste challenge to heart and I'm thrilled with what I was able to create with what I had. I had some (a lot) of floppy carrots that needed using, so I set aside what I needed for some meals I have planned for the coming week. The rest were shredded and I made a two layer carrot cake (unfrosted) that I put in the freezer for whenever we want a treat. I also made a dozen carrot raisin muffins that became our snacks over a few days. This also used up the little bit of shredded coconut in the pantry. I also made a gluten-free carrot cake and frosted it using up a partial block of cream cheese and the rest of a bag of powdered sugar. We enjoyed that right away 😉 I still had some shredded carrots left so...
They were added to a meatloaf, which also used up 4 slices of old bread, the rest of the onion in the fridge, about 1/4 cup of beans left over from another meal, and the rest of a nearly empty bottle of ketchup.
I had some potatoes sprouting in the pantry (purchased before our free 50lb potato haul). Those were boiled and turned into potato salad, which also used up the three remaining pickles in a jar in the fridge, as well as the last bit of mayo in the jar. I had four slices of bacon left from a package, which are not enough for us on their own, so those were cooked and chopped and added to the potato salad. Some were reserved to go atop the baked potatoes we had with our meat loaf, also using up the last of the sour cream.
I chopped and froze the celery in the fridge before it went bad. I reserved the tops to use in a future batch of bone broth.
I had some cheese dip leftover from a potluck dish, but no chips. I opened up a can of chili and put that on a baked potato, topped with the leftover cheese dip. The leftover chili will be used for topping hot dogs this coming week.
It probably sounds like I don't have much food left in my house after all that, but I sure do! I'm just glad I was able to USE so much of it instead of tossing it during a clean out. I am terrible about wasting produce, so this was no small victory. I'm very pleased!
Kelsey, you had an amazing week!!! Look at all you saved! When we are intentional with what we've got, we can really make a difference can't we? I'm going to borrow your potato salad idea and use some of our 50 lb box of potatoes to make a nice big bowl tomorrow to enjoy during the week. You go girl! So inpirational!
DeleteGood observation on the milk, Patsy! If I am faced with a gallon of nearly-expired 2% or whole milk, I make paneer, a lovely fresh fresh cheese very similar to queso blanco. It takes nothing more than the milk, some white vinegar, heat, and a bit of cheesecloth.
ReplyDeleteSue, that sounds really good, do you have a recipe or method you can share?
DeleteHi Patsy, this is the simple recipe I use. You can use 2% or whole milk; my understanding is that anything lower than 2% won't work well.
DeletePaneer traditionally is not salted, but if I plan to snack on it I add 1/2 tsp of salt to suit my Wisconsin-born cheese palate, LOL!
The cool thing about paneer is that it doesn't melt in hot dishes, such as Matar Paneer (green peas paneer curry, my favorite!), so you have lovely little chunks of cheese to bite into. Wrap it well and it freezes beautifully. Goock luck!
https://tastytongues.blogspot.com/2011/08/low-fat-paneer.html
Like you I trust my nose and my mouth more than best before dates!
ReplyDeleteTracey, yes ma'am!
DeleteMilk is always having to be minded here, too. It seems we buy it and then the date is fast approaching. We pour ours in glass and it keeps longer when we see the date is close. We also have a green glass bottle that is out of date milk for cooking and bread making. I made a small batch of banana pudding this week to help use the gallon we have now.
ReplyDeleteWe did not throw out a single thing this week so that is a big win. I just finished putting a pot of soup on to cook that used up some salsa languishing in the fridge and an out of date can of corn.
Lana, you've shared that with me before about pouring the milk in glass and I totally did NOT think of it! It feels good to have a no waste week, doesn't it? Way to go!
DeleteGreat catch on the milk, Patsi. I mentioned some things I did in Monday's post. I've been making Better Butter for years. My go to recipe to get 3 pounds of butter from one pound is to whip together 1 pound of salted or unsalted butter and 2 cups of light olive oil which is tasteless but still gives one the benefits of olive oil. I refreshed our supply this week. I used up a small amount of cheese and made some savory scones. Left over meat loaf was turned into pizza bowls by crumbling up the meat loaf and layering left over no'mato sauce and leftover mozzarella cheese a Nd what was left of the peppers onions and pepperoni and the baked until the cheese melted I thinned out what was left of some pancake mix and made blueberry crepes. Left over coconut milk was thinned with water and made into white sauce and frozen. I used what was left of the caulimash and added some parmesan cheese to it and mixed on small pasta shells with leftover chicken and the rest of a bag of frozen broccoli. All our produce was kept extra fresh using Debby Meyer Green Boxes and bags . For me they are the best because they keep the veggies from developing histamine
ReplyDeleteCookie, Better Butter! I knew there was a name for making butter spreadable, but I couldn't think of it! I've not heard of Debby Meyer Green Boxes and bags, I need to check those out as well. I like what you did with the leftover meatloaf! I'm going to try that! Great comment! Thank you for sharing!
DeleteBecause we have to watch our salt intake, I make the better butter but use half salted and half unsalted butter when making.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, that's a good idea!
DeleteI’m so curious—could someone please explain HOW to make “Better Butter”? I really like Mayo with olive oil, and I ‘d love to try this new-to-me butter concoction. Thanks in advance! Sue
ReplyDeleteSue, let one pound of butter soften in a bowl. Add 2 cups of light olive oil about 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time and using an electric mixer , or stick blender blend the oil into the butter. Put in an air tight container and refrigerate. That's all there is to it. This will give you the equivalent of 3 pounds of butter that is spreadable. Cookie
DeleteThank you, Cookie! I am going to try this with 1 stick of butter & 1/2 cup oil to see if my family likes it.
DeleteCan you bake with this mixture? Or is it strictly for toast & cooking?
You can only bake with it if the recipe calls for melted butter. Instead of all butter you will have the butter and oil combination. You can use it to saute or scramble an egg or even on cooked vegetables. It's great on toast and anything else for the table like a baked potato. Be sure to use a "light" olive oil or even avocado oil so that the oil is tasteless. Either one of those is high in mono and poly unsaturated fats which are the most favorable to good health. Cookie
DeleteCookie I can't thank you enough for all the great info! I'm sure it will help many others who read here. Appreciate you!!
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