Don’t waste food!

Let’s try and keep our food waste at a minimum this Ramazan shall we? After all, with the lockdown and other unfortunate events resulting from the Covid 19 pandemic, getting groceries is definitely not a walk in the park, and some of us are struggling to get hold of basic ingredients. Plus, Covid and Ramazan or not, wasting food is simply just not cool too.

Below we’ve summed up a few ways by which we can minimize our food waste. Hope you find them useful.

Use your leftovers

We are starting this list with leftovers because however much we plan they are going to be there, one day or another. So, rather than throwing them away, store them in the fridge so that you can reheat and eat later. Or learn to repurpose them. Leftover ‘mas-huni’ can become the filling of some ‘mas-roshi’, or you can use it for a ‘boakibaa’. Leftover rice can become a fried rice. Leftover ‘lonumirus’ can become the spice mix for your next curry. You get the drift. Just put your creativity cap on and soon you’ll be using leftovers like a pro. Also, you know what to do with leftover ‘roshi’. Just make ‘murana roshi’ and store in an airtight container.

Use your freezer

Your freezer could really be your best friend. For one thing, you can make large batches of stews, sauces and curries, portion them and freeze for later use. When you are ready to eat, just thaw the needed number of portions and reheat. This could really help with giving you a break from cooking. Also, if you have large quantities of leftovers, you can freeze them too. And apart from this, your freezer can really help you with managing your perishable ingredients like vegetables. A lot of vegetables, like carrots and potatoes hold well in the freezer if you blanch them before freezing. Fruits too can go in the freezer, like overripe bananas, which you can use for smoothies and banana bread.

Plan your meals

A good plan will save you both time and money. It will also cut down on food waste as well, because you’ll be much more mindful about getting your groceries and how you prepare them. So, jot out the meals you’ll be making for a whole week and before you think of buying ingredients, think about the meals you can prepare from the stuff you already have on hand. When you are planning your meals think of ways you can maximize the use of whatever ingredients you have too.

Note down what you throw away

Noting down what you are throwing away can help you make better choices in the future. It’ll let you know what’s working and what’s not. And it will help you be more conscious of throwing food away too.

Keep serving sizes in check

Just don’t over eat and over serve food. We’ve all been guilty of this. Stuffing ourselves to the brim all the while ignoring the ‘capacity reached’ message from our tummies. So let’s eat a bit slowly and mindfully, and stop when our hunger is satisfied. Also, let's be grateful for the food on our tables.