“Food is the number one thing in America’s landfills, and it contributes more to climate pollution than all of the cars in Georgia” – savethefood.com
Luckily there are ways we can help. Not only on Earth Day but everyday there are simple things that we can do to help reduce the amount of climate pollution.
Here are 5 simple tips to start incorporating today!
1. Plan out your meals ahead of time so that you know exactly what you need at the grocery store.
I find that when I prep my meals for the week ahead, I am less likely to buy more than what I need since I know what specific ingredients I need for those meals.
I also like to make sure what I’m buying can carry through to multiple recipes so that the quantity I’m buying doesn’t go to waste. Things like herbs come in bundles larger than we usually need so it’s tough not to waste. So when I buy basil for instance, I always make a pesto with my leftovers and freeze whatever pesto I know I won’t eat for later use.
2. When eating out, split meals at dinner when you know there will be big portions.
My husband and I don’t go out to dinner much but when we do, we usually split a salad or a meal if we know that the portions will be big. Or if we know we will eat the leftovers, we order our own meals and make a point to actually eat the leftovers.
3. Store raw veggies in paper bags instead of plastic. Raw veggies will last longer in paper bags than plastic. Most of the time I won’t use a bag at all and just store the veggies in the low humidity drawer of my fridge.
4. Cut up and freeze fruit that is ripe to use for smoothies. This is one of my favorite food save hacks because I love making smoothies. When I’m not using my ripe bananas for banana bread, I’m peeling and slicing them and then storing them in the freezer using stasher bags (use code EARTHDAY18 to get 30% off through April 22nd) for a few days to use them in my smoothies. Frozen bananas make the best smoothie consistency. Also, peeled and chopped avocado is great to freeze and add to smoothies.
5. Store foods in the fridge to last longer! Flour, fruit, bread, etc. all last longer in the fridge. Avocados and fruit should be stored as soon as they are ripe (and no sooner before). 
For some more great tips on saving food and proper storage, savethefood.com is a great resource!
xoxo
Marisa
