Using things up before they go off can be difficult. Busy lives, commitments at home, work and school and things like changing preferences from small children when it comes to meals and snacks can result in a lot of leftovers, half eaten meals and rotten food. To help mitigate waste, here are some ideas for using up items beyond banana bread.
Milk that’s approaching its expiry can offer a great opportunity to make a custard or white sauce. Try using milk on its last days to whip up a white/cheese sauce base for a macaroni cheese, lasagne or vegetable bake that can be added to your family's meal plan for the week or frozen for later use. Craving a creamy pasta but don’t have any cream on hand? Cooking pasta in half water, half milk will leave you with a creamy cooked pasta base to add roasted mix veggies, pesto or grilled meat to for an easy weeknight meal.
Bananas can be frozen for later use or thrown into a healthy smoothie. Freezing the smoothie mix into popsicle moulds can make the milk and bananas (and any other fruit or vegetable you need to use up) into a tasty treat, ensuring you get the best out of the ingredients by extending the life of them in your freezer.
Bread is another of the top commonly wasted food items in Brisbane and not just because we live in a warm climate where mould grows quickly. Store fresh bread in small quantities and freeze the rest to get the best out of each loaf you buy. Incidental food waste like the half-eaten sandwich your toddler hasn’t finished, can often end up in the bin. Consider toasting an unfinished ham and cheese sandwich for a snack, or cut into a fun shape with a cookie cutter if a nibbled edge deters a little one. Sweet sandwich leftovers such as honey, jam or peanut butter crusts can be turned into a bread-and-butter pudding with extra flavour (especially if you want to use up some milk for the custard element too).
If you feel like you’re always throwing away those end of loaf crusts, try storing them in the freezer to make breadcrumbs or croutons. Alternatively, add open-grill sandwiches into your dinner meal plan. Based on what is leftover in the fridge, you may like to use crusts like a little pizza base and add some sauce, cheese, mushroom or pineapple for a pizza inspired open grilled sandwich or try some asparagus, ham and cheese for more of a café style option.
By looking for recipes online to help use up as much of your weekly shop as possible, you can help reduce the amount of food that ends up in your bin each week. This can save you money in the long run and break some bad food waste habits.
Visit reducing waste at home for more tips to help your household reduce food waste and refresh your recycling knowledge while you’re at it to get the best out of your recycling bin at home.