One of the biggest impacts on the environment is what is termed greenhouse gases, produced in part from discarded food decomposing and releasing these gases. Studies have shown that in the United States alone, people throw away 60 million tons of food every year. This represents around 50% of the money they spend on food.
Why throw half your grocery bill in the garbage? Planning ahead can lead to big savings. Planning for a party in particular is a must. You need to cater to various food tastes and certainly don’t want a lot of waste.
Here are some eco-friendly food ideas that can save money, and the planet.
Snack Items
Instead of buying individual plastic-wrapped bags, make your own buttery or cheesy popcorn with an air popper. If you are worried about grubby little fingers getting into a common bowl, use brown paper sandwich bags to portion them up and take their leftovers home. Have your child decorate each bag and be sure to write the person’s name on each.
Homemade Granola Bars
Buy the ingredients in bulk online, such as oats and raisins. Cut up and lay out on a plate. Any leftovers can be frozen or sent home with the kids in their favor bag.
Eat a Rainbow
Create a rainbow centerpiece using thin slices of vegetables such as carrots and celery, and berries such as raspberries and blueberries. Use any leftovers for healthy smoothies. You can drink fresh, or place in a jam jar or travel mug for an ice-cold smoothie on the go.
Pizza
Pizza is always a popular favorite. Make your own from scratch and top with your favorite cheese and toppings. Make them thin crust without a lot of rolled edge so the children don’t have trouble chewing. Any leftovers will freeze well.
Sandwiches
Choose whole grain white bread if possible, otherwise a quality loaf of white bread. Cut off the crusts and save them for homemade bread pudding. Make just enough for the number of guests you have coming. You can always make more if you start to run out. Avoid peanut butter; so many people these days are allergic to nuts. Choose ham, turkey and cheeses. Use condiments like mayo lightly. Lay out the sandwiches with cards saying which is which.
Grilled Cheese
Cut off the crusts. Use American or Cheddar. Be sure the cheese is cool enough so no one burns their mouth.
Pasta
Try thin spaghetti and your own homemade sauce. Ravioli is another choice kids love. It is tasty hot or cold and you can freeze the leftovers.
Cake
Bake your own cake from scratch. Avoid whipped cream because it does not freeze well. Use jam between the layers and either buttercream or glaze on the outside. Use a reusable cake topper for the décor. Freeze any leftovers.
Cupcakes
Assemble cupcakes into a cake if you wish. Use recycled cupcake liners. Add some buttercream frosting and an attractive reuseable cupcake pick.
Sundaes
Use Mason jars or nice jam jars to serve. Layer ice cream with a few colorful candies, and some syrup and sprinkles on top. If there are any leftover sundaes, just put the lid on and save for a sweet treat any time.
Drinks
Make up your own Kool-Aid using the natural variety. Serve in Mason or jam jars. Keep soda to a minimum. If your family can’t live without it, consider investing in a SodaStream system so you can cut down on the number of plastic bottles used. Always recycle plastic whenever possible.
