With everyone looking for ways to prepare tasty meals which do not cost a lot of money, it is important to consider the way that you prepare food. There is a lot of things that people throw into the trash which could be re-used, the article on Mint Life has a long list of different tips, even some deviating from food.
Here are some of the best tips for your ‘garbage’ food items:
Broccoli Stems – A lot of people do not like the stems of broccoli or do not know that they are actually edible and good for you. A few great ways to use the stems are grating them into a coleslaw with carrots, add them to a pot of other vegetables for a great soup, or slice them up and snack on them in place of potato chips.
Bread – Bread that is slightly stale, or the end slices that the members of your household doesn’t like can be put into a bag in the freezer and once the bag is full you toss them all through the food processor and make bread crumbs for stuffing or roll your meat coated lightly in egg in the bread crumbs and fry for another delicious meal. The crusts can be used to make grilled cheese sandwiches, just put the crust to the inside of the sandwich. You can also cut the bread into pieces and fry with herbs and oil to make croutons.
Meat and bones – Add scraps of meat and bones to a stock pot, boil it all up and use the liquid for stock which you can put into ice cube trays or muffin pans, or make a soup or feed it to your dogs as a treat.
Bacon Grease – Strain the bacon grease through cheesecloth and reuse for greasing pans and recipes. Bacon greases can also be used in place of butter or oil for frying.
Orange Peels – Instead of throwing out the orange peels, put them into a jar and pour vinegar over them, leave it to pickle for a couple of weeks and then strain the liquid and mix it with 1 part liquid and 1 part water for an all-purpose chemical free cleaner.
Squash Seeds – Place the seeds on a tray, sprinkle with salt and toast them in the oven for a great snack.
Over Ripe Bananas – Freeze them for banana bread when needed or mash them up, add a little honey or peanut butter with a bit of milk and freeze for a tasty homemade ice-cream.
Pickle Juice – Use the juice left over from your favorite pickles to marinade steak.
Check Expiry Dates – The expiry dates on food are an estimate of when the food will no longer be safe for consumption, instead of throwing the food out check if it smells or tastes funny, if it doesn’t make sure you use it very quickly to be extra safe.
Flat Beer – Pour the beer into small containers the next morning while you cleaning up then sink the containers into your garden so that the opening is level with the soil for a highly effective slug trap.
Apple Skins – Save the skins and boil them to make a great tasting apple tea.
Water from boiling potatoes – Use this water to bake bread for softer more nutritious bread.
Before you toss things straight into the garbage, think about what you doing and whether or not there are other ways you could use the items. If you have any other tips to share, go ahead and share them.
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