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Zero-Waste Chef

  • ZWC Book

It’s a Book!

Posted on September 30, 2020September 29, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau

I’ve been working on this for a while! My book is now available.

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45 Comments
  • Food Waste

Cook Less and Eat Better with a Continuous Menu

Posted on February 2, 2023February 3, 2023by Anne-Marie Bonneau
Honeynut squash halves are arranged in a pan, cut side up. A small sprig of fresh rosemary fills the hollow of each squash half.

A continuous menu repurposes some elements of one meal into the next to reduce wasted food, save time and money and produce tasty dishes.

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  • Sourdough

Amazing Peanut Butter Cookies With a Sourdough Discard Flax Egg

Posted on January 24, 2023January 24, 2023by Anne-Marie Bonneau
A dozen peanut butter cookies made with a sourdough discard flax egg cools in a cooling rack. The rack sits on a white and grey marble background.

Bake perfect peanut butter cookies when eggs are scarce and sourdough discard is plentiful. No one will even notice this egg substitution.

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  • Zero-Waste Basics

How to Make a Compost Bin Liner Out of Newspaper

Posted on January 18, 2023January 24, 2023by Anne-Marie Bonneau
Hands hold open a compost bin liner made out of folded newspaper

Keep your compost pail cleaner with an easy-to-make newspaper bin liner. It saves money and adds brown matter to a compost heap.

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3 Comments
  • Sourdough

I Made a Sourdough Discard Flax Egg Because Why Not?

Posted on January 12, 2023January 23, 2023by Anne-Marie Bonneau

A sourdough discard flax egg works amazingly in cookies, rescues dough if you run out of eggs and saves money. Vegans and non vegans approve!

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6 Comments
  • Food Waste

How to Dye Fabric Pink With Mere Avocado Pits

Posted on January 3, 2023January 4, 2023by Anne-Marie Bonneau
Five reusable cloth produce bags in varying shades of pink dry on a clothes line outside

Put avocado pits to work and dye fabric pink with them. All you need are a large pot, a handful of pits, water and something to dye.

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14 Comments
  • Food Waste

How to Make Rice Glue for Plastic-Free Paper Tape

Posted on December 23, 2022January 3, 2023by Anne-Marie Bonneau
Underside of a gift wrapped in brown paper and sealed with paper tape glued with rice glue

Leftover rice has so many uses, including the basis for quick, easy, frugal rice glue. Brush it onto strips of paper for homemade paper tape.

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12 Comments
  • Climate Crisis
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    • Garden

Laundry to Landscape Grey Water System Conserves Water and Money

Posted on December 12, 2022December 13, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau
A washing machine is hooked to pipes and a valve for a greywater system

Our laundry-to-landscape grey water system captures water from the washing machine, diverts it to plants outside and lowers our water bill.

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6 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

Why We Resist Cooking, Guest Post by Brigitte Gemme

Posted on December 8, 2022December 7, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau
Image of a woman in her kitchen showing off a pot of roasted beets.

In this excerpt from her new book, Brigitte Gemme explains why we resist cooking and how to change our mindset to embrace this act of love.

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2 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

Gifts, Wrapping, Trees and More: Curb Holiday Consumption Grinch Free

Posted on December 5, 2022December 19, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau
Side view of a gingerbread dump truck decorated with white icing and candy

This holiday season, save money, decrease stress, and increase joy by choosing alternatives to the usual consumer trappings.

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3 Comments
  • Climate Crisis

21 Shopping Free Activities to Enjoy on Buy Nothing Day

Posted on November 25, 2022November 25, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau

This Buy Nothing Day—formerly known as Black Friday—protest by not participating in consumerism and enjoy some of these activities instead.

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3 Comments
  • Food Waste

27 Easy No Waste Ways to Repurpose Thanksgiving Leftovers

Posted on November 23, 2022November 23, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau

Think of Thanksgiving leftovers as prepped ingredients, ready to become new dishes. Repurpose them with these 27 waste-busting ideas.

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2 Comments
  • Climate Crisis

Pastry for Pakistan Pay-What-You-Feel Fundraiser

Posted on November 18, 2022November 18, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau
A baked apple galette in a cast iron pan sits on grey and white marble

Raise money for flood victims in Pakistan while learning how to bake a delicious galette in this pay-what-you-feel Zoom workshop.

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4 Comments
  • All Recipes

No Waste Whole Wheat Pastry for One 9-Inch Crust

Posted on November 15, 2022November 15, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau
A cast-iron skillet is lined with a sheet of whole wheat pastry dough. The skillet sits on grey and white marble.

Make pie crust yourself and skip store-bought shells packaged in ocean-clogging plastic. This whole wheat pastry has a slightly nutty flavor.

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13 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

Some of the Stuff I Get Free

Posted on November 10, 2022November 11, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau
Four burlap sacks filled with wood chips sit in front of a large pile of wood chips

After recently picking up free mulch, I made a list of just some of the useful items I get for free regularly.

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4 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

10 Quick and Tasty Zero-Waste Breakfast Ideas for Busy People

Posted on November 1, 2022February 6, 2023by Anne-Marie Bonneau
overnight steel-cut oats

Breakfast offers the greatest potential to cook and eat without waste. You’ll probably be home, not on the go, and will eat on real dishes.

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5 Comments

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My daughter MK cooked these purple sweet potatoes My daughter MK cooked these purple sweet potatoes in our pressure cooker (they cook very quickly!) with a bit of water. We cook with the vegetable infused water to add flavor and nutrients to dishes and to conserve water during our ongoing drought.

Use vegetable cooking water to cook lentils or beans or rice, add it to broth or just drink it. You can also water your plants with it. They'll enjoy the extra nutrients.

Save all kinds of liquids for another dish: bean broth, pasta water, potato water, brines, whey. They enhance food—drought or no drought! I add unsalted black bean broth to my sourdough discard chocolate cake. So good!
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#pressurecooker #SaveOurWater #CaWater #waterconservation #conserve #conservewater #californiadrought #californialife #drought #noplanetb #thereisnoplanetb #lowwaste #zerowaste #zerowastelifestyle #zerowasteliving #zerowastekitchen #zerowastetips #climatecrisis #climateemergency #climatechangeisreal #climateaction #climateactionnow #actonclimate #earthdayeveryday #loveyourmother #slowfoodmovement #slowlivingmovement #artofslowliving
"High food prices stir appetite for budget-minded "High food prices stir appetite for budget-minded recipes from food writers."

Thank you for including me in the article, Geoff Nixon @CBC! 

One of the best ways to handle high food prices is to eat all the food we buy. There is zero downside to doing so.

Link in profile for the full article on how rising costs will affect food writing.
Have your energy costs increased? Ours have. Here Have your energy costs increased? Ours have. Here are five simple ways to conserve energy in the kitchen:

1. Set a timer to avoid cooking longer than necessary. 
2. Soak grains and beans before cooking. They’ll cook faster. 
3. Use a pressure cooker if you have one. It cooks food very quickly. I bought this one second hand for $15 many years ago.
4. If food is freezing in your refrigerator, turn the temperature up. Consumer Reports recommends 37°F. Lower isn’t necessary.
5. Cook more food at once when you have the oven on. After turning it off when you’ve finished, leave the door ajar to warm up the room.

Most of these conserve your time as well, another precious resource!
Nearly indestructible perfluoroalkyl substances (P Nearly indestructible perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), aka forever chemicals, render food packaging heatproof, greaseproof and waterproof, including some supposedly eco-friendly, compostable food packaging. They prevent food from sticking to pans. They render fabrics stain-resistant. They make dental floss glide.

They make our lives more convenient but at an outrageous price. PFAS have been linked to  kidney and testicular cancers, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, and pregnancy-induced hypertension. They may negatively impact fertility, the endocrine system and the immune system. And the may reduce the efficacy of vaccines. 

But they are also everywhere! In these slides are easy ways to avoid them. Avoid non-stick pots and pans; avoid take-out containers and wrappers; consider eating more food cooked at home from unpackaged vegetables (they have their own packaging!); don't eat freshwater fish; skip the microwave popcorn and pop popcorn on the stove; choose PFAS-free dental floss.

I couldn't fit additional ways in the slides:

✨ Check the EWG website for the map of cities with contaminated water. (Link in my newsletter). Consider getting a reverse-osmosis water treatment system.
✨ Cosmetics, shampoo and other personal care items may contain PFAS. Search for products that do not through EWG’s Skin Deep database.
✨ Avoid stain- and water-resistant fabrics. Sofas, carpet, mattress protectors, outdoor clothing…many of them have been treated with forever chemicals. Do your homework before you buy.
✨ Sign petitions (I like to a few in my newsletter). We need regulations to stop the polluting corporations.

See my most recent newsletter for all of the links and more info. Link in bio.
These are three buy-the-seeds-once plants: bok cho These are three buy-the-seeds-once plants: bok choy (first two images), arugula (next two) and sunflowers (this one came up early with all the rains). Let some of these plants bolt and go to seed, save the seeds, repeat and you’ll have free seeds for life. (Ideally… things can and will happen…)

I actually didn’t buy my bok choy or arugula seeds. They came from a community garden share! Gardeners tend to be very generous. Share your seeds as well. When those things that can and will happen do happen, you’ll have a network to fall back on.

Did you save any seeds last year?
As promised, a sock darning Reel. I used embroider As promised, a sock darning Reel. I used embroidery floss for this. I don’t add any knots in here. The floss is so intricately woven, it’s not coming out.
Here’s a little clip from my first sustainabilit Here’s a little clip from my first sustainability workshop on @omnianetwork “Tips & Tricks For A Sustainable Kitchen,” which is now live!

Launched today, Omnia Network is a premium workshop platform on a mission to help people thrive in their pursuit of natural and holistic health and wellness. I’m excited to be part of the launch!

In this workshop, I cover tips for a sustainable kitchen regarding: food waste; composting; plastic and paper waste; water conservation; and energy conservation. You can sign up for my workshop at www.omnianetwork.com. With your membership, you’ll have access to other workshops as well, with more coming!
You may have baked with a flax egg to replace eggs You may have baked with a flax egg to replace eggs but have you every tried a sourdough discard flax egg?

I’ve been baking cookies with sourdough discard flax eggs and they taste delicious! Shown here are peanut butter cookies.

Flax meal eggs are not new. To make one, combine a tablespoon of flaxseed meal and with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water. If you search online (or on IG), dozens of recipes for them and articles about them will pop up. No one I’ve fed cookies made with them knows the difference. I love them for peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip, oatmeal...

But sourdough discard flax eggs?

Because discard contains only flour and water, I wondered if I could make a sourdough discard flax egg with it, swap that for the egg in a cookie recipe and compensate for the flour present in the discard by reducing the flour called for in the original cookie recipe. Turns out, I can!

Here is the recipe for replacing one egg with one sourdough discard flax egg:

✨ 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed
✨ 3 tablespoons sourdough starter discard (or fresh if you like), 100 percent hydration

✨ Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken.
✨ Reduce the amount of flour in the recipe by 3 tablespoons.
✨ Add the sourdough flax egg at the step where you would ordinarily add the egg and continue with the recipe as usual.

You wouldn’t want to use this for meringues or macaroons or recipes that call for loads of eggs. But it works so well as a binder for cookies and bar cookies. 

You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy these. You just have to like cookies; appreciate the ability to bake when you have no eggs or can’t find eggs; and value saving money.

Want to make a starter of your own? I still have some space in my free Feb 10th sourdough starter workshop. It’s my starter Eleanor’s 9th birthday! They grow up so fast 🥲 Go to my profile to register.
Mending socks is so darn fun! The big toe on one o Mending socks is so darn fun! The big toe on one of my favorite socks developed a fairly big hole ☹️ But I fixed it! 😀

For this sock, I used embroidery floss. I mended some thicker socks this weekend with thin yarn. I don't have a darning mushroom but my daughter has a very small embroidery hoop so I used that. I plan on posting a video of sock darning later this week.

I can't think of anything else that brings quite the same feeling of satisfaction as repairing my stuff. Repairing extends our stuff’s useful life, conserves resources and takes some pressure off of our bursting landfills. 🧦🧶🪡🧵
Turn a piece of newspaper into a free compost bin Turn a piece of newspaper into a free compost bin liner.

If the ick factor prevents you from collecting food scraps for compost, this trick can help. And if you do compost, these liners will keep your food scraps collection bin cleaner while adding brown matter (the paper) to the compost heap. Save money on compostable bags—and skip all the research for said bags (watch out for greenwashing). Plus these are fun to make!
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Recent Posts

  • Cook Less and Eat Better with a Continuous Menu
  • Amazing Peanut Butter Cookies With a Sourdough Discard Flax Egg
  • How to Make a Compost Bin Liner Out of Newspaper
  • I Made a Sourdough Discard Flax Egg Because Why Not?
  • How to Dye Fabric Pink With Mere Avocado Pits
  • How to Make Rice Glue for Plastic-Free Paper Tape
  • Laundry to Landscape Grey Water System Conserves Water and Money
  • Why We Resist Cooking, Guest Post by Brigitte Gemme
  • Gifts, Wrapping, Trees and More: Curb Holiday Consumption Grinch Free
  • 21 Shopping Free Activities to Enjoy on Buy Nothing Day

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