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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
  • 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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11 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, 2022January 20, 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
  • Sourdough

Ultimate Pumpkin and Spice Muffins with Sourdough Discard

Posted on October 26, 2022October 26, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau
Muffin pan filled with batter for pumpkin sourdough discard muffins

The leftover cooked squash and sourdough starter discard in these delicious pumpkin muffins prevent food waste. We all do what we can!

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2 Comments

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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!
"We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-orie "We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society, when machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered."

Martin Luther King, Jr., from his speech "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence," April 4, 1967
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#drmartinlutherking #drmartinlutherkingjr #drmartinlutherkingjrday #MLK #MLKday #MLKquotes #blackhistory #blacklivesmatter #blm #consumerism #materialism #equality
I'm speaking today in Southern California at the @ I'm speaking today in Southern California at the @camarillolibrary and the hotel I'm staying in provides shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion in refillable bottles instead of in tiny, throwaway bottles. These bottles won't save the world but less plastic—made from fossil fuels—ends up in landfill. I think we see more changes like these today thanks to the public's awareness of and revolt against plastic pollution. Corporations don't change until the zeitgeist does.

And you can also bring your own when traveling! I packed my shampoo and conditioners bars, rolled up in a beeswax wrap, and a jar of hand cream.

More of the stuff I packed: deodorant made of coconut oil, baking soda and cornstarch that can double as toothpaste (please keep in mind I am not a dentist!); utensils; loose-leaf tea and a tea infuser; sourdough crackers and hummus; homemade granola bars (so good!); my yoga mat...all the important stuff! A little bit of planning helps keep trash out of landfill.

I hope to meet some of you today in person! I also brought three kombucha SCOBYs to give away.
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#camarillo #reuseables #masonjars #granolabars #sourdoughcrackers #scoby #kombuchabrewing #fermentedfoods #wildfermentation #plasticfreeliving #plasticfreelife #plasticisfossilfuel #plasticpollutes #breakfreefromplastic #plasticfreeoceans #sustainablelifestyle #wastefreeliving #lowwasteliving #slowfoodmovement #artofslowliving #zerowastejourney #zerowastelifestyle #zerowasteliving #zerowastetips #zerowastechef #thereisnoplanetb #respectyourmother #loveyourmother
Another atmospheric river is headed for Northern C Another atmospheric river is headed for Northern California, followed by more next week! The National Weather Service has warned us that the storm will be worse than Saturday’s atmospheric river and to expect flooding, downed trees and power outages.

So today, I’ve been preparing a bit. This post is by no means a comprehensive list of emergency preparedness! @kqed posted a helpful guide earlier tonight and I encourage anyone in the Bay Area to go check that out.

Here’s what I’ve been doing today: I’m freezing a couple of giant blocks of ice in stainless steel bowls. If the power goes out, I’ll move those to the refrigerator to keep our food cold. I have many, many jars of frozen food in the freezer which will stay that way unless the power goes out for a prolonged period (which could happen). I did a bit of baking while I still could (my sourdough cracker dough would not have survived in the fridge during a power outage...it was getting a little past its prime). I’ve rounded up some candles and matches. I’ve located the wind-up flashlight. And tonight, I’m charging all the things, including portable chargers.

Stay safe everyone!
A few months ago, I asked people living in the Cob A few months ago, I asked people living in the Cobourg, Ontario area if they'd like a piece of Etheldreda, my kombucha SCOBY, that my daughter left at my sister's this fall.

At least a few people responded asking for a piece and just as I was about to reply to those DMs, I was attacked by a neighborhood cat. He is actually very sweet and didn't attack me randomly. My arm got in the way of a cat fight.

Anyway, after I recovered, I couldn't find the DMs from the prospective SCOBY adoptees. So I hope some of you who wanted a piece see this post 🤞 My sister has been feeding Etheldreda and she is doing well. If you live nearby and would like a piece, please leave a comment and I'll DM you.

I apologize to anyone who reached out back in the fall. I'm sorry I never responded. This kitty took me out for a bit! 🐈‍⬛

Swipe to see a map of all the places Etheldreda has moved to over the last eight years.
Leftover cooked rice + brown paper from the recyli Leftover cooked rice + brown paper from the recyling bin = free gift wrap. Keep plastic tape out of landfill, save money and reduce food waste! Plus the glue and tape are so fun to make. 

Yesterday, I was about to make wheat paste for paper tape when I realized I had leftover cooked white rice in the refrigerator. I used that to quickly make rice glue. Here's how to do it:

1. Blend together 2 tablespoons of cooked rice with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. You need enough water to make a smooth purée.

2. If after blending for a few minutes, the mixture is too chunky, add a bit more water.

3. The ensuing runny mixture won't be thick enough to glue paper so you'll next reduce it in a pot over low temperature. The glue in this post reduced in less than a minute. Keep an eye on it!

To wrap a gift, cut an appropriately sized piece of paper and a few strips of paper for the tape. Brush the glue on the tape and let it sit for about a minute while you fold the paper around the gift. Apply the tape to seal it up. The glue dries completely in a few minutes. Once dry, it's VERY strong.

If the glue is too thick to brush onto the paper, thin it out. You'll likely need to do this after storing the glue in the refrigerator, where it keeps for about a week. It does not freeze well. I made a very small amount that we can quickly use up to wrap up gifts.

How did marketers convince us to stop making simple, non-toxic and essentially free glue and instead buy their expensive, highly packaged and wasteful consumer product?!
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  • 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
  • 27 Easy No Waste Ways to Repurpose Thanksgiving Leftovers

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