I’ve mentioned in previous posts that transitioning to my zero-waste shopping and cooking routine took many months of reprogramming and I continue to tweak and hone the drill as new challenges come up. I had always cooked but at some point, started shopping quite a bit at Trader Joe’s, basically a giant convenience store. (I’m sorry. […]
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7 Simple Tactics for a Trash-Free Road Trip
Notice I didn’t use the term “zero-waste” in the title. I would feel a little ridiculous writing about a road trip to Tahoe—an entire tank of fossil fuel away—and then saying, “Look at me! I brought my own fork!” I think twice before I travel these days and I haven’t flown this year, although I […]
5 Essentials for a Zero-Waste Shopping Kit
In order to run my zero-waste kitchen, I need to plan my shopping trips a bit. Before heading to the farmer’s market or grocery store, I take a look at the running shopping list on my phone and add a few things we might need. List in hand, I gather my zero-waste equipment. The list helps […]
A Tour of My Tiny Kitchen
Updated 10/20/17 I’ve moved to a different unit since writing this but he setup is the same. Last week, a reader left this suggestion in the comments: I would love it if you could do a tour of your kitchen in a future blog post. I would love to see which tools you find most […]
5 Zero-Waste Baby Steps
Someone recently wrote on my Facebook page that going zero-waste requires a home, a garden and an outdoor compost bin. While I do agree all of this certainly helps, I also believe everyone can reduce their waste. Perhaps reading about zero-wasters induces feelings of paralysis for some. “OMG, she raises backyard geese, makes her kids sidewalk chalk […]
Key Ingredients for a Zero-Waste Kitchen
To reduce kitchen waste—and to save time and money—I improvise when I cook rather than strictly follow recipes. If you follow recipes for a different dish every night, in no time, ingredients you bought specifically for those dishes but didn’t use entirely—plus leftovers—will overrun your kitchen. You and your family can eat only so much! […]
Looseleaf Chai
Click here to go straight to the recipe I drink vats of tea. I buy looseleaf tea in a glass jar I take to the store and once home, brew the tea in either my small pot with a built-in strainer or in my daughter’s TARDIS infuser. I toss the spent leaves into my compost bucket […]
7 Tips for a Zero-Waste Kitchen
Updated 01/05/18 I love my (nearly) zero-waste kitchen routine. I eat a delicious, healthy diet and have simplified my shopping habits. But it did take me a couple of years to (nearly) perfect this routine and I may never achieve complete zero-waste. (Remember calculus class? You merely approach zero.)
5 Tips for Throwing a Zero-Waste Party
This past Saturday, I served tea and baked goodies at my friend Todd’s piano recital. With the holidays coming up, I thought I would share the simple things I did to reach (practically) zero-waste while plying a crowd with treats. 1. Plan ahead Although I don’t need to worry much about food waste when I bake […]