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5 Simple Zero-Waste Frugal Dinners Under $12

Posted on October 7, 2021October 7, 2021by Anne-Marie Bonneau

A large pot of bean and vegetable soup, a very frugal dinner

Each $12 frugal dinner in this post serves four people, thus proving that a zero-waste or low-waste lifestyle need not cost a fortune.

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- Zero-Waste Basics

Letter from California (Part II)

Posted on April 9, 2015July 17, 2015by Anne-Marie Bonneau

Dear Reader, In my last letter, I wrote about the water conservation measures I have taken at home as the mega-drought here in California rages on with no end in sight. Although I am happy to have incorporated these practices into my daily life—I find them easy enough to do—ordinary citizens like myself do not consume the […]

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Thank you for asking for my food-waste busting adv

Even your carnivore eaters will devour this beanie

Even your carnivore eaters will devour this beanie shepherds pie. And you’ll reduce wasted food when you make this highly adaptable recipe with what’s on hand.

You’ll need random beans, vegetables and potatoes. This tastes really good with tomatoes and mushrooms but don’t worry if you don’t have those. A bit of miso or spoonful of soy sauce will add umami if you don’t have mushrooms. Maybe you have a bit of red wine. Add a generous splash of that. Get creative with what’s on hand. And taste as you go!

Here is the non-recipe recipe:
💫 If you have mushrooms, sauté those in olive oil until they have released their water and browned. Set aside.
💫 In the same, now-empty pan, sauté random, bite-size vegetables for about 5 minutes. Add more olive oil if necessary. I used two small carrots and all the parts of a bunch of broccolini (you can eat all the parts, including any leaves). Set those vegetables aside.
💫 Next, sauté an onion or shallots or a small leek until softened. Stir in herbs. I used previously fresh sage I had dried after Thanksgiving.
💫 Stir in tomatoes if you have them. I have a few jars of frozen roasted tomatoes left from the fall. I added half a jar.
💫 Stir in cooked beans. I used pinto and white beans cooked a couple of days earlier in my pressure cooker. Add salt and pepper to taste.
💫 If you’re using an oven-proof pan, spread the beans into an even layer. Or move them to a baking dish. Layer on sauteéd vegetables.
💫 Boil bite-size pieces of potatoes (skin on if organic), drain when cooked, add milk and butter of choice, salt and paper to taste and mash. You can make these a day or two in advance. Layer over the vegetables.
💫 Place the shepherd’s pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake in a 400F oven for about 25 minutes. Broil the top for the last few minutes to brown the potatoes.

This large shepherd’s pie feeds us for a few meals. Cook less, eat more. Enjoy!

"The most important thing an individual can do is

"The most important thing an individual can do is be a little less of an individual and join together with others in movements large enough to make change." — Bill McKibben, 350.org founder

Yesterday's IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report is a summary of the previous sections of the IPCC's mammoth sixth assessment. It shows we haven't done enough to address the climate crisis but also that we have never been better equipped to tackle it.

You may be asking yourself what you can do. One thing we can all do is find our people by joining a climate-focused group such as @350org, @sunrisemvmnt, @indigenousclimateaction, @nrdc_org, @earthjustice ... There are many. And if you have eco-anxiety, working with other concerned citizens can help.
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#IPCC #IPCCreport #globalgoals #keepitintheground #loveearth #noplanetb #strikeforclimate #thereisnoplanetb #plasticisfossilfuel #climatecrisis #climateemergency #extinctioncrisis #climatechangeawareness #climatecrisisisreal #climatechangeisreal #environmentalactivism #climatechangesolutions #climatesolutions #climatejustice #climateactionnow #globalwarmingisreal #drawdown #drought #wildfires #environmentalracism #climateaction #actonclimate #loveyourmother

I’m out of dish blocks and dish soap 😮 No pro

I’m out of dish blocks and dish soap 😮 No problem! I can make dish soap! Here’s how:

🫧 Heat 2 cups of water.
🫧 Turn off the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of shredded bar soap.
🫧 After the soap melts, stir in 1 teaspoon of washing soda.
🫧 Let the soap sit for several hours or overnight. Add 15 drops of essential oil if you’d like scented dish soap.

If it’s too thick to use, give it a whir with an immersion blender. Store in a pump and use as needed. I made this batch with Good Soap. Dr. Bronner’s is good.

This is not super sudsy like the commercial stuff but it gets the job done and doesn’t cost very much to make.

If you can’t find washing soda, you can make it by heating baking soda. See my recipe index for that and this dish soap.

Out of baking powder? If you have cream of tarter

A lower waste lifestyle should save you money, not

A lower waste lifestyle should save you money, not bankrupt you. Yes, some aspects of zero-waste living cost more (unpackaged farmers' market produce versus a discount grocer that packages everything in plastic). But others aspects will save money—eating all the food you buy instead of throwing some out, eating lower on the food chain, buying in bulk when you can (for many items, not all). These nine ideas are just some of the ways to reduce waste and save money.
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#frugal #thriftlife #secondhandfirst #makedo #buyless #sustainablelifestyle #simpleliving #foodwaste #zerofoodwaste #lovefoodhatewaste #wastefreeliving #lowwasteliving #slowfoodmovement #slowlivingmovement #artofslowliving #plasticfreeliving #plasticfreelifestyle #breakfreefromplastic #plasticfreejuly #plasticpollutes #zerowastejourney #zerowasteliving #zerowastelifestyle #zerowastetips #kitchentips #zerowastechef #climateemergency #thereisnoplanetb

UPDATE: The 200 spots have filled! Thank you to ev

Clean rust from jars and lids with DIY citrus scou

The homemade citrus scouring powder I posted last

The homemade citrus scouring powder I posted last week calls for washing soda, which can be hard to find. Fortunately, you can transform easy-to-find baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) into washing soda (sodium carbonate) in the oven.

⚡️ Heat the oven to 400°F. Spread the baking soda evenly in a clean baking sheet.
⚡️ Bake the baking soda for 1 to 2 hours, stirring every half hour. The finished product will look gritty and contain fewer clumps than the finely textured baking soda it began as. You can also weigh the washing soda to check for fineness. The finished product will weigh 2/3 the original.
⚡️ Remove from the oven. When cool, pack the washing soda into a clearly labeled, airtight glass jar.

The second photo shows the finely textured baking soda before baking and the last photo shows the gritty washing soda after baking.

Although some recipes do call for sodium carbonate (such as ramen), you don't want to mix it up with baking soda and eat it. The two substances do differ slightly in appearance but to avoid any confusion, I've glued a label on my jar with my homemade wheat paste because I love making all the things.

See my recipe index for the full instructions for transforming baking soda into washing soda and what you can do with the stuff. Those instructions include links to wheat paste and rice glue if you'd like to make a similar labels for all the jars.
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#bakingsoda #DIYcleaning #selfreliance #wastenotwantnot #wastenot #sustainablelifestyle #simpleliving #wastefreeliving #kitchentips #lowwaste #lowwasteliving #slowfoodmovement #slowlivingmovement #artofslowliving #plasticfreeliving #plasticfreelife #breakfreefromplastic #plasticpollutes #plasticisfossilfuel #packagefree #zerowastejourney #zerowastelifestyle #zerowasteliving #zerowastetips #zerowastekitchen #zerowastechef #climatecrisis #thereisnoplanetb

Think of reducing wasted food as—sometimes liter

Think of reducing wasted food as—sometimes literally—the low-hanging fruit of combating climate change. I've been obsessed with this for over a decade and I still have not come up with a single downside to reducing wasted food, only benefits.

Reducing wasted food:

🍏 Keeps food out of landfill, where decomposing food emits methane gas, a greenhouse gas much more potent than carbon dioxide
🧅 Helps reduce the number of trips to the grocery store
🥦 Conserves resources that go into producing food
🍞 Saves money
🍋 Makes us more creative cooks
🥔 Results in more delicious food (see creativity)
🥑 Boosts cooking confidence and enhances cooking skills
🍎 Ensures more food remains for those who need it most
🌽 Doesn't require special equipment, an outlay of cash or advanced skills

Start reducing wasted food today with your next meal.

See my recipe index for loads of waste-reducing recipes.

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