Diverting Food Waste Can Contribute to a More Sustainable Food System

It is estimated that 30-40% of the total food supply is wasted (1,2).Food waste occurs in many areas of the supply line, from farm to consumer. Waste can occur due to aesthetics or spoilage at the farm, retail, or consumer level. Hidden aspect of food waste include the use of the resources needed to grow and distribute the food. Food is the single largest component of U.S. municipal solid waste(2). If food loss was reduced by just 15 percent we could feed more than 25 million Americans (2). Triple- bottom-line approaches (success is measured using people, planet and profit as the bottom line) to managing the food system can improve supply efficiency and increase food security. Some current actions that can help reduce food waste.

• Get the most out of your fresh produce: Wash fresh produce in Vinegar water solution to remove harmful bacteria that causes it to spoil faster.  See Episode 1
• Source ugly/imperfect produce: https://www.imperfectproduce.com , http://www.endfoodwaste.org/united-states.html
• Backyard Harvest: Find or start a program to help harvest wasted fruit in neighborhoods https://cityheartblog.wordpress.com/2016/12/17/harvest-partners-lb/ https://foodforward.org
• Share excess food with your neighbor
• Compost Food Wast
• Right Portion Size

What ideas do you have that can help reduce food waste in your home, and community?

Did you know the Good Samaritan Law, allows organizations to safely donate food to non-profit organizations that then donate it to food banks instead of throwing in the landfill?

References

1.        Buzby JC, Farah-Wells H, Hyman J. The Estimated Amount, Value, and Calories of Postharvest Food Losses at the Retail and Consumer Levels in the United States. SSRN Electron J [Internet]. 2014;1–2. Available from: http://www.ssrn.com/abstract=2501659

2.        Gunders D. Wasted : How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill Author. 2012;(august).

Portion Guide

	1 Cup: Cereal, cooked pasta, rice baked potato, green salad 1 medium size fruit
	1 oz of meat or cheese
	<- 1 Tbsp 2 Tbsp ->
	1 tsp
	1-2 of nuts or dried fruit
	3 oz of meat, fish or poultry

Episode 11: The Rainbow Game

Ratatouille

Portion Size: 1 1/2 C 

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of seasonal squash or zucchini
• 1 cup of eggplant
• 1/2 C onions & garlic
• 1 C tomatoes, blanched and diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Sautée onions and garlic in a medium saucepan
2. Add tomatoes and stir until mixed.
3. Add squash, eggplant, salt and pepper. Cover until veggies are cooked, about 10-15 minutes.
4. Uncover and cook down if needed to thicken the consistency.

Purple Potato Pizza

Portion Size: 2 slices

Services: 2 

Ingredients:

• 1 C quinoa, cooked
• 1 C steamed purple potato or yam (purple or orange)
• 1 Tbsp avocado oil
• 1 garlic clove
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 oF. While oven is preheating,, steam purple potato into a mushy consistency (-15-20 min medium heat), smash in a large mixing bowl, and add 1 cup of quinoa. Salt, pepper, and mix well.
2. Line a tray with parchment paper and spread the mixture until flat crust is formed. Lower oven temperature to 275oF and bake 1.5 hrs.
3. Turn up oven to 300oF and brown crust 10-20 minutes
4. Let cool and season toppings and bake 10-15 minutes at 300oF.

Frozen Nutty Banana Snack

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 small banana
• 2 Tbsp peanut butter (or favorite nut butter)
• 1 tsp hemp seed

Directions:

Layer banana slices with your favorite nut butter in freezer safe container. I usually do 5 layers with the bananas on the top followed by 1 1/2 t of peanut butter, another layer of bananas, 1 1/2 T peanut butter, a final layer of bananas toped with hemp seeds. I will put it in the freezer until ready to eat. Let it sit out 10-15 minutes before eating.

Yogurt Parfait

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 C grass-fed yogurt
• 1/2-1 C seasonal fruit
• 1-2 T honey, maple, or agave nectar
• 1/2 C oats, nuts, granola and/or chia seeds for a more hearty breakfast

Directions:

Mix the honey with yogurt until well blended. Put a spoonful in the bottom of the parfait cup, add fruit, granola if desired, yogurt, fruit and top with yogurt and a sprinkle of granola.

Or for a simple quick breakfast:

     Mix the honey with yogurt until well blended, add fruit and stir gently.

Kale Salad

Portion size: 1 C    Servings:  4-5

Ingredients: 

• 1 bunch of Kale
• 1 small Lemon
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2-3 T Extra Virgin cold pressed olive oil
• ½ -3/4 C Seasonal fruit (apple, strawberries, blueberries, pear…)
• ½ C Goat Cheese (or feta)
• 1/4 C Almond slivers

Directions: 

Remove the stem from the kale and cut into bite size pieces.  Squeeze lemon and pour juice over kale.  Add 1 tsp of salt and mix well. Refrigerate the kale and marinate overnight in lemon juice to soften the leaves.  When ready to serve, toss with olive oil, salt, almonds, fruit and feta cheese. 

Below you will find the Color Chart!

Episode 10: Meat and Seafood

Taco Salads

Ingredients:

• 1lb Ground Bison
• 1/4 C tomato paste diluted with water to equal the 1 1/2 C mark
• 3 T C Organic Taco Seasoning*
• 3 T onions finely diced
• 1 cup of raw grass-fed cheddar, shredded

* You can make your own seasoning. Blend paprika, garlic, black pepper, oregano, cumin, and your favorite chillies. I will sometimes use chipotle. 

Directions:

1. Sautéed ground bison about 3 minutes until you have some juice in the pan. Bison is lean so there will not be very much but it will keep the onions from sticking. Cook 2-3 minutes
2. Add tomato sauce mixture with Taco Seasoning and simmer on low for 10-20 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone.

Coconut Shrimp Curry*

Ingredients:

• 1 coconut
• 1-1/2 C water/chicken broth
• 1/2 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 6-8 baby potatoes, whole
• 1 leek or onion of choice, minced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 2 Kefir lime leaves
• 1 jalapeño, finely diced
• 1 jalapeño, finely sliced
• 1 C broccoli, bite size
• 1 Bear lime, juiced
• 3-10 basil Leaves
• 6-8 Crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 3 fresh garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• cilantro, green onion,  or basil to top

Directions:

1. Blend fresh coconut meat and water in a mixer (Vita mixer if you have one) to make the milk for the curry. Once emulsified add 1/2 the lime juice and blend
2. Add coconut milk to a large pot with Kefir lime leaves and heat. Once warm, slowly add water or chicken broth to curry until desired consistency and blend fully.
3. Add basil, potatoes, leeks, carrots and half of a sliced jalapeño. Cook for 20-25 minutes. 
4. Add remaining lime juice to shrimp pieces and set aside for 5-10 minutes.
5. Add broccoli, green beans and shrimp and cook for 3-5 minutes.
6. Top with fresh basil, green onions, or cilantro and thinly sliced mushrooms.

*Cilantro and other seasonal vegetables, fish or chicken can also be used wth this recipe. 

Featured Foods:

Lincoln Spring Street Farms

• Red leaf lettuce
• Kale
• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Cilantro
• Onions

Lazy Acres Sustainably Sourced Shrimp

• Bison, Pasture Raised
• Food for Life's Sprouted Grain Tortilla
• Spicily Organic Taco Seasoning
• Graziers Raw Grass-fed cheddar

Long Beach Farms

• Kefir lime leaves
• Bear lime
• Basil
• Chives
• Fresh Coconut

Wiser Family Farms

• Red fingerling potatoes