There are days I dread looking at the contents of my
well-stocked fridge, feeling put out as I ask myself, “Ugh! What should I make
for dinner?” And until recently, unaware there are many, many people without
this luxury. Until recently, I was oblivious there are kids looking forward to
going to school just so they can get a hot meal, because they can’t get one at
home. Until recently, ignorant to the fact that one out of seven people go to
bed hungry.
Oxfam’s GROW Campaign
It was recently that I was invited to join Oxfam America’s
GROW campaign. The GROW campaign is Oxfam’s initiative to end hunger by raising
awareness on small changes families can make everyday to fix a broken food
system. How broken is it? One
billion (!) people go hungry every day. 50% of the population in more than half
of industrialized countries is overweight. On top of that, we see volatile food
prices, a system dominated by powerful corporations, and a system contributing
to climate change. Yeah, it’s pretty messed up.
So what can you and I do about it? A lot actually. And
you’re probably doing some if it already (go you!). The Oxfam GROW Method revolves around
these five principles:
I will be writing a blog post about each principle everyday
for the next five days, starting with Save Food.
“Around a third of the food produced for people's plates ends up lost or wasted between farm and fork. The amount of food thrown away in rich countries is almost the same as that produced in sub-saharan Africa each year.”
1. Meal Plan
I’m a big fan of meal planning as I
wrote about here and here. I’ve found that not only is this a big time saver,
but there is less waste. For instance, I’m not buying anything that I may already have
stocked in the cupboard, and I often plan for leftovers. Try it. Your hidden Type-A
persona and the planet will thank you.
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| Menu planning saves time and food |
2. Use Leftovers
Not only are leftovers great for
the day-after lunches, but give it new life with some creative recipes here.
I’m also a fan of giving about-to-be-tossed food new life in soups like Stone Soup or old bread for We Are Not Martha’s amazing Panzenella with Sausage.
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| Use back of crisper veggies for soup |
3. Freeze
I get flack from my husband when I
freeze whatever is left from that dinner’s prep or untouched meal by my picky
eater. "You are never going to eat this" he will say. There are some hectic nights that I’m thankful for the 1-2 servings of
frozen leftovers I can reheat in minutes. Soups are a no-brainer to freeze
(love this trick for freezing soups by the way).
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| Best Way to Freeze Soup (Image Credit: Southern Living) |
Check out some other tips for Saving Food here. And stay tuned as I blog about other small changes you can make
that will have a big impact in parts of the world where food is less abundant.
This post (and my
sharing on social media) was inspired by my participation in a compensated
program initiated by Women Online/The Mission List to raise awareness about
Oxfam America's GROW Method. All commentary and opinions are, of course, my own.
