The average US household wastes a lot of food. I know I have definitely been guilty of this myself. If we have to clean out our frig once a month and throw half the contents away spoiled, unused, and moldy than we are wasting food and wasting money. How much of our monthly food bill is actually tossed in the garbage? $20? $30?This has an impact on your finances and it impacts the planet because we use more than we need. So how do we nip this problem in the bud?

1. List the leftovers. This is an incredibly simple and incredibly useful way to remind you to eat the leftovers! Put a magnetic pad on your refrigerator, you can usually get one for $1 at the dollar store or in the dollar bin at Michael's Craft Store. When you put leftovers in the frig, note the item and date. Aka "Sweet and Sour Soup 2-8-10". The list will look right at you when you go to browse for your next meal or snack, even if the leftovers end up out of sight in the back of the fridge. It is also useful for spouses who are looking for something to take to lunch and perhaps didn't know there were leftovers. 

2. Freeze whatever you can. If you buy in bulk, buy those food items that can be frozen. For instance I buy almonds and other nuts in bulk and freeze most of them. Periodically I fill glass jars I keep in the refrigerator with the nuts until all are used. Freeze refrigerated leftovers after 3-4 days.

3. Discover some creative uses for your leftovers and unused food. Shepherd's pie, vegetable soup, and casseroles are just some of the creative ways you can use your leftovers. Vegetables that are getting old but are not yet bad can be used to make vegetable stock that you can use immediately or freeze. Stale bread can be used to make bread crumbs and croutons, which you can freeze if you do not need them right away. Stale bread can also become bread pudding. Leftover meat can be incorporated into salads, burritos, or soups and stews. 

4. Store refrigerated foods in the right places. The back of your refrigerator is colder than the front, and the door shelves are warmer still. Relegate dairy foods that are prone to spoilage to the back of the fridge, and keep items such as condiments and salad dressings toward the front or in the door. 

5. When it's too late, compost your spoiled food. Then you can use the compost to grow your own food. The circle of life baby…

6. Skip the counter top fruit bowl if you aren't going to use fruit within a day or two and refrigerate it instead. Some foods, such as tomatoes, do not do well under refrigeration but apples, oranges, grapefruits, and lemons last much longer in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Make green smoothies if your fruit is starting to look sad.

7. Plan your grocery shopping and meals carefully to avoid waste. Go through your pantry and frig and make menu decisions based upon what you already have. If you have cilantro wilting in the frig then use the Internet to search for "cilantro recipes". Look for recipes that utilize ingredients that you have already for the most part. Doing this allows you to use items before they go bad and you get to try new recipes.

8. Cook the same thing 2-3 times in a row. I do this often. If I buy a bunch of ingredients for a certain dish then I want to use them up. Occasionally I make a vegetarian version of chicken scallopini for instance and it uses white wine and cream (2 things I usually don't buy or use). I will often make this meal 2-3 times in a single week until I use the wine and cream up. Last night we had Sweet and Sour soup and today I made it again for lunch because I had ginger and green onions to use up. My philosophy is to make food so good my family won't mind repeats!

So how do you avoid wasting food? 

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While many US families had wild Super Bowl weekends we had a laid back weekend without much special going on. Hubby and I both read books, the kids played outside with their new snow-ballers and bricker, and we generally just enjoyed being snowed in. Instead of the Super Bowl we watched The Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet and chowed down on egg salad sandwiches. I also made an evening meal from one of my new favorite cookbooks… A Spoonful of Ginger – Irresistible, health-giving, recipes from Asian kitchens. I made a variation of the sweet and sour soup and OMG, it was heaven!!! I cannot wait to make some more of these recipes! I bought it a few weeks ago because someone recommended the vegetarian egg drop soup and I am loving it. It has lots of meat meals in it  but also plenty of veggie ones and ones that can be adapted into veggie meals.

The sweet and sour soup had vegetable broth (called for chicken in the book), green onions, Sake, cremini – oyster – portabella mushrooms (I didn't have dried wood ears), snow peas, and lots of fresh ginger, and various seasonings. I tripled the amount of mushrooms cause we love them so much. It filled me up for hours and I felt all warm and cozy from the ginger. My husband said he will not mind in the least if I want to make this soup quite often, LOL. The kids enjoyed it too.. they love snow peas and mushrooms though. This may be the perfect Sunday lunch or dinner meal for cold winter days.

For months I have been hearing good things about the SodaStream. It is basically a system for making your homemade soda.. water, syrup, carbonation… everything. While I was intrigued about its inner workings I doubted I would ever purchase one because soda wasn't something I felt good about bringing into the house.. even if it was greener and cleaner to do it that way. It seemed like an awesome product for soda drinkers though. Except we aren't 100% soda free here either. My husband drinks soda quite a bit actually and since he drinks out of cans that can have BPA this product started to sound better. My kids also like to have soda when they can possibly get it and not wanting to demonize it and make it even more intriguing to them, I don't make a big deal about the occasional soda. When I go out to eat I almost always get a root beer if they have it. It reminds me of happy childhood moments at the root beer stand during summer vacations.

When SodaStream asked if they could send me their Penguin model recently, I almost said no. I figured we didn't need it and we didn't want it. I asked my husband what he thought and he insisted we take it for a test run. I was also VERY curious to see if you could use it to carbonate juices and make flavored seltzer waters and make it healthier than regular soda. I don't know about you but it isn't the flavor of the soda that I find attractive… its the carbonation… it just wakes up your taste buds and makes your mouth all happy. So, I confirmed that we would get a unit with glass bottles (not plastic) and accepted their generous offer. 

My initial reactions are that this is a greener and healthier way to make soda if you are already buying and drinking it. The Penguin model I have uses glass carafes, so there are no BPA lined cans and no plastic bottles to drink out of. So right away it looks likes less to recycle in the typical soda drinking home and less chance of exposure to plastic chemicals. The syrup provided to make their sodas comes in plastic bottles though, so it is a wash in that department. The flavors for their seltzer water come in glass bottles though so that is a BIG plus… healthier than soda and no plastic. They also taste REALLY good.

When I accepted the SodaStream I also had some devious intentions. I wanted to find a way to make drinks without purchasing their flavoring or syrup. I figured I take some fresh squeezed orange juice and carbonate it for sparkling OJ right? Well, the instructions expressly tell you that you cannot carbonate anything but water (syrup and flavoring go in afterwards) or risk ruining your Soda Stream. At first I thought this was just their clever way of keeping you buying their syrups but after making our first soda I saw why you cannot carbonate juice. After we added a cap full of soda syrup to our first carafe of carbonated water it fizzed all over the place… I cannot imagine the mess you would make if you carbonated AFTER you put the syrup in… it would be disastrous I suspect. So I my secret tactic was shot down.

We did find an alternative though. You can add organic fruit concentrates in jars or from those cardboard tubes to the carafe after carbonation and you have sparkling juice. You can also add sparkling water instead of plain water to your lemonade. This summer, when fruit comes back in season, we plan on making our own fruit concentrate syrups and making our own sparkling fruit juices.

The basic process is this: You fill the carafe with carbonated water (we use filtered), then you put it inside the penguin and push the penguin's beak down 2-4 times to carbonate the water. Remove the carafe and pour in your syrup or flavoring and voila. The carafes can go directly in the frig for storage and they get sealed with a special plastic cap that seals. It is pretty darn easy.

My husband also likes the soda syrup from the SodaStream company. I participated in a couple of his taste tests and it tasted just like regular Cola or Orange pop to me. I could taste no difference from the store bought stuff. We may keep ordering some of those for him but mostly I think we will stick with the little flavored water bottles.

The other issue that concerned me was the CO2 bottles. I was worried that they would be expensive to replace, hard to recycle or trade in, and that they wouldn't last very long. At $30 to replace 2 I wanted to make sure that this would not be an issue and I am happy to report that it is not. You can send them back to the company to be reused and get 2 fresh ones back AND they last quite awhile. We have made about 30+ plus bottles of sparkling juice, soda, and flavored seltzer water and are still using the first CO2 bottle. I also heard from a friend that has the Soda Stream that she trades in her CO2 bottles at her local Williams-Sonoma and according the web site there are a couple near me that will do the same. That eliminated a wait time and the $8 shipping.

So would I recommend the SodaStream? Yes… if you drink soda or flavored seltzer water. If you don't drink those things you probably don't need it. I would also recommend the models that utilize glass carafes instead of the ones that use plastic bottles, and those models are a bit pricier but again.. if you already drink the stuff then why not?

The body of the penguin is plastic and metal but if the product helps you avoid buying plastic bottles of soda than it seems like a good trade to me. If you drink soda from a can or plastic bottle than this option will be helpful in reducing your exposure to chemicals. I also like the fact that it requires no electric to run it. It helps reduce your ecological impact, not create even more.

For us it gives my husband a slightly greener and healthier way to drink something he already drinks. It gives me a way to make my own sparkling juices and seltzer water as well make my own club soda for sparkling fruit smoothies. It gives my kids a treat that I might otherwise say no to AND they love to watch the process. So yes, we like our SodaStream and I am pleasantly surprised to find that I do. I look forward to seeing what we can make with it this summer. If anyone has any tips or ideas I would love to hear them!

Disclaimer: SodaStream sent us this product free of charge for my review. The opinions above are mine and not solicited in any way.

As more and more people are going green in their own homes and lifestyle choices, why not include entertainment? For your next dinner party, try a green theme. Yes, some friends might be afraid you will make them eat tofu and cardboard or play Scrabble by the light of a solar lamp but this would be a great opportunity to show them how fun and easy it is to go green. Here are some ideas for keeping it fun and eco friendly.

* Invitations – This is an easy one in this day of Internet savvy and smart phones. Consider going informal and inviting your guests via electronic invitation. You can send an email invitation or even a mobile invitation from your phone.

* Green food – Choose local, seasonal food with a vegetarian emphasis. Meat has serious eco issues so going meatless can be a great way to help reduce the impact of any meal. If you do serve meats, choose organic, grass-fed beef and free range, organic poultry and ham. If you can find locally-raised meat, that is also a good choice. For vegetarian menus, emphasize bean dips and whole grain dishes with fresh fruits and vegetables. 

* Beverages – Serve organic, fair-trade wines, teas and coffee in re-usable cups and mugs. Avoid soft drinks, water or juice in plastic bottles or cans. Instead, serve home-made punch in re-usable cups and hot beverages in insulated pitchers. You can also get organic liquor and use real glasses. Also instead of pre-mixed drinks in plastic bottles or margaritas in plastic tubs buy glass bottles that can be recycled and channel your inner bartender. Having a stainless steel martini shaker and a Vita-Mix make it quite easy I might add. You could also ditch the alcohol altogether and make sparkling fruit smoothies.

* Decorations – Get creative with your decorations! Look to the outdoors for inspiration, and cut greens if it's winter, fall foliage if it's autumn, and flowers for a spring or summer party. Your local farmer's market will have seasonal fruits and veggies that can make attractive centerpieces and decorations, such as colorful squash, cranberries, apples, pears, peaches, etc. Just be sure you use the decorative foods and don't throw them away – in fact, your guests could take some of them home as favors. You can even use live plants as decorations. I LOVE the look of wheat grass growing on kitchen counter tops and dining room tables.

* Lighting – Light your home and table with eco-friendly candles and LED lights, whether as regular-sized bulbs or in festive strings of mini bulbs. You can also get beeswax or soy candles and thrift store jars in various sizes. You can even decoupage the jars with left over holiday tissue paper first if you want colored lights.

* Compost – Don't toss the leftovers! If your menu is vegetarian, leftovers can be composted. Ask your guests to put their veggie and fruit scraps into a designated bin.

Can you have fun and be green? I say yes, how about you?

1. Avoid plastic bags at the grocery store. This applies to the bags you get at checkout AND the plastic produce bags you put your loose fruits and veggies in. There are two really easy, really affordable products you can use instead of plastic so there is very little excuse to keep bringing plastic baggies home.

Reusable Grocery Bags – Cloth bags can be bought at most grocery stores for $1 nowadays and you can usually find good quality bags for $10 each that will last for years and years AND can be used for other things. My favorite reusable bag is the ACME Earth Tote from my fave online store, Reusablebags (now called reuseit). It is large enough for groceries, has pockets, and I use it as my weekend bag for trips to my parents house. During the summer we used it to tote towels and toys for the water park. LOVE this bag!

Produce Bags – When you want to load up on apples, celery, fresh greens, carrots, bok choy, wild mushrooms, etc. skip the plastic produce bags the store provides. You can bring your own mesh or muslin bags. They are super light weight and much better for the planet than plastic. The muslin bags even work for beans and grains.

These are some of my fave bags from my collection of produce bags: These are all from EcoBags.

2. Use glass food storage dishes. You can buy plastic so cheap that it seems that is what most people do nowadays. They buy a box of 15 plastic dishes to store leftovers and lunches in and never consider the environmental or health implications. For the price of that one bulk box you could buy one or two really nice glass refrigerator dishes and just wash them more often. You can also find vintage glass and Pyrex refrigerator dishes at yard sales and thrift stores. I found a yummy green Pyrex dish for $3 just last fall! I also buy mason jars from thrift stores and use those:

Check out my Squidoo lens on BPA, PVC and Phthalate Free Food Storage. It has a big list of glass and stainless steel food and liquid storage containers.

3. Instead of prepackaged foods wrapped in plastic buy loose or fresh foods. Mushrooms can be bought in foam containers wrapped in plastic and they can be bought loose and taken home in a produce bag. The same is true of greens, veggies, and many fruits. It might be slightly more work and expense to buy all the salad ingredients separate instead of salad in a bag… but the health and environmental benefits are worth it. Instead of buying your milk in a carton or jug (which are both made with plastic) see if you can find a way to buy in glass jars, perhaps direct from the local dairy farm. You could also switch to homemade almond milk, which is healthier anyway. Instead of buying yogurt cups you could start making your own, it’s actually pretty easy. I grew up eating homemade yogurt. Yum!

4. Make your own cleaners. Instead of buying plastic bottles of cleaners (even greener cleaners, make your own from natural ingredients and reuse those plastic bottles instead of buying new. You can even label them so you know exactly what is in them. Laundry soap (both dry and liquid, all purpose cleaner, carpet cleaner, scrubbing cleaner, all of it can be made at home sustainably and affordably. Check out Make Your Place: Affordable & Sustainable Nesting Skills. It is an awesome resource.

5. Get in the habit of thinking about every plastic purchase you make. Is the item made of plastic? Is it wrapped in plastic? Will it last? Can I buy it used? Can I recycle it? When you ask these questions you can usually find a non-plastic alternative, a used alternative, or you may decide not to buy it at all. When we don’t ask these critical questions we never stop to really think about how our purchases decisions really impact the world around us.

The only way we will wean ourselves form plastic dependency is to take baby steps and ask the tough questions. 

How are you doing on reducing your plastic consumption? Share your tips or stories in the comments!