Holiday Leftovers Tips & Tricks
The snow is beginning to fall and we are all preparing to spend magical winter moments with family and friends! We are grateful and joyous and we are hungry! As much as we hear our grandparents voices in our heads warning us to “not have eyes bigger than our stomach” the piles of fluffy mashed potatoes, boats of gravy and mouth watering pie are so tempting! This holiday season we’ve asked the Upcycled Food Association staff to share their best tips for lowering food waste over the holidays.
Don’t Guesstimate, GUEST-Mate
Shilpa, UFA Head of Operations, knows how important planning can be!
Did you know over-shopping is the biggest food waste culprit around the holidays?
An easy solution is to purchase and prepare the right amount of food in the first place! TRY THE GUEST-IMATOR, a dinner party calculator that estimates how much food you need to keep your guests happy and healthy. Just tell it who's coming to dinner and find out exactly how much to make. Try this or other planning resources here!
Perfect Meal, Ugly Produce
Falon, UFA Membership Coordinator, thinks you shouldn’t be afraid to get ugly!
Let’s face it- Thanksgiving dishes are pretty great, but… not always the prettiest. Though they taste great, they are typically mushy, beige, and smothered in some type of decadent condiment. Why buy pretty produce in the first place? Holiday meals are the perfect chance to get on board with the ‘ugly’ food trend!
Buy ugly: Challenge yourself to seek out the bruised apples and the misshapen potatoes! Better yet, use UFA’s Member Directory to find upcycled products to incorporate into your meal.
Done with your ugly delicious meal? After your guests are full and satisfied, scrape the plates into a compost bin. Search for a nearby composting facility to help divert food waste from landfills. Many towns have businesses that collect your compost from your front step!
Holiday Cheer To-Go
Rochelle, UFA Membership Manager, wants you to keep the party going after hours.
Most of the holiday season revolves around eating large meals surrounded by family & friends. Of course, if you're hosting you're bound to have leftover food that will fill your fridge right up! That can be quite the burden as a host to have to eat all of that food, no matter how hungry you are!
This year, let your friends take some of the delicious meal to go! Encourage your guests to bring to-go containers to take some of the leftovers with them. After dinner, host a leftover roundup where everyone takes their faves with them, leaving you with less of a mess to clean and less food to have to eat.
From all of us at UFA we are so grateful to work with our incredible upcycled food community to create a tomorrow where all food reaches its highest and best use. Remember that small changes make a big impact!
Happy Holidays!
