I’ve been reading about other chefs and laypeople who decided to go waste free. The Zero Waste Chef did something called the Use-It-Up Challenge, and it really aligned with what I was planning for my week (or however long it takes to eat the food in my house). One particular section caught my eye: the inventory. The chef took inventory of everything in their kitchen, so I did the same. I looked in every cabinet, my refrigerator and the freezer to itemize exactly what I have, and honestly I was shocked.
Here it is. The Inventory as of 9/26:
- A big bag of yellow onions
- 3 bulbs of garlic
- Spices, oils and honey
- 1 can of chickpeas
- 1 can of white beans
- 1 box of pasta
- Half a bag of whole grain egg noodles
- 3 cans of tomatoes
- Rice
- Oatmeal
- Flour
- Chicken Stock
- Trader Joe’s squash soup
- Peanut Butter
- Espresso
- Frozen Bolognese sauce (thanks, mom)
- Frozen plantains
- Frozen hamburgers
- Frozen hot dogs
- Frozen hot dog buns
- Frozen Italian sausage (sweet and spicy)
- Frozen chicken breast
- A little bit of black beans
- Yogurt
- Half a bulb of fennel
- Sliced cucumber
- Cooked peaches
- Jalepeno peppers
- Tomatoes (from my mom’s garden. Thanks, mom)
- Hummus
- 1 pita
- Shredded Cheddar
- 1 avocado
- Cooked rice (of unknown age)
- 6 eggs
- Fresh sage
- Fresh thyme (both from my mom’s garden. Thanks, mom)
- Grapefruit peel (for my bourbon)
- Lemon
- Orange
- Assortment of hard cheeses
- Half a container of almond milk
- Leftover tomato sauce
- Seltzer
- Cooked spaghetti squash
- Roasted spaghetti squash seeds
This is so much food, and yet my fridge looks sparse. I’m shopping for one person with a fridge the same size as the one 4 girls share in college. I have enough food.
Today was day 1 of this challenge. Here’s what I ate:
- Espresso and yogurt with strawberries and cooked peaches
- Lettuce-less salad of tuna fish, black beans, fennel and cucumber with balsamic and oregano-infused olive oil.
- A teeny bag of potato chips
- 1 pita with hummus
- Pork chops with fennel pesto and roasted fennel stalk and onion
My portions are small since I tend to graze throughout the day. I spent $0 on food and ate everything or saved it for later (like the massive dinner I accidentally put together).
I’m proud that I ate an entire vegetable, root-to-stalk, this week. With the remaining bulb of fennel I have and the other delicious findings from my cabinets and fridge, I think I’m going to tackle Tomato and Fennel Soup, something I’ve seen on many a hipster menu this time of year. Chilly days are ahead of us, and soup seems to be the only remedy.
picture marcella 