In an attempt to stay committed to dry January, I have decreased my reliance on ordering take out. Don't get me wrong. It is convenient and preferable when you live alone. Cooking for one can be challenging. The shopping, prep work, cooking, clean up, leftovers.... isn't it more desirable to order take out?
Resoundingly, yes. Favorable, desirable, convenient. As well as wasteful, expensive and lazy. Yes, lazy. If I wanted to cook more at home, believe me, I could make it happen. Either way, I am not in love with eating leftovers, but growing up in the Midwest, reinforced the belief that you minimize waste. Either eat the meal, completely. Or utilize leftovers until they are finished. Not always appetizing or sexy when describing your life and livelihood. Yes, I make food and eat the leftovers throughout the week. Please come dine with me on reheated food.
And I tend to order a glass of wine while waiting for my takeout order. Rarely do I use a third party to have food delivered to my house. The fees and other unnecessary fees take a $15 meal to about $28 which seems wasteful to me. I can walk to pick up the desired goods or cook at home.
So, I tend to order food, walk to pick it up and enjoy a beverage while waiting for the order to be composed. Dry January does not allow for this, and I am committed to making this work. I am on day #8 and feel fantastic. Sleeping better and feel productive. Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and replay a loop in your head. You try to turn off the loop, finally fall back asleep and reawaken to that loop of stress, anxiety, fear. For me, it tends to deal with work or finances. A vicious loop. My sleep has improved, and I am thankful for the rest.
After the yoga session this morning, we sat around and chatted about a variety of topics. Movies, music, books, vegetables. One of my clients piped up with the--did you know that you are not supposed to put cucumbers in your fridge? I knew that because I follow a guy on instagram that has many reels with suggestions of how to store fruits and vegetables. I will admit, I used to buy cucumbers and put them directly into the bin in the fridge. I did notice that often the cucumbers would go bad before I used them. I juice daily and always have an array of fresh fruits and vegetables in my apartment. I despise wasting products that I buy. It is such a waste of money, and it irritates me.
I knew the cucumber hack of placing them in a plastic bag, cutting holes in the bag, and leaving the cucumbers in a cool, dark place. Basically, out of direct sunlight. It is the best way to store cucumbers and avoid mold. I buy citrus and store them differently now, too, to avoid mold or waste. I wash them before placing them in a container filled with water and store them in the refrigerator. Since I started storing lemons and limes in this manner, I have not thrown out any citrus.
In addition, I store celery and carrots in quarts of water. These, too, hold up better. I had no idea that there were ways to maximize the length of fruits and vegetables. I realize that I am not the only person that has no clue that there are hacks to help eliminate waste. Did you know that you should keep apples and pears separate from the rest of your fruit? They tend to speed up the process of ripening other fruits. Currently, I have a three lb. container of mini apples to juice. I feel fortunate!
Do you have any hacks to share? This is my year of opportunity. Opportunity to evolve some of my beliefs, habits and practices. Today has been a lovely day. Full of different practices. Yoga (typical Saturday morning habit), then made lunch. I tend to order sushi on Saturdays for some reason. Today, I utilized some leftovers before creating a pasta dish. Afterwards, intended to walk to the grocery store to pick up some vitamins but it is 1 degree. I could not make myself walk seven blocks. My body was insulated but my face was exposed which motivated me to stop into a coffee shop to warm up and focus on reading a book. I can always walk to the market tomorrow.
I have been listening to a bunch of music today which is great. I feel lighter and inspired to dance around my apartment. I want to try to read a book a week, minimum. I am way too reliant on streaming to occupy my time. Time to challenge, engage and continue to learn. All in an attempt to decrease waste of produce, time and energy.
Any other strategies to eliminate or decrease waste? I am open to suggestions and creating new habits. New year. New focus and opportunity. Cheers to the weekend!
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