No matter how hard we try to meal plan and shop only for what we need, it’s common that some food will generally go to waste. This is particularly true for items such as bread and milk that spoil easily if not consumed within the first few days of purchasing.
Luckily, there are many great ways for you to use commonly wasted food. No more tossing them in the bin!
Read on to find out more.
Bread
One way to transform stale bread is by turning it into delicious croutons. Simply cut up the bread into small cubes and fry in a fry pan with a bit of olive oil. Croutons are perfect to have with soups as the weather gets cooler, or to add to salads in the warmer months.
Other ideas include using stale bread to make French toast for a delicious breakfast treat, or making breadcrumbs by blitzing the bread in a blender to use for crumbing meat or fish.
Bananas
One of our favourite ways to use overripe bananas is to bake banana bread! This delicious treat is ideal to have with a warm cup of tea while you relax on the couch. If you don’t have time to make banana bread with your ripened bananas, put them in the freezer until you’re ready to get baking.
For a great smoothie ingredient, you can also freeze ripe bananas by peeling them and chopping them into sections. We’d suggest adding your favourite fruit into a freezer bag with your bananas to make easy smoothie packs you can pull out of the freezer and whip up when you’re in a hurry.
Milk
Need to finish off your milk before its expiry? It’s time to make some delicious pancakes for you and the whole family. We love these banana pancakes that you can use with the frozen or overripe bananas that you may have on hand.
For a savoury dish, macaroni and cheese is always a great option that the whole family will enjoy (and can also be a good way to use up any leftover cheese).
For more inspiration on how to incorporate your commonly wasted food into delicious recipes to extend their life and minimise waste, head to our recipes page.