It's always a good time to make the most of your food. Here are some tips from Kate Sherwood, The Healthy Cook, to maximize your groceries with creative cooking:

  • The first step to creating a waste-free kitchen: store your foods properly and make use of your freezer. Brush up on food storage tips here.
  • Got food past its "expiration date"? Don't toss it before checking what those date labels really mean.
  • Got greens like kale, spinach, or beet greens on the verge of going bad? Sauté or steam them. That will give them new life.
  • Revive wilted greens by putting them in ice water for 5-10 minutes.
  • Soft apples or pears? Place peeled, cored chunks in a pot with a bit of water, then heat and mash. Voilà! Apple (or pear) sauce.
  • Use leftover herbs in salads or sandwiches, as a garnish in soups, or for making pesto.
  • Stuck with small amounts of a variety of uncooked grains that have similar cooking times? Mix them together.
  • Find a few recipes with flexible ingredient lists to clean out your fridge or use up pantry staples. Veggie stir-fry, anyone?
  • Keep a container in the freezer for scraps of carrots, onions, celery, herbs, garlic, and poultry bones. Once it’s full, make stock.

Photo: luckybusiness/stock.adobe.com.