6 brilliant ways to use leftover food instead of throwing it away (2024)

Updated

2020-06-21T16:02:00Z

6 brilliant ways to use leftover food instead of throwing it away (1)

Americans throw away approximately $165 billion worth of food each year, but there are simple ways to use leftover food.
Ripe fruit can be frozen to use in smoothies, and leftover veggies can become soups.
Overripe avocados can be transformed in to delicious chocolate desserts.
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Freeze fruit for fresh smoothies.

6 brilliant ways to use leftover food instead of throwing it away (5)

So-called "ugly"fruitisjust as nutritious and delicious as fresh fruit. If you don't think you'll have a reason to eat your ugly or overripe fruit, freeze it for smoothies.

Use stale bread to make French toast, bread crumbs, or croutons.

6 brilliant ways to use leftover food instead of throwing it away (6)

There are tons ofrecipes that call for bread that you wouldn't want to eat for a sandwich.

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Use leftover veggies to make soups.

6 brilliant ways to use leftover food instead of throwing it away (7)

It's the end of the week, and you have a bunch of random veggies that are starting to wrinkle. Before you toss them and make anothertrip to the grocery store, make a vegetable medleysoup.

Or, freeze it to make soup at some later point.

Freeze your herbs for later use.

6 brilliant ways to use leftover food instead of throwing it away (8)

Turns out you only needed a tablespoon of cilantroinstead of the whole bundle, and now the rest is starting to wilt. Next time, freeze your herbs inice cube trayswith a little bit of olive oil for single-use portions you can throw into meals later.

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Use overripe avocados to make a chocolate pudding.

6 brilliant ways to use leftover food instead of throwing it away (9)

Use avocados that arebeginning to brown (but not entirely brown yet) to make a creamy chocolate pudding. The avocados serve as a sweetener and create a smooth, silky consistency.

They are also a healthy substitute for butter.

Use overripe bananas to make banana bread.

6 brilliant ways to use leftover food instead of throwing it away (10)

This is aclassic solution to overripe bananas. Plus, the brownerthe banana, the sweeter and easier todigest it is.