If you have an assortment of groceries collecting dust on a shelf, you’re in the right place. As someone who loves to get creative with meals, I’m here to tell you there’s a million ways to use whatever you bought. My allergies made it difficult to eat at the dining halls, so I started shopping at Sixth Market instead, but we all know you leave Just Walk Out markets with a dozen new items you definitely didn’t need. Not wanting to waste food, I found ways to incorporate everything into something enjoyable. Get ready for a pantry raid as I share my top three ways to use what you have.
Weekly kitchen clean-out night
A clean-out night means indulging in my favorite type of meal: the hodge-podge. My hodge-podge meal of choice is green beans, mashed potatoes, some sort of fruit, and baked tofu. This selection was born when I found these items in my fridge on the verge of expiring, and I actually enjoyed it! To create your own hodge-podge, have a weekly clean-out night where you hunt for anything that may expire soon, has been sitting on the shelf for a while, or doesn’t have quite enough left in the package to make a full meal on its own. Doing this even once a week can help you keep forgotten items from going to waste and results in some fun combinations. You’re saving money by using what you already have, preventing food waste, and enjoying a quick and easy meal.
One-pot grain bowls
Heat up a pan with some oil or butter, chop up whatever vegetables you have, and toss them in. Sweet potatoes and russet potatoes are my favorite because they can be a centerpiece, so bonus points if you have either of those. Don’t be afraid to go heavy on the seasoning. It’s going to make your dish delicious, and it can cover up the taste of any ingredient you don’t love. Salt and pepper are the bare minimum, but try adding cumin, turmeric, or sage for extra flavor. I normally use rice as the base of this meal, but you can go with any alternative — like quinoa or riced cauliflower. For a little oomph, mix in some beans, cheese, or protein of your choice. Half of the time, your pot will look slightly suspicious, but it always somehow tastes amazing, and you’ve used up ingredients that were doomed to rot!
Unlikely-duo meal
Finally, combine two ingredients that you like separately. Throw inhibition out the window when choosing what to make — no amalgamation is too weird. Peas and mac and cheese, guacamole and mashed potatoes, and pasta with corn are some of the tamer food combos I recommend. This was how I discovered that I love pasta with avocado — my mom bought me a food processor for the sole purpose of pureeing the avocado for this dish. If you have leftover sauce in your refrigerator, slather it on a bunch of different things and see which combination tastes the best. You may make the most disgusting thing imaginable, but I guarantee that at one point, you will find something that you’ll eat for the rest of your life. Don’t let your fear of your roommate walking in and seeing what you’ve made keep you from finding your food soulmate.
I challenge you to get creative with what you already have rather than going out and buying more things. Although many believe that meals have to be cohesive, what matters most is that you are making something you enjoy and feeding yourself!
