Krina Damien

"Who knew that the hardest part of being an adult was figuring out what to cook for dinner every single night for the rest of your life?"

Points Total

0 Today
0 This Week
634 Total

Participant Impact

up to

15

pounds

food waste prevented
up to

28

pounds of CO2

have been saved
up to

60

minutes

spent learning

Krina's Actions

Storage

Befriend My Freezer

I will freeze 2 leftover food items or meals for later. The freezer is my food-waste-reduction friend!

Completed
One-Time Action

Cooking

Swap This for That

If I am missing an ingredient for a recipe I will find a substitute I have on hand and use that instead.

Completed
One-Time Action

Planning

Plan to Use My Garden or CSA Produce

I will check to see what will be ready to eat in my garden or CSA box this week and plan recipes that use these ingredients.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Planning

Create a Weekly Meal Plan

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu of meals and ingredients for my household of 3.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Planning

Keep a Food Inventory

I will take a fridge and pantry inventory to stay up to date with what I have at home before I go grocery shopping.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Storage

Create an Eat First Area

I will create an "Eat First" area in my fridge to prioritize food that needs to be used right away for my household of 3.

Completed
One-Time Action

Cooking

Revive Limp Produce

I will rescue limp produce like leafy greens or carrots by soaking them in cold water or using them in recipes where appearance doesn't matter.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Storage

Preserve food

I will try a new method of food preservation, such as canning, pickling, drying or making jam. I will try 1 preservation techniques.

Completed
One-Time Action

Planning

Learn About and Choose a Meal Plan Style

I will explore different meal plan techniques and choose one that works for my household.

Completed
One-Time Action

Feed

Reflection Question
Planning Learn About and Choose a Meal Plan Style

What meal plan method works for you and why? Have you tried some in the past that didn't work?

Krina Damien 8/29/2022 1:51 PM

These days I think the "loosely scheduled" or "ingredient scheduled" work best for me. I just don't have as much time as I'd like to plan ahead too much, so I need to have a somewhat flexible plan. I keep thinking that batch cooking would be a great idea, but I have to wait until we have a bigger freezer. Also, I think theme nights sound like so much fun! So I might throw in a theme night or two as our little guy gets older. I think kids love that sort of stuff.

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Reflection Question
Cooking Revive Limp Produce

What successes have you had in reviving limp produce? What can you do so that your produce doesn't go limp in the future?

Krina Damien 8/29/2022 1:44 PM

I have some carrots that are looking a little saggy. I probably should've put them in a bag in the fridge right away instead of in my CSA box for a couple of days! I'm planning to shred and use them in a couple of new recipes: carrot cake oatmeal bake, and coleslaw! If I still have leftover carrots I will try the ice water soak, and if that doesn't work, I'll just toss them in olive oil and salt and bake them :)

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Reflection Question
Planning Keep a Food Inventory

Are there food items you have been better about using up and not wasting since you started keeping an inventory of what's in your fridge?

Krina Damien 8/17/2022 7:56 AM

Yes! I'm finding that my sticky note labeling method is working out really well to remind me of what's in drawers in the fridge. I would normally forget about some of the things as they get shoved to the back, but the little brightly-colored notes give me a little nudge every time I open the fridge, reminding me to use those foods before they spoil.

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Reflection Question
Storage Create an Eat First Area

What kinds of food are on your Eat First shelf? Has creating an Eat First area helped you reduce food waste?

Krina Damien 8/12/2022 10:49 AM

I did a fridge clean out the other night and made a shelf that has leftovers. I put labels on containers for my husband and son to eat and then put post-it notes on the crisper drawers that said what was in them so I could see that without shuffling through the drawers. I also put post-its highlighting some things that get shoved to the back so I would remember that they were there. I think the notes will help the most. They really speak to what needs to be eaten first.

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Krina Damien 8/04/2022 8:53 AM

Last night I made a new soup recipe using a bunch of my CSA veggies: Zuppa Toscana. It was a delightfully delicious way to turn healthy vegetables into a less healthy meal lol :)
Zuppa Toscana | The Modern Proper

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Reflection Question
Planning Plan to Use My Garden or CSA Produce

How easy has it been for you to plan your garden or CSA produce into your meals? Do you ever let your seasonal food go to waste?

Krina Damien 8/03/2022 7:37 AM

It has been very difficult! Mostly because I don't have much time to cook lately so I need very quick recipes. But I have been doing a reasonably good job not letting all the vegetables go to waste. I think I have been able to use at least a portion of every vegetable we've received and I have been trying a lot of new recipes and incorporating new vegetables into tried and true recipes.

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Reflection Question
Storage Preserve food

Canning and pickling food is a great way to have delicious summer fruits and vegetables all year round. What are some foods you would like to preserve and enjoy later?

Krina Damien 8/03/2022 7:08 AM

I had two weeks worth of green beans and Romano beans to use from our CSA, plus a huge bunch of dill. So last night I made dilly beans! I'm hoping they turned out! I guess I will know in a week or so :)

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Krina Damien 8/02/2022 8:44 AM

I love to cook, but cooking has been quite a challenge over the last 15 months due to the wonderful addition of our little munchkin. Babies are great, but they sure make it hard to find time to cook! I joined a CSA this year to push myself, and our family, to eat more vegetables and to try new ways to prepare them. My biggest goal is to use them and not just compost them! I have a list of recipes to make in the next few days. Fingers crossed that I can find time to do it!

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