8 Food Waste Hacks That Will Help You Save Big

Most people are guilty of just tossing out their food scraps without thinking about all the possibilities that abound. But the next time you're at home and getting ready to throw away what you thought was just trash, think about these great 8 ways to make use of some of the most common leftover kitchen products.

1. Banana Bread from Overripe Bananas

You'll Need:

  • 10 oz flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 3 oz vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 bananas
  • 10 oz sugar
  • 3 oz sour cream

Here's How:

1.1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mash 3 bananas in a bowl, add the sugar and eggs, and mix everything together with a hand mixer. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix everything once again.

1.2 Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes.

2. Potato Skins from Potato Peels

You'll Need:

  • potato peels
  • paper towels
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • parchment paper

Here's How:

2.1 Preheat the oven to 350°F and dry the potato peels on paper towels.

2.2 Put the dried peels in a bowl, pour olive oil on top, season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Place the peels on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, cook for 60 minutes, and your homemade potato skins are ready to go!

3. Bread Crumbs from Old Bread

You'll Need:

  • old, hard bread
  • food processor or blender

Here's How:

Put the old bread in a food processor and process into fine crumbs. You'll love how easy it is to make your own bread crumbs, and you'll love saving money even more!

4. Frozen Herb Cubes from Fresh Herbs

You'll Need:

  • ice cube tray
  • herbs
  • water

Here's How:

If you're not able to use your fresh herbs right away, just chop them up, put them in an ice cube tray, and pour water over them. Freeze the tray and you'll always have individual portions of herbs on hand.

5. Calcium Supplement from Eggshells

You'll Need:

  • eggshells
  • paper towels
  • food processor or blender

Here's How:

5.1 Calcium is a very important mineral because it's good for the bones, teeth, and muscles. Most people head for the dairy products if they want to up their calcium levels, but eggshells are actually made up of 90% calcium carbonate!

5.2 Wash the eggshells, dry them, and crush them with a hard object. Put the broken shells in a strong blender and process into a fine calcium powder - the perfect dietary supplement for your four-legged friend.

6. Vegetable Broth from Veggie Scraps

You'll Need:

  • vegetable scraps
  • freezer bag

Here's How:

6.1 Collect your vegetable scraps, put them in a resealable freezer bag, and put the bag in the freezer. The next time you want to make soup or add some more flavor to your dishes, just cook up the leftovers for a nice, healthy vegetable broth.

7. Face Mask from Leftover Avocado

You'll Need:

  • ½ avocado
  • 1 tsp yogurt
  • 1 egg yolk

Here's How:

Avocado is a great natural ingredient for the skin and hair. If you ever find yourself with some leftover avocado, just mash the avocado, mix it with yogurt and an egg yolk until smooth, and pamper your skin with a homemade face mask.

8. Fight Musty Smells with Coffee Grounds

You'll Need:

  • old coffee grounds
  • 2 tea bags

Here's How:

Coffee grounds are great at getting rid of funky shoe smells. Just fill some tea bags with old coffee grounds and place the bags inside the offending kicks. Leave the bags overnight and the smelly problem should be solved by  morning.

These recycling tips and tricks are so handy, you'll find yourself using them time and time again!

 

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