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Food Agriculture & Nutrition Network of Solano County ​

Building Healthy Families & Healthy Communities

No Waste Cooking

3/22/2023

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By Shealyn 

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Have you ever found yourself throwing away a pile of food scraps when preparing a meal for yourself or your family? Well don’t worry, you’re not alone. Food waste has become a serious problem in our world today and is one of the greatest issues facing the sustainability of our future food systems. While efforts are being made to help minimize food waste globally, our actions play a major role. To help fuel our future and develop a more sustainable way of living, practicing no waste cooking in the kitchen is a start!

Now let’s dive into what it means to practice zero-waste cooking and how to get started.

What is zero-waste cooking?
Zero waste cooking is basically cooking a meal with no waste left behind. This means you are using all parts of the foods, even the not so tasty ones!
Zero Waste Techniques:
Prepare and Plan ahead - Planning and preparing your meals ahead of time can help reduce food waste in your home:
1. Take a glance in your fridge, freezer and pantry before going to the grocery store
to make sure are not buying the same foods
2. Make a list of meals to make that week and prepare a shopping list with the
ingredients needed
3. Try buying food from bulk bins to save money and reduce food packaging waste.

Reuse and Repurpose: - Reusing leftover food scraps can help prevent food waste and also make the most out of your grocery spending. Try out these tips to repurpose your scraps!
1. Stalks and Stems - Stalks and stems are one of the most common discarded parts
of vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower, kale, swiss chard - however, they can be
used in a variety of ways:
- Try this out → Finely chop stems or stalks and saute, roast, or steam
them. You can even add them to soups or grate them to make a coleslaw.
2. Leaves - Many vegetables and fruits - beets, celery, radishes, carrots,
strawberries - come with leafy tops. These leaves are full of nutrients that help
maintain a healthy diet.
- Try this out → use the leafy part of these foods as a salad base, in a
smoothie, or sautee them! You can also try making a sauce or dip by
pureeing them with other tasty ingredients.
3. Peels - Many vegetables and fruits are peeled before eaten when they don’t need
to be: cucumber, carrots, potatoes, apples, and so much more. Think twice about
throwing these peels away and try turning them into a waste free snack:
- Try this out → dip cucumber peels into your favorite dip, bake potato
skins for crispy chips, or add carrot peels to a salad. (just make sure you
wash your produce very well before using their peels)
4. Tops and Ends - Don’t make the mistake of cutting the tops or ends of produce.
You can save them for making vegetable stock or save to compost.
5. Bones - If you buy meat with bones, don’t throw them away. These can be boiled
in water, along with other ingredients (other veggie scraps mentioned above), to
make a yummy broth.
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Recycle
If you have a hard time incorporating food scraps into your cooking, don’t worry. You
can discard all unused products in a compost bin.
- Try composing these leftovers:
a) Rotten or unused fruits and vegetables
b) Coffee grounds
c) Paper tea bags (if any other material, compost the tea leaves and recycle
the rest)
d) Eggshells
- Things that should not be composted
e) Dairy products
f) Oils and fats
g) Meat

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Kids in the Kitchen

1/22/2023

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By Sophie
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It is the most wonderful time of the year, the holiday season! This season is perfect for families to spend quality time together and enjoy family meals. Eating meals together as a family can be an important way to foster a sense of attachment and connection. But did you know cooking could strengthen family bonding as well? Now, let's get our kids involved in the kitchen.  Cooking with children can be educational, meaningful, and enjoyable. In addition, it is an efficient way of fostering healthy habits that will bring lifelong benefits.  ​

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Beat the Winter Blues with Berries!

1/22/2023

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Larisa Williams, Napa State Hospital Dietetic Intern 2023 ​
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Feeling down during this dark and stormy season? Read on to learn about nutrients in berries and other foods that can help improve your mood to help you feel your best all winter long.  
Be sure to check out the recipe for Baked Berry Oatmeal at the bottom!  ​

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Get to Know FANNS: Stephanie Oelsligle Jordan

9/28/2022

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​Written by Solano County Public Health Intern Shannon Sweeney
​Stephanie Oelsligle Jordan is the next FANNS Partner we are highlighting in our Get to Know FANNS series.  She is the Local Food Program manager with Sustainable Solano. She describes Sustainable Solano as an organization that “nurtures initiatives for the good of the whole.” Prior to working for Sustainable Solano, Stephanie attended culinary school at the Illinois Institute of Art where she received her Certificate of Professional Cooking. After that, she ran a catering business for 8 years in Chicago. Her favorite food is curry or anything with Indian spices.

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Get to Know FANNS: Gio Miramontes

9/13/2022

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Written by Solano County Public Health Intern Shannon Sweeney
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Gio Miramontes is the first in our series highlighting the work of the Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition Network of Solano (FANNS) partners. In this series, we hope to provide readers with more information on the resources our partners provide and the goals of our network.
Gio is a Project Assistant at Innovative Health Solutions, an organization that aims to “improve the health and wellness for thousands of families in underserved and vulnerable communities.”

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What to Plant for a Fall Harvest!

7/26/2022

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Written by Shannon Sweeney, Solano County Calfresh Healthy Living Intern
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Were you late to planting your garden this year? Or do not know where to start? There are plenty of option to plant at the end of summer or start of fall, no matter the space you have. In Solano County we are blessed to be in hardiness Zone 9, with one of the longest growing ranges in the United States, from the end of February to December. Hardiness zones are determined by the last frost of spring and the first frost of winter. Even if you do not have a lot of space there is plenty of options of what to grow for an end of summer or fall harvest.

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The Dangers of Dieting

3/25/2020

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​Written by Joshua McAtee, Napa State Hospital Dietetic Intern
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​Almost everyone has been on a diet at some point or knows someone who has. From the Paleo diet to the more recently popular Keto diet, dieting has been a large part of our culture for many years. As far back as 1863 when William Banting created the “Banting” diet, a low carb and low calorie diet that he used to lose weight, new diet fads continue to pop up and have been established as an easy solution to losing weight fast. 

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The Story Of Seasonal Vegetables Has Just Gone Viral!

2/28/2020

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Written By: Napa State Hospital Dietetic Intern, Marina Kalenyuk
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Eating “seasonal” may seem like a recent trend, but it has been around for many generations. Affordable produce is easy to find, whether its winter or summer, especially in the sunny state of California. You just need to know where to look! The key to healthy eating throughout the year is to buy seasonal produce. We will be focusing on seasonal vegetables because let’s face it, sometimes we need a little more convincing when it comes to enjoying our vegetables compared with fruit. Let’s get started with our story of seasonal vegetables by discussing the benefits of eating in season!

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Winter Wellness

2/4/2020

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Written by Napa State Intern
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The Winter season can be a fun and exciting time but it’s also a period of distraction from working toward our best selves. With the holidays ending, it can be challenging to get back into our healthy routines and tend to lose the motivation to stay active and head outdoors. Binge-watching your favorite show along with a warm bowl of yummy chowder can seem much more enticing than braving the cold and getting some physical activity. Well, I don’t blame you! As the temperatures continue to drop and the risks of catching the common cold and flu increase, we want to make sure our bodies are properly nourished to fight off the nasty germs.

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Healthy Holidays!

11/20/2019

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​Written by Napa State Dietetic Intern, Mallori Rahimnejad
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​Here we are again with the holiday season upon us!  As the weather begins to change to that crispy coolness, the smell of pumpkin spice and cinnamon is beginning to fill the air.   It’s such a wonderful time of the year filled with fun, family, fiestas, and of course, food! While enjoying all that this time of year has to offer, it can be a challenge to balance indulgence for the season with healthy habits and self-care.  Here I’ll be sharing some simple things you can do to make it through the holiday season with vibrancy and good health! 

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