Tag / Cooking

by Pinch Plate Party

Bacon Carbonara

Processed with VSCO with presetWhat makes a carbonara a carbonara? Pasta, egg, pork, and cheese. With these simple ingredients you can come up with a vaiety of carbonara combinations such as bacon and parmesean, or sausage and pecorino… The opportunities are endless.

I’ve decided to use basic kitchen staples for this carbonara combination. I used thick cut bacon for my recipe but you can use any type of bacon and it will come out almost exactly the same. While fresh parmesan cheese is amazing, I used the grated kind that comes in the container with the green lid (you know what I’m talking about). Although I use fresh parsley in my recipe, dried parsley will work fine as well (just use 1 tablespoon instead of two). You can use any pasta that you’d like for this recipe as well (just make sure you’re cooking the equivalent to two servings). Continue reading →

by Pinch Plate Party

Kiddie Gourmet: Veggie Pasta with Meatballs and Mozzarella

When my baby started eating solids I knew that I wanted to introduce her to as many flavors, textures, and ingredients as I could.

I did a lot of research on baby food and came across quite a few companies that prepared flavor and nutrient packed infant meals (Yumi, Little Spoon, and Nurture Life to name a few). I loved that these companies provided healthy, organic, and flavor packed meals but the reality is that I just can’t afford to spend upwards of $7.50 PER MEAL! While the price tags for these food plans might work for some people, the reality is that we can’t afford that. I don’t even spend $7.50 per meal on our adult meal planning.

I was determined to come up with some easy meals that I could make in bulk, freeze, and that wouldn’t break the bank! I package my meals in these amazing wide mouth 4oz canning jars I got on amazon (and I love that they’re freezer friendly and reusable). Processed with VSCO with preset

Continue reading →

by Pinch Plate Party

Protect the Pantry Series: Introduction

I have a bad habit that I’m sure many of you have as well… I’m a sucker for a GREAT DEAL or and AMAZING FIND. I’ll just call it what it is, I’m an impulse buyer. This is is true for me when it comes to clothing shopping and even grocery shopping. I love finding cool pantry items at Trader Joes and Aldi… the issue is that I end up with a pantry full of food items that I probably wont use or might expire before I get to try them.

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Processed with VSCO with a5 preset

I don’t think anyone is to blame.

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Processed with VSCO with a5 preset

American’s are blessed to have access to food, water, restaurants, and the best grocery stores. We love buffets, order the full portion and leave half to be dumped instead of ordering the half portion, shop at warehouse stores, and freeze extra food that we know we’ll never eat. We’ve got to do better. I’ve got to do better.

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Processed with VSCO with a5 preset
Processed with VSCO with a5 preset

The National Resources Defense Council states that, “Store promotions leading to bulk purchases or purchases of unusual products often result in consumers buying foods outside their typical meal planning, which then gets discarded.” I’m guilty of this and I’ve got to do better.

According to feedingamerica.org, “An estimated 25 – 40% of food grown, processed and transported in the US will never be consumed” and even worse is that “More food reaches landfills and incinerators than any other single material in municipal solid waste.”

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Processed with VSCO with a5 preset

I’ll be the first to admit that historically, I don’t do such a great job trying to avoid food waste. I cook a lot and because I’m a “food blogger” I try out lots of different foods and recipes and sometimes it’s more than my husband and I can enjoy together.

My hope is to create a “series” of posts that encourage you to use food items you might have sitting in your pantry or to avoid buying more than you need. Some of these posts might be my own recipes or I might share some foods I made using recipes from other bloggers. Other ideas might encourage recycling leftovers into lunches and other dinner meals or providing suggestions for better portions.

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Processed with VSCO with a5 preset

Hopefully this will be ongoing. I’ll do my best to share my thoughts and attempts to protect my pantry and the food I order and/or bring into my home.

Join in on the conversation with me. How do you protect your pantry and avoid food waste?

Follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with #ProtectThePantry and @PinchPlateParty

SOURCES:

https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wasted-food-IP.pdf

http://www.feedingamerica.org/about-us/how-we-work/securing-meals/reducing-food-waste.html