Shop your pantry

In America, even more than in other countries, food waste is a big problem at every stage of the supply chain. This is when perfectly nutritious food goes to the trash can instead of a hungry mouth. Many of us have accidentally contributed to this waste by tossing veggies, pouring out edible products after the "best by" date, eating out unplanned, etc.

So, how do we reduce food waste? We share one of our favorite approaches in our 2025 Grocery Shopping Guide: shop your pantry! Not a new idea, but so simple you can start today.

Eat what you already have

Take a look in your fridge, pantry, or freezer. Starting with the fresh foods that will spoil the soonest, pick recipes and meals based on what you find. Have a, like, wilting head of cabbage and need help? Most recipe books have an ingredient index at the back. Some cookbooks like PlantYou: Scrappy Cooking specialize in it. And there are plenty of apps like Whisk (we haven't tried this yet) with food item lookups.

(I mention "head of cabbage" for a reason: we just shopped our pantry (fridge) last night and made this delicious nutty noodle bowl!)

Plan a "scrappy" day into your week

We've found Sundays are great for this. Eat leftovers, throw a few things together, get weird (beans and toast, anyone?), use up what you have that couldn't quite make its way into a proper meal.

Check out Zero Waste Chef for some plant-forward ideas – maybe for your scrappy day!

Avoid buying double

When you've eaten down what you have, you're going to want to plan some new meals. After you've made your shopping list and checked it twice, but before you head to the store, check off a few things in your fridge, pantry, or freezer. We've saved accidental double purchases of spices, vegetables, and nuts so, so many times by shopping our pantry first!

Do you really need another 3-pack of garlic cloves? No reader, you have 5 already (it's always the garlic).

Peace, love, and plants,

John & Heather