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Nancy Chen's avatar

Nancy Chen

Team Chula Vista

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 422 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    19
    food items
    properly stored
  • UP TO
    845
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    17
    pounds
    food waste prevented
  • UP TO
    35
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    10
    zero-waste meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    11
    zero waste recipes
    cooked

Nancy's actions

Shopping

Skip the Cart

Bigger carts make us feel like we need to fill them! Use a hand basket to improve grocery store discipline and prevent over-purchasing.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Shopping

Eat Before Shopping

Those who grocery shop on an empty stomach spend 64% more than not-hungry shoppers. Resist impulse buys by shopping with a full stomach. Eat a snack or a meal before going grocery shopping.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Planning

Meal Prep Mania

I will meal prep 10 meals.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Planning

Befriend the Freezer

The freezer is your friend! Store any leftover food in the freezer for a quick weekday meal or freeze fruits that are getting ripe to use for a delicious smoothie later. I will freeze 5 food item(s).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Planning

Eat Me First

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Planning

Fridge Inventory

I will keep a fridge inventory to stay up to date with what I have in my fridge before I go grocery shopping.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Planning

Portion Planning

Use a portion size guide to ensure appropriate portions when cooking. I will cook 5 portion-appropriate meals.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Planning

Dinner Party Guest-imator

I will use the Guest-imator to plan how much food to make for my upcoming dinner party with 5 guests.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Shopping

Tap the Salad Bar

For recipes that call for small amounts of different vegetables, shop at the salad bar to get exactly what you need.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Shopping

Shop More Often

Grocery shop more often, and buy fresh foods in smaller quantities.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Shopping

Shop with Recipes In Mind

Create a shopping list with specific recipes and meals in mind. Purchase only what's on the list when you do groceries.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Storage

Berries

To keep berries fresh, place them on top of a paper towel in a sealed container to absorb excess moisture and reduce chances of molding. I will properly store 2 packs of berries.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Storage

Leafy Greens

Roll unwashed lettuce in a dry towel, then store in a sealed bag in the refrigerator. I will properly store 1 leafy greens.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Storage

Bananas

To keep bananas from browning quickly, break up the bunch and separate. Don’t store bananas with apples, which speed up ripening. If the stems came covered in plastic wrap, do not remove the plastic until ready to eat as this will slow the release of ethylene gas. I will properly store 5 bananas.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Storage

Veggie Snacks

Place cut carrots and celery in jars filled with water to keep them fresh, crisp and easy to grab for up to a week. I will properly store 2 veggie snacks.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Cooking

Revive Limpy Produce

Rescue limpy produce like leafy greens or carrots by soaking in an ice bath.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Cooking

Cook From Snout to Tail

Utilize all parts of an animal. I will try 1 snout-to-tail recipes.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Storage

Fridge Demystified

Did you know that milk should never be stored in the side door of a fridge? Learn where to properly store food in your fridge by checking out the Resource. I will properly store 3 cartons of milk.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food Waste Tracking

Food Waste Tracking

Ready. Set. Record!

For each day during the food waste tracking week, record your food waste. This action accepts one entry per day, so be sure to enter one total for food waste across all of your meals, or weigh all of your food waste once at the end of each day. Please use ounces for unit of measurement.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?


  • Nancy Chen's avatar
    Nancy Chen 4/06/2020 1:08 PM
    I am surprised that I have had less food waste since I have been sheltered in place at home. Have been cooking whatever I have. Most meat has been frozen and veggies are eaten every day and restocked when needed. Everyone, please stay safe!!

  • Nancy Chen's avatar
    Nancy Chen 2/03/2020 5:10 PM
    Made chicken soup with the Costco rotisserie chicken (that I bought and didn't get to finish) for my husband last week when he got sick. After half the week was over and he didn't want all that soup (half an 8-qt instant pot worth), I strained out the broth and chicken and whatever ingredients left and made Chinese rice porridge with the soup stock. BUT, instead of white rice, I decided to try it with steel cut oats for a healthier option. Everyone thought it was weird but my husband and I really liked it and finished off the chicken and stock with a healthy breakfast option.

  • Nancy Chen's avatar
    Nancy Chen 1/24/2020 12:48 PM
    This past week I de-boned a whole chicken, pan-seared and roasted along with the innards (for my husband). Then I saved the bones and neck for soup stock. The chicken was juicy and enough for a total of 7-8 portions and easy to eat without having to deal with bones. I use Jacques Pepin's method but can never do it as skillfully and quickly as he can.

  • Nancy Chen's avatar
    Nancy Chen 1/15/2020 11:44 AM
    Finally got around to joining the team! This week has been leftovers week.