Elaine Sanders

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.

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

I will plan an Eat the Leftovers night by creating a tasty “smorgasbord" or using a recipe that repurposes leftovers. I will eat 1 meals using leftovers.

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

I will read about about state and federal legislation that can impact food waste reduction and recovery.

Watch this video and get a glimpse of what is actually getting thrown away in our trash cans and dumpsters.

I will host a Zero Food Waste Dinner Party for 7 people.

I will watch 2 online classes on "Creating a Full Use Kitchen" through the James Beard Foundation.

I will watch 2 Save the Food San Diego videos.

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 3 veggie snacks.

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.

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 1 packs of berries.

Use a portion size guide to ensure appropriate portions when cooking. I will cook 2 portion-appropriate meals.

I will not toss food once it is past the best buy date. "Expiration" dates misleadingly refer to quality, not safety. Use your senses and best judgement.

Watch a Last Week Tonight with John Oliver episode on the topic of food waste and learn about the scope and scale of the issue.

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

Sign up for the San Diego Food System Alliance Newsletter to stay up to date on what's happening in the region

I will share a Save The Food social media post.

I will meal prep 8 meals.

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.