environment

Cooking Lesson #2: Overnight Oats

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Ingredients for recipe. All items used were in reusable glass jars or bought in bulk in reused containers (I didn’t put in parmesan cheese, I reused the container to store my white sugar!)

“Climate change isn’t just an environmental issue; it’s a technology, water, food, energy, population issue. None of this happens in a vacuum.”

David Titley

Here’s a great, easy recipe for a healthy meal to start the day right! Set aside a few minutes the night before to make your meal and have it ready to grab the next morning. Depending on what milk you use, it is a vegetarian or vegan meal that will keep you full and focused in the morning!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats*
  • 3/4 or 1 cup of milk (whole, 2%, soy, almond, oat, coconut milk depends on your preference)
  • 1 tbsp of sweetener (white sugar, brown sugar, honey)*
  • a pinch of cinnamon*

Optional ingredients (all measurements based on personal preference, can do more or less):

  • A scoop of coconut shavings*
  • A scoop of chia seeds, nuts, raisins*
  • A scoop of fruit fruit (banana, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries)

Tools Needed:

  • bowl with lid or mason jar to store meal in
  • spoon for stirring
  • measuring utensils (tbs,

How to make the meal zero waste:

  • All ingredients marked with * can be bought in bulk at stores like Whole Foods, Co-ops, WinCo, etc. Check out my post on buying in bulk to find the link to search for a bulk store near you.
  • For milk, many grocery stores have cow milk in glass jars. Once you are done with the milk, return the container to the store and get your deposit fee back.
  • For fruit, try to buy locally and in bulk at the farmers market when possible. If that’s not an option, buy the fruit in the least amount of packaging or in a recyclable plastic container as a last resort. Any leftover fruit can be frozen for another time so the food does not go to waste.
Chose to add in brown sugar and coconut shavings as my toppings

Instructions:

  • The night before, pour oats into bowl or mason jar.
  • Add your choice of sweetener, cinnamon, and any additional toppings you would like to add. If you do not want your additional toppings to get soaked, you can add them in the morning.
  • Pour in the milk. If you do not want your meal to have as much of a soupy texture, then add less milk (3/4 cup) but if not, then add one cup
  • Stir the ingredients altogether and let it sit overnight
  • In the morning, the oats will have a thicker texture. Add any other additional toppings you would like (personally I like having a banana on the side with mine)
  • You can choose to either eat them cold or heat them in the microwave for a minute. Enjoy!

Night before vs. morning after

Sustainable Tip #4: Buy Your Food, Household Supplies, and Beauty Products in Bulk

imnottrashy3 Comments
The scoop on buying in bulk - San Antonio Express-News
Image from mysanantonio.com

Reasons to Buy in Bulk:

1.Buy as Much or as Little as You Need

Buying in bulk means getting the amount you need. When helping my friends move out, so much packaged food was wasted because they did not need the whole quantity. If there are certain spices that you do not use too often you can get less, or if you have cereal everyday and don’t want to make trips back and forth to the store, then stock up all at once . Buy what you need and waste less food.

2. Save Money:

According to mindbodygreen, buying in bulk can save family up to $500 a year! Depending on the items you buy, they can be cheaper than when buying them from the package, and in the long run can save you time and gas because you make less trips to buy common items you use.

3. Avoid all of the little food packaging and chemical exposure

Link for image

A lot of the foods wrapped in those little wrappers leads to a lot of waste. They also use a lot of artificial flavors and additives help them sit on the shelves for long periods of time that your body does not need to be exposed to. Check out these articles to read more about how additives can impact your health for both better and worse: The Ecologist and healthline

Why You Should Buy Bulk Foods : TreeHugger
Image from treehugger.com

4. Eat more whole and less processed foods

When I started buying in bulk and avoided packaged food, I was eating more food that was making me feel less bloated and had less inflammation. I used to suffer a lot from roasacea and acne, but by cutting out these food helped reduce the inflammation in my face and cleared my skin!

Here is a list of Bulk Food Stores I shop at and You Can Find in Your Area:

  1. WinCo- It’s like the CosctCo of bulk foods. They have multiple bins filled with grains, snacks, nuts, beans, etc. and all at reasonable prices!
  2. Safeway- They have been working to slowly convert their stores with bulk sections to meet your bulk needs, mainly for food items.
  3. Whole Foods Market- Almost every Whole Foods has a bulk section, but the size may vary depending on the store. They mainly have food items but at some locations you can get fresh churned peanut butter or honey.
  4. Co-ops- Depending on the location, they may have bulk food, household, and beauty products.
  5. Refill Madness- The store is located in Sacramento, CA. They do bulk household and beauty products, but no food items.
  6. Litterless has a list of all of the bulk stores within the entire United States and including the cities and regions you can find them within each state. The stores range in bulk for food, household, and beauty products.

Here are some tips on healthline on the best and worse things to buy in bulk. Keep in mind, however, that “buying in bulk” does not always mean more. It also means buying only a small amount of products you use less often.