Latest news with #CarleighBodrug
CNN
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- CNN
How to save money on groceries by reducing food waste
Food & health Food & drinkFacebookTweetLink Follow Sign up for CNN's Life, But Greener newsletter. Our limited newsletter series guides you on how to minimize your personal role in the climate crisis — and reduce your eco-anxiety. While testing recipes for her plant-based blog, PlantYou, Carleigh Bodrug realized she was wasting more food — and money — than she wanted. The Barrie, Ontario-based cook figured other people might be in the same boat, and she began researching the topic. When Bodrug realized how large of a slice of the food waste 'pie' home cooks represent, she said she 'was stopped in my tracks. Food can go farther than how we use it.' 'The average family of four wastes about $1,500 per year on groceries,' Bodrug said. 'If you're really intentional, you can save more than $1,000 per year by implementing a food waste-reducing plan.' The US Department of Agriculture estimates that 30% to 40% of the American food supply ends up in landfills. All that waste adds up quickly — in terms of its impact on the environment and your bank account. 'Here in North America, we throw out a lot of the food that other people in the world use,' Bodrug added, and she knew the appetite for scrap-maximizing solutions was strong when the first 'scrappy cooking' video she shared on social media took off. (It was her Candied Orange Peel recipe, by the way.) After that video went viral, Bodrug made it her mission to inspire others, and challenge herself, to eat more fruits and vegetables by doing just that: eating the produce from root to stem. That idea is where her cookbook, 'PlantYou: Scrappy Cooking,' comes in. 'In my opinion, it's undeniable that we could all benefit from adding more plants to our plates,' Bodrug said. 'As a society, we're so focused on protein. But in reality, more than 95% of us don't meet the daily recommended intake of gut-friendly, chronic disease-reducing fiber. Where does fiber come from? It's not in meat. It's not in dairy. It's in plants.' Compared with processed foods and pantry staples, Bodrug concedes that plants can be more challenging to select, store and put to good use. But it's not impossible, she added, and it's well worth the effort for the wellness and financial gains you'll accrue. With food costs continuing to rise — between 2% and 10% per year from 2022 to 2024, according to the USDA — it's no wonder that 69% of Americans admit that higher food prices stand between them and a healthier diet. But keeping grocery spending in check and eating a healthier diet need not be at odds. The tips ahead about how to maximize your produce spending are proof. 'The lowest hanging fruit when it comes to reducing our food waste is actually just being more careful in our planning,' Bodrug said. 'Don't bring food into our home in the first place if we're not going to eat it.' Free meal planning apps are handy, but there's no need to get fancy, Bodrug said. 'Simply take a piece of paper, write down a grid that includes breakfast, lunch and dinner for each day of the week, and draft a rough outline of what you think you're going to eat for each meal.' When possible, brainstorm more than one way to use certain staples such as grains, proteins and vegetables so you can batch prep to save time. That meal plan can act as your guide as you write your shopping list. But don't head to the store or fill your online grocery cart quite yet. 'Before you even head to the grocery store, shop your fridge, freezer and pantry. Before I implemented this practice, I'd often go to the grocery store; I'd think, 'Oh, I need to grab a bag of oats,'' Bodrug said. 'Then I'd come home, and there (are) four half-used bags of oats already in the pantry.' Check your current stock for any items that are part of your meal plan and trim anything from the list that you already have in ample supply. 'Not only can you save on groceries by being more mindful about the food that you're bringing into your home, but you can also make that food then go (further) for you to extend across more meals. This translates into even more savings,' Bodrug said. One of the easiest ways to maximize your grocery dollar is to use every part of the produce you buy. For example, when you purchase a head of broccoli, you're paying for the weight of the florets and stalks. If you're tossing the stalks, 'you're just throwing money down the drain,' Bodrug said. (A recipe below demonstrates one way to put those sturdy stems to great use.) 'Other things like radish tops, carrot tops and beet tops can add plant diversity and flavor to your diet. Throw them into salads and pestos,' she said. It can be helpful to have three or four staple meals that you enjoy eating that can also be customized to feature what you have kicking around in your fridge at the end of the week, Bodrug said. In her book, she calls these 'kitchen raid recipes.' 'You don't need the book for this, though. Think about curry. You have the base sauce that you can make every week, then add any bean. Or pasta. You can toss all sorts of veggies into a pasta sauce,' she added. Pizza, grain bowls with your favorite dressing, and tacos are all fantastic and flexible options, too. 'I never suggest that people eat spoiled food, but in North America, we've become really fixated on best before dates. These are not expiration dates,' Bodrug noted. They're just a recommendation from the brand about when quality might begin to decline slightly. In other words, there's no need to follow the rules strictly and dump your milk if it was 'best before' last Friday. Of course, the fresh fruits and vegetables we buy don't have any sort of date listed, so Bodrug recommends using your eyes and sense of smell to search for signs that they may be off before throwing away or composting your food. 'If there are signs of mold or spoilage, it's too late. Get rid of it and move on. That still happens to me, too,' Bodrug said. 'I still have waste, but if we're being more mindful about what we buy, we're going to have less waste over time, which really adds up.' After you use the florets in stir-fries, salads or roasted vegetables, save the stems to make crunchy vegetable 'fries.' 'In addition to the broccoli stem, this recipe only calls for four more ingredients,' Bodrug wrote on her website. For an extra layer of flavor, feel free to 'add spices, nutritional yeast, hot sauce, or liquid smoke to the almond milk and flour batter,' she added. Serves 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Total cooking time: 30 minutes ● 3 broccoli stems ● ½ cup all-purpose flour ● ½ cup unsweetened almond milk or other milk of choice ● ¾ cup breadcrumbs, panko or seasoned ● ½ teaspoon salt 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 degrees Celsius) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Using a vegetable peeler, slice off the tough outer layer of the broccoli stems. Cut into fry shapes and set aside. 3. Set up a breading station with two bowls: Mix the flour and almond milk in one and add the breadcrumbs to the second. 4. Working one piece of broccoli at a time, coat with the flour and almond milk mixture and then the breadcrumbs. Place on the lined baking sheet and repeat until all broccoli pieces are coated. 5. Bake until the broccoli stem fries are crispy, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste and serve with a dipping sauce of choice. Karla Walsh is a Des Moines, Iowa-based freelance lifestyle writer with more than 16 years of editorial experience.
CNN
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- CNN
How to save money on groceries by reducing food waste
Food & health Food & drinkFacebookTweetLink Follow Sign up for CNN's Life, But Greener newsletter. Our limited newsletter series guides you on how to minimize your personal role in the climate crisis — and reduce your eco-anxiety. While testing recipes for her plant-based blog, PlantYou, Carleigh Bodrug realized she was wasting more food — and money — than she wanted. The Barrie, Ontario-based cook figured other people might be in the same boat, and she began researching the topic. When Bodrug realized how large of a slice of the food waste 'pie' home cooks represent, she said she 'was stopped in my tracks. Food can go farther than how we use it.' 'The average family of four wastes about $1,500 per year on groceries,' Bodrug said. 'If you're really intentional, you can save more than $1,000 per year by implementing a food waste-reducing plan.' The US Department of Agriculture estimates that 30% to 40% of the American food supply ends up in landfills. All that waste adds up quickly — in terms of its impact on the environment and your bank account. 'Here in North America, we throw out a lot of the food that other people in the world use,' Bodrug added, and she knew the appetite for scrap-maximizing solutions was strong when the first 'scrappy cooking' video she shared on social media took off. (It was her Candied Orange Peel recipe, by the way.) After that video went viral, Bodrug made it her mission to inspire others, and challenge herself, to eat more fruits and vegetables by doing just that: eating the produce from root to stem. That idea is where her cookbook, 'PlantYou: Scrappy Cooking,' comes in. 'In my opinion, it's undeniable that we could all benefit from adding more plants to our plates,' Bodrug said. 'As a society, we're so focused on protein. But in reality, more than 95% of us don't meet the daily recommended intake of gut-friendly, chronic disease-reducing fiber. Where does fiber come from? It's not in meat. It's not in dairy. It's in plants.' Compared with processed foods and pantry staples, Bodrug concedes that plants can be more challenging to select, store and put to good use. But it's not impossible, she added, and it's well worth the effort for the wellness and financial gains you'll accrue. With food costs continuing to rise — between 2% and 10% per year from 2022 to 2024, according to the USDA — it's no wonder that 69% of Americans admit that higher food prices stand between them and a healthier diet. But keeping grocery spending in check and eating a healthier diet need not be at odds. The tips ahead about how to maximize your produce spending are proof. 'The lowest hanging fruit when it comes to reducing our food waste is actually just being more careful in our planning,' Bodrug said. 'Don't bring food into our home in the first place if we're not going to eat it.' Free meal planning apps are handy, but there's no need to get fancy, Bodrug said. 'Simply take a piece of paper, write down a grid that includes breakfast, lunch and dinner for each day of the week, and draft a rough outline of what you think you're going to eat for each meal.' When possible, brainstorm more than one way to use certain staples such as grains, proteins and vegetables so you can batch prep to save time. That meal plan can act as your guide as you write your shopping list. But don't head to the store or fill your online grocery cart quite yet. 'Before you even head to the grocery store, shop your fridge, freezer and pantry. Before I implemented this practice, I'd often go to the grocery store; I'd think, 'Oh, I need to grab a bag of oats,'' Bodrug said. 'Then I'd come home, and there (are) four half-used bags of oats already in the pantry.' Check your current stock for any items that are part of your meal plan and trim anything from the list that you already have in ample supply. 'Not only can you save on groceries by being more mindful about the food that you're bringing into your home, but you can also make that food then go (further) for you to extend across more meals. This translates into even more savings,' Bodrug said. One of the easiest ways to maximize your grocery dollar is to use every part of the produce you buy. For example, when you purchase a head of broccoli, you're paying for the weight of the florets and stalks. If you're tossing the stalks, 'you're just throwing money down the drain,' Bodrug said. (A recipe below demonstrates one way to put those sturdy stems to great use.) 'Other things like radish tops, carrot tops and beet tops can add plant diversity and flavor to your diet. Throw them into salads and pestos,' she said. It can be helpful to have three or four staple meals that you enjoy eating that can also be customized to feature what you have kicking around in your fridge at the end of the week, Bodrug said. In her book, she calls these 'kitchen raid recipes.' 'You don't need the book for this, though. Think about curry. You have the base sauce that you can make every week, then add any bean. Or pasta. You can toss all sorts of veggies into a pasta sauce,' she added. Pizza, grain bowls with your favorite dressing, and tacos are all fantastic and flexible options, too. 'I never suggest that people eat spoiled food, but in North America, we've become really fixated on best before dates. These are not expiration dates,' Bodrug noted. They're just a recommendation from the brand about when quality might begin to decline slightly. In other words, there's no need to follow the rules strictly and dump your milk if it was 'best before' last Friday. Of course, the fresh fruits and vegetables we buy don't have any sort of date listed, so Bodrug recommends using your eyes and sense of smell to search for signs that they may be off before throwing away or composting your food. 'If there are signs of mold or spoilage, it's too late. Get rid of it and move on. That still happens to me, too,' Bodrug said. 'I still have waste, but if we're being more mindful about what we buy, we're going to have less waste over time, which really adds up.' After you use the florets in stir-fries, salads or roasted vegetables, save the stems to make crunchy vegetable 'fries.' 'In addition to the broccoli stem, this recipe only calls for four more ingredients,' Bodrug wrote on her website. For an extra layer of flavor, feel free to 'add spices, nutritional yeast, hot sauce, or liquid smoke to the almond milk and flour batter,' she added. Serves 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Total cooking time: 30 minutes ● 3 broccoli stems ● ½ cup all-purpose flour ● ½ cup unsweetened almond milk or other milk of choice ● ¾ cup breadcrumbs, panko or seasoned ● ½ teaspoon salt 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 degrees Celsius) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Using a vegetable peeler, slice off the tough outer layer of the broccoli stems. Cut into fry shapes and set aside. 3. Set up a breading station with two bowls: Mix the flour and almond milk in one and add the breadcrumbs to the second. 4. Working one piece of broccoli at a time, coat with the flour and almond milk mixture and then the breadcrumbs. Place on the lined baking sheet and repeat until all broccoli pieces are coated. 5. Bake until the broccoli stem fries are crispy, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste and serve with a dipping sauce of choice. Karla Walsh is a Des Moines, Iowa-based freelance lifestyle writer with more than 16 years of editorial experience.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Tofu is an affordable, high-protein food that can bring down your grocery bill. Here's how to cook it, according to a recipe developer
Tofu was a mystery for Carleigh Bodrug the first time she ate it. She'd already been making the swap to a plant-based diet, but it wasn't the first ingredient she added to her day-to-day recipes. "Tofu took me a while to like or even try. I was so intimidated and almost scared of it because it just looks like, you know, a slab of white nothingness," the Barrie, Ont.-based recipe developer and New York Times bestselling cookbook author remembers. "Really, that's where I think that a lot of people get intimidated with tofu." She made do that first meal: "I just cut up the tofu and put it in a stir-fry or something," she tells Yahoo Canada. Still, she knew making the most out of a block of tofu would take a bit more finesse. After that first underwhelming stir-fry, Bodrug tried again — and again — until she figured out ways to make tofu shine, paving the way for her devoted online fanbase to ditch any dusty stereotypes about tofu being a vegetarian oddity in the process. Her dedication stemmed from the health and environmental benefits of a plant-based diet, but she's quick to add that building meals around tofu also helped her budget. After you start experimenting, there's just so many amazing ways to prepare it and make it taste amazing. So it really went from this food that I was scared to eat to now something that I have in my diet probably every single Bodrug For those looking to stretch their grocery dollars without sacrificing their protein goals, Bodrug says reaching for tofu is a foolproof move. Luckily, she's here to share tips and tricks so those new to the ingredient don't have to make the same mistakes she did. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carleigh Bodrug (@plantyou) Originating in China more than 2,000 years ago, tofu is a protein-dense food made from the curds of coagulated soy milk. Sometimes called "bean curd" (most often in vintage vegetarian recipes or Asian products translated to English), tofu typically comes packed in water and can be found in most grocery store produce sections. Other times, vacuum-packed varieties that are shelf-stable can be found in the natural foods section, but the uses and nutritional profile for either is nearly identical. A traditional food in many East and Southeast Asian cuisines, tofu is low in calories and carbs, but rich in protein, calcium and vitamins. It comes in a few standard varieties, ranging from extra-firm, firm, medium and soft or silken. Extra-firm tofu has a texture somewhat reminiscent of feta cheese fresh out of the package, while soft or silken tofu is more custard-like in texture. Pressing the water out of tofu will improve its texture and flavour. Tofu can be added to bases like rice noodles to create flavourful dishes such as pad Thai or a noodle-based stir-fry. Then there's smoked tofu, a precooked, ready-to-eat product that has a similar texture to chicken and, you guessed it, a smoky flavour profile. Try it on top of summer salads or over your favourite noodle dishes, either quickly reheated or cold from the package, instead of a possibly-pricier rotisserie chicken. The amount of water — a natural part of the production process — that remains in the final product determines which variety tofu will become: Soft tofu contains more water than extra-firm, creating the former's soft-set, pudding-y texture. Bodrug mentions that soft tofu is an easy candidate for dairy-free desserts. Tofu doesn't necessarily have to stay in its block-shape form — try crumbling it to resemble ground meat You can also blend tofu to replace feta cheese in pasta or even use it to create an Alfredo sauce Consider using it in desserts like pudding or cheesecake, or even reach for tofu as an egg replacement "It took a while for me to learn that you have to visualize tofu as a vehicle for flavour, much like somebody who eats animal products wouldn't just eat a plain, unseasoned chicken breast," says Bodrug. She adds tofu is a waiting-in-the-wings ingredient ready to replace a roster of costly items on your grocery list. Bodrug has a vegan take on the TikTok-viral feta pasta where tofu takes the starring role. She also explains tofu and sunflower seeds blended with nutritional yeast, garlic and spices can stand in for higher-ticket dairy items to make an Alfredo sauce or the Béchamel layer of lasagna. More dairy dupes can come from soft tofu, which is the base of many vegan pudding recipes, blended with things like cocoa powder and maple syrup. It can also replace eggs in many baking recipes, provided the egg is used for moisture and binding (think quick breads or brownies). Bodrug adds soft tofu makes the perfect base for a cheaper, dairy-free cheesecake, too. For comparison, buying enough name-brand cream cheese to make a traditional cheesecake could cost as much as $18 versus spending around $9 on a tofu-based cheesecake. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carleigh Bodrug (@plantyou) And as eggs continue to be an online shorthand for the rising cost of living, Bodrug is quick to add tofu can be called upon for a different type of morning scramble: "We'll often make a tofu scramble in place of scrambled eggs. So that just involves literally scrambling your tofu with the back of the fork, ... adding it to a pan with some nutritional yeast, a pinch of turmeric, salt, veggies and cooking that up. It makes a great breakfast replacement if you're looking to replace scrambled eggs," she suggests. If you season tofu similar to how you prepare meat, you can tofu-ify pretty much any dish For instance, grating tofu into shreds can replace the ground meat that's used in many recipes Throwing cubes of tofu into an air fryer with oil and seasonings can also be a quick protein topper for salad or noodles "I always tell people to think about what they love about their favourite meat dishes. I used to be a huge fan of barbecue wings or barbecue chicken and ground meat in pasta sauce," says Bodrug. "When you think about it, what you actually like about those things is typically the flavourings, which is the spices, the seasonings and the sauces. So when you think about tofu, you can season, sauce and make it so flavourful using those same seasonings that you already love." Bodrug says cooking tofu is the key to unlocking its potential, so skip eating it raw from the package. She also often cubes it up, throws it in the air fryer with some oil and then slathers it in sauce. "If you grate tofu, it mimics almost a ground meat consistency," Bodrug advises, explaining she loves swapping ground beef for tofu on taco night with her favourite taco kit. Below, try a recipe to learn more about how she does it. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carleigh Bodrug (@plantyou) Pre-heat the oven to 375°F Grate a block of extra-firm tofu on the wide holes of a box grater, or crumble the tofu into a form similar to ground meat Combine a couple tablespoons of oil and the taco kit spice mix in a large bowl Add the shredded tofu to the large bowl and toss until the shreds are evenly coated Spread the now-coated shredded tofu onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes Fill tacos and top as desired Now the only question: Hard or soft tortillas? "Tofu is a fabulous budget item. It packs in a lot of protein," adds Bodrug. "I'd say the average cost at a grocery store for a block of extra for a tofu might be $3.50: You're just getting a big bang for your buck, a lot of protein in there for a much-reduced cost in comparison to animal products. "I would tell people to don't be afraid to get experimental in the kitchen with tofu, because I can guarantee that you're going to come upon a recipe or a texture or type of tofu that you like, because there's so many different ways to prepare it."
Los Angeles Times
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Will there be eggs for Easter? Substitutes are reaching peak weird
With a bird-flu-induced egg shortage that has caused prices to skyrocket — and consumers, for lack of a better word, to scramble — the term 'egg hunting' takes on new meaning this Easter. But will the dearth really have an impact on the pastel-hued spring holiday? According to the internet, where baskets of dyed Yukon Gold potatoes abound, the answer is yes. 'I think I'm going to ask my guests to bring [their own] eggs this year,' says Molly Page of South Pasadena, who hosts a yearly Ukrainian egg-dyeing party for her friends and children. Many parents are giving up on dyeing real eggs entirely, and some have taken to TikTok, posting videos of their kids coloring potatoes to the tune of 'It's the Hard-Knock Life' while others open up egg cartons to reveal a dozen decorated marshmallows, golf balls and other egg alternatives. Jet-Puffed marshmallow brand launched 'Dip and Decorate' Easter marshmallow dyeing kits. For $1.99 at Walmart, the kits include a 24-ounce bag of jumbo marshmallows, six dye colors, two flavored drizzles, tongs and three food-safe markers in a pink egg crate labeled 'Farm Fresh Marshmallows.' Massachusetts-based company Jaju Pierogi posted a video of its pierogies submerged in Easter dye, proof that no one is immune to jumping on the bandwagon. Though potato decorating seems the most widespread, there's little consistency to the trend. Potato varieties range from peewee to large russet to Yukon Gold or even red-skinned ones. Some recommend peeling them first. It's unclear if they should be boiled. Others are dyeing them with the skin on, while some are using paint, cutting the potatoes in half and carving out one of their sides in stripes, polka dots, flowers or zigzags to be painted in pastel colors and stamped, resulting in Easter egg-looking art. The results are sometimes pleasing. Nationwide, the egg crisis has caused the price of a dozen eggs to hit a record high of $6.23, while here in Los Angeles the price has reached over $12 per dozen in some stores. That's if they are even in stock. For the same price you can buy 50 colorful plastic eggs or, for slightly more, 30 very realistic-looking white plastic eggs. Terranea resort in Palos Verdes will be using the latter for its annual Easter egg-decorating event held for a guests-only kids' club. They have used real eggs every year prior, though a resort representative said the process of using real eggs was 'time-consuming and the children were most excited to head outside for the spoon races and other festive activities.' Egg decorating isn't the only Easter conundrum for which potatoes have come to the rescue. Eggs are also usually at the center of the holiday's brunch table, poached, fried, hard-boiled or, the best way, deviled. Thankfully the internet is delivering on that front as well, with plenty of deviled potato recipes circulating. The most popular of these comes from 'PlantYou' cookbook author Carleigh Bodrug, who says in an Instagram video, 'No eggs!? No problem!' before boiling mini potatoes, scooping out the middle of each one; mashing it with vegan mayonnaise, mustard and chives; and piping it back in. Bodrug, who has over 10 million followers across her social-media platforms, was excited to use the egg shortage as an opportunity to encourage her audience to swap in a vegan recipe. 'People are very concerned about the price of eggs, so it's a great catalyst to get people to try a plant-based recipe,' says Bodrug. 'If you look at a deviled-egg recipe, you need so many eggs for it. Who can afford to buy several dozen eggs at this time? It's a perfect affordable replacement.' Bodrug, who got into plant-based cooking for health reasons, is also an advocate for sustainability with her second cookbook, 'PlantYou: Scrappy Cooking,' which promotes a plant-based, zero-waste approach. This concept is relevant, as the rapidness with which the avian flu has spread, is in part due to factory farming, which has led us here to an eggless, potato-filled Easter. 'Factory farming, in and of itself, is such a major driver of climate change,' says Bodrug. 'So whenever we can make a shift to a more sustainable crop, like making a shift from eggs to potatoes, we're not only doing a great thing, likely for our health but for the planet as well, and then the chickens, if you're going to look at it from an animal advocacy perspective.' As a vegan, Bodrug didn't previously have an egg-dyeing tradition. But as she is expecting her first child, she's already contemplating her future Easter projects and suggests, 'You could paint rocks!'
