Zero Waste Month: Week 3 (Vivian)

Can you believe we’re at week 3 already? Zero Waste Month: Week 1 is about my expectations and why I wanted to transition to a zero waste lifestyle. Zero Waste Month: Week 2 is about my essentials and the changes I made. For week 3, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on what I’ve enjoyed most and least during the zero waste transition.

What’s one change you’ve enjoyed during your zero waste transition?
Lately, I’ve enjoyed making my own food. So far, I’ve made hummus and almond milk, both of which are simple to make at home. Best of all, you can buy most of these ingredients plastic and waste-free. They also turned out better than I expected.

To make the hummus, I used garbanzo beans, garlic, water, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. The only plastic waste produced from the homemade hummus was the plastic bottle of the tahini sauce. I only had to buy the garlic and garbanzo beans, which were luckily available in bulk.

To make almond milk, all you need is water, honey (to sweeten), and almonds. I also bought these ingredients in bulk. The leftover almond pulp can be dried in the oven and use as an almond meal.

Ingredients for homemade hummus: Tahini, olive oil, salt. I don’t have a food processor or a big blender, so I used my roommate’s Magic Bullet.

Homemade hummus in glass jar — My homemade hummus!

Squeezing almond milk from a cloth reusable bag — After I blended my soaked almonds with water, I put it in my cloth ECOBAGS and squeezed for the almond milk. I don’t have a cheesecloth, but my reusable bag worked perfectly.

Homemade almond milk in glass jar — Ta-da, my almond milk!

Homemade smoothie with almond milk — Made a mango apple smoothie with my almond milk.

What’s one tip you would give to someone who wants to start making their own food?
My suggestion is to take it easy and find what you’re interested in making at home. Making your own food can be more affordable and healthier. It’s also fun because you can experiment and customize each food to your liking. I love garlic so I made sure to add extra cloves to my hummus for a strong garlic flavor. I also rarely follow an exact recipe and don’t measure anything out to the T (unless I’m baking). If you fail the first time, that’s okay! Keep trying and trying until you get your desired flavor and texture. Don’t stress about the small stuff and just have fun with it.

What’s one thing you did not enjoy about the zero waste transition?
I didn’t enjoy seeing all of my food waste and giving up some of my favorite snacks & foods. There were some snacks and foods I intentionally didn’t buy because of their excessive and unnecessary packaging. I knew I would feel really guilty if I bought them. However, with the new mindset, it led me to make my own food and to find other options. It’s not the end of the world and I was able to compromise and try new things. I’m still human and there are some snacks I’ll never give up like my Asian snacks and Lays Ketchup chips (best chips ever).

Day 15