Cut down on food waste with this hearty two-for-one lentil recipe
According to the National Zero Waste Council, the average Canadian family wastes more than $1,000 worth of food every year. Imagine what we could save if we planned our meals more wisely each week.
With the goal of helping Canadians save more, Capital One Canada is teaming up with Costco and celebrity chef Chuck Hughes to help Canadians manage their grocery budget and plan their weekly meals.
Through a series of cooking tips and unique recipes, Chef Hughes will show how families can stretch their food—and their budgets— further without sacrificing on quality and flavour.
Chef Hughes’ lentil recipe is two-for-one, meaning that you can use leftovers from the first meal to create the second. You’ll start with a rich lentil and mushroom stew, and then, with just the leftovers and a few more ingredients, you have the makings of a savoury Shepherd’s Pie the whole family will love.
The two-for-one recipe concept is designed to help make use of foods that often sit in the back of the pantry. Hughes’
mantra around waste is ‘out of sight, out of plate.’ In other words, if you can’t see it, you’ll forget about it.
“You know those carrots drying up at the back of your fridge? In the restaurant business, we call them dollars!” he says. A simple trick is to rotate your fridge, regularly moving older items to the front.
Another way to ensure you use up fresh ingredients is to prep them before they go into the fridge. “Just like a professional kitchen, I like to do what we call ‘mise-en-place’ as soon as I get back from the grocery store. That means cutting up all my veggies so they’re ready to be used. Pre-cut veggies cost more, so this is also a good way to save money and time upfront.”
Hughes also suggests stocking up on essentials, such as pasta, rice, couscous, soup stock, and legumes such as lentils. They all have a long shelf life, and you can pull them out any time to whip up a meal with ingredients like overripe veggies.
There’s no better place to get those essentials than Costco, where you can find your favourite kitchen staples to help you save on money and return trips. Shopping gets even more convenient when you get your ingredients sent directly with Costco Grocery or Same-day Delivery.
With your Capital One Costco Mastercard, you can save even more—and better manage your budget. It doubles as your Costco membership card, and the Digital Alerts tool allows cardholders to proactively keep track of their spending while earning cashback rewards.
Find more recipe inspiration and tips to help you manage your spending by visiting Mealplansthatpay.ca. For everyday great savings, visit Costco.ca.