Thanksgiving is coming!

One of the best family holidays is just around the corner. Ready to cook the dinner? Some of the Thanksgiving products are underestimated. For instance, why don’t we eat and cook cranberry sauce more often? It is very easy to make and these berries feature some serious health benefits. Today we are here to share the cranberry sauce recipe as well as the benefits of including cranberry into your diet on a regular basis.

Health benefits

Studies have proved anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects of cranberries. They may also protect against liver disease, lower blood pressure, improve eyesight and cardiovascular health

Moreover, cranberries can lessen the risk of urinary tract infection (UTI). Your doctor may suggest taking them as supplements or drink the juice from time to time.

Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Here is the recipe that is easy and quick. Consider including cranberries into your regular diet plan.

Here is what you need:

• Cranberries – 12-ounce bag fresh/frozen 
• Water – 1 cup
• Sugar – 1 cup

Mix all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring them to boil. Boil for about 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly.

Use a potato masher to lightly mash the cranberries. Let the sauce cool until room temperature. Chill overnight. Mixture will firm up as it cools.

Last time we focused on planning, making shopping lists and storing products.

Today we would like to address the actual cooking process. Is it possible to keep our waste in the kitchen at a zero level? The goal is to stay at the level close to zero, even if “zero” is just a dream!

While following our tips, please, also consider keeping your kitchen (and not only) utensils “zero waste”. Here at MMTUM Shop you can find plenty of sustainable and healthy products!

Use every part of a product

When cooking something consider using all the product. What does it mean? Think about the stems and leaves of some vegetables like broccoli or kale, that we usually throw away. These parts are also edible and you can use them when making soups, purees and smoothies! They are super healthy too as they contain a lot of fiber!

Don’t forget about the seeds. Most people just throw away pumpkin seeds, but they can make a healthy snack. Pumpkin and squash seeds can be used separately or you can add them to your salads or desserts!

What about peels? You can use them as well! Just scrub the vegetable before peeling and your peels then can be used for making crispy chips. Such chips (just make sure not to use oil) are very healthy as they contain a lot of fiber. Did you know that normally peels contain the most fiber?

Some parts can be given to your pets as a treat (or try to find some people who own pets). Rabbits can eat most waste parts of your veggies

Preserve what you cannot eat

Another way to save your product before it goes bad is to preserve it! There are multiple ways to do that:

Freeze!

– That’s a great option, and many products will taste almost the same after you defrost them!

Dehydrate!

– Some fruit and veggies can be dried and later eaten as crisps or turned into a powder (chile powder).

Pickle!

– Some fragile parts as leaves cannot be pickled, whereas most of veggies can! You can try different recipes and find your perfect one. Who doesn’t like a pickle?

Jam!

– That’s for berries and fruit! That is easier than pickling, just add the right amount of sugar!

We just gave you so many ideas towards zero waste cooking. Still you will find some parts cannot be used. Toss them into your

Compost Bin

What else? Check out how to make your life even a bit more eco with some amazing utensils from National Trust Shop (if you are in Britain and they also ship internationally). For example, they feature trash bags made from potato starch! Totally organic!