Brenda Reeder

HC employee

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
187 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

6.0

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

6.1

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

3.7

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

1.0

conversation

with a person

Brenda's actions

Planning

Sign up for Fridge Check Fridays

I will sign up for Fridge Check Friday emails, sent by Hennepin County but open to everyone, to prompt me to check my fridge for food that needs to be used up and for hacks on storing food to keep it fresh.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Planning

Plan to Use My Garden or CSA Produce

I will check to see what will be ready to eat in my garden or CSA box this week and plan recipes that use these ingredients.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Planning

Create a Weekly Meal Plan

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu of meals and ingredients for my household of 2.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Planning

Plan a Leftovers Day

I will plan a meal to use up leftovers by creating a tasty smorgasbord or using a recipe that repurposes them.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Send it Down the Grape Vine

I will talk to 3 family members or friends about my experience with this challenge, food waste, and what I have learned.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Watch a Documentary About Food

I will watch 2 videos or documentaries to learn about the scope and scale of food waste in this country.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Shopping

Stick to Your Grocery List

I will only purchase the items on my grocery list and avoid impulse purchases.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Shopping

Eat Before Shopping

I will resist impulse buys by eating a snack or meal before going grocery shopping. Those who grocery shop on an empty stomach spend 64% more than not-hungry shoppers.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Planning

What have you found out since you started taking an inventory of your fridge before shopping?
Brenda Reeder 8/15/2025 12:24 PM
I waste more produce than I would like to. Buying smaller portions or freezing it is something that I need to get better at.

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- Vivien Fowler 8/15/2025 7:20 PM
  Same here -- I’ve sent way too many veggies on a one-way trip to the compost 🙈🥕. Buying smaller portions (or giving your freezer a promotion to ‘food saver’) is definitely a game-changer. You’ve got this! 💪🌱
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

Describe the conversations you had and if you learned anything about what other people think of the topic of food waste.
Brenda Reeder 8/15/2025 12:23 PM
In depth conversations with husband and adult son about ways to be less wasteful when meal prepping.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Planning

What kinds of foods do you like to eat as leftovers? If you or your household members don't like eating leftovers, are there any foods you would be more willing to try than others?
Brenda Reeder 8/15/2025 12:13 PM
My preferred leftovers to eat would be sauce based foods like chili and spaghetti sauce. I'm not sure what foods I would be more willing to try as leftovers as we eat a lot of the same things most of the time.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Planning

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Does this surprise you? Where would you rather use this money? How has meal planning helped you avoid waste?
Brenda Reeder 8/15/2025 12:11 PM
Yes, the pounds and dollar amount of food wasted by the average American family is surprising. I would rather use this money to get a gym membership or take a vacation. Meal planning has helped me avoid waste by being more organized overall.

Read More