When you finish making your PB&J with the last of the peanut butter and jelly, don't throw out those containers just yet. TikToker LIVEKINDLY (@livekindly) shared a hack to make use of those not-quite-empty jars with the delicious result of a filling breakfast the next day.
The scoop
It's difficult to get all the peanut butter or jelly out of the jar, but that doesn't mean you need to waste that remaining food.
As demonstrated in the video, all you have to do is pour water and oats into the peanut butter jar and water and chia seeds into your leftover jelly. Then, close the lids tightly, shake until mixed, and place them in the fridge overnight. In the morning, you simply mix the contents of the two jars and add some toppings — like fresh blueberries, brown sugar, or honey — and voila. The result is yummy, low-waste PB&J oatmeal.
@livekindly 🥜🫐Your "empty" peanut butter & jelly jars are the perfect vessels for low-waste overnight oats and chia seed jam! 😜 Simply combine the ingredients, shake, and leave overnight. Would you try this? #zerowaste #overnightoats #ecofriendly #sustainability #lowwaste #foodwaste #peanutbutter #reducewaste #vegan #veganrecipes #nowaste #foodhacks #nofoodwaste ♬ Curiosity - Danilo Stankovic
How it's helping
Grocery prices rose 25% from 2019 through 2023. One way to combat rising food costs is to utilize every ounce, drop, and smidgen of the food you purchase. This hack addresses how to use the peanut butter and jelly normally thrown away with the jar. With it, you can also create another whole meal to stretch your grocery dollar.
Food waste is a huge problem in America with an estimated one-third of all food going in the garbage can. From the wilted lettuce in the back of the fridge to the leftovers that didn't sound appetizing the second time around, consumers regularly throw out food.
Only approximately 4% of this waste is composted; the rest creates planet-warming pollution when it ends up in landfills, gets washed down the drain into sewers, or burns in combustion facilities.
You know those outrageous grocery bills? Imagine if you could save $1,500 in food costs. You'd probably think you hit the lottery, but that is how much money the average American family loses in uneaten food.
You'll not only save money by preventing food waste. You'll also help save the planet by reducing toxic gases that contribute to Earth's overheating and protecting natural resources. Throwing out food wastes more than just the food itself. The land, water, and energy that went into growing, processing, transporting, storing, and disposing of that food is also wasted.
Taking steps like meal planning, food prep, doing more with your leftovers, and proper storage can all help limit food waste. You can also use services like TooGoodToGo, Flashfood, and Misfits Market, which help prevent waste.
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Bought more than I could eat 🛒 Next time you run out of peanut butter and jelly, make this easy overnight oatmeal. Food hacks like this one and similar others help to reduce the amount of food sent to landfills.
What people are saying
People shared the video with their friends and saved it to remember this simple tip. One user was glad for the knowledge but bummed after watching this hack. "I hate that I saw this right after running out of peanut butter AND making my overnight oats," they wrote.
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