Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

I am really annoyed with DH and myself with the amount of food we waste. I *think* I am trying hard to lessen this but feel like I am not doing a good job. With what I threw out the past few weeks, I told DH we should be ashamed of ourselves.
Here is an example of what happens (so you have an idea what I am talking about): We go "big shopping" once a month....meats, frozen, canned/pantry stuff. The rest of the time is to get fresh produce, dairy, etc. I try and freeze meats in meal sized portions, so this isn't the waste. It mostly has to with "left-overs" and the fresh produce. Like we can't find a happy medium of sizes (enough for DH to not be STARVING with a single portion but not having to make and then not eat the "family sized portions"). Happens with frsh produce too, I try to buy small sizes of things but without having to eat the same thing 2 or 3 days in a row, the smallest sizes of things (like potatoes, fresh cabbage, salad) are still getting wasted!

So, if you have any ideas on how to help me, please share!

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

I stink at meal planning but maybe find different recipes to use the same foods so it at least feels like you are eating more of a variety of foods? Look for recipes that freeze well after cooking?

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

things like potatos, carrots, cabbage...should last longer than one week. I buy a bag of carrots and potatos and keep them in the refrigerator and use them as I need. they stay good for a long time.

other veggies such as lettuce...i find that if i buy the bags of cut up lettuce they stay better than cutting a head of lettuce.

Now fruit on the other hand in my house goes bad way too quickly. neither my DH or i are big fruit eaters and my MIL is always buying us fruit!

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

I also hate wasting food.
Fresh produce is tough. I buy it and milk on a weekly basis to keep from spoiling quickly.
I buy onions and potatoes loose, instead of those 3 pound bags that go bad before I can use it all. Keep them separated - onions give off a gas that will turn potatoes green. Keep potatoes in a cool dark location to minimize sprouting, jsut not in the fridge.
Bread keeps better in the fridge, sometimes I even freeze half the loaf.
Meats definitely are portioned into two or four serving sizes and then frozen.

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

Meats--I freeze

Fish-(with the exception of shrimp) I buy day of or day before we plan to eat it.

Onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots--LAST a long time--so I buy a lot of them at once

eggs usually stay good for 3 weeks also

Salad, milk I buy as needed bc it spoils

Bread--fridge or freeze

Message edited 1/11/2010 2:46:17 PM.

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

it really is hard but i have heard those green save bags are great with produce. I plan on buying them soon since all my produce seems to go bad quickly since we shop at the fruit tree (cheap produce but doesn't last long must be eaten fresh)

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

DH and I always have this problem.... we have just started to start purchasing produce as needed and we are doing our best to plan meals ahead of time so that way any left over produce will be used up within the next 1-2 days.

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

You have described our situation perfectly! We throw away so much produce because it goes bad before the two of us finish it. We have switched to bags of lettuce/salads but we still throw out a lot. I get sick of eating the same thing 3 days in a row just so I don't waste it.

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

Sounds like we need a potluck/leftover swap!

But tx for mentioning the "green bags", I think I have some of those. I think Rubbermaid also makes containers that help with produce.

For those that say things keep long, how long? I mean potatoes I know can go a few weeks, but what about carrots and cabbage? Isn't a week kinda pushing it? Or am I just too picky?

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

carrots and cabbage last a long time...much longer than a week. I peel my carrots when I go to use them. and if I use a 1/2 head of cabbage, I wrap the rest in plastic wrap and it will stay good for a while/

the veggies that might get gross after a week or so is lettuce, tomatos, cucumbers.

I never throw away "old" veggies...I throw them in my soup if I feel they are a little too old to eat raw or steamed

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

I do have same problem as well.

I did find that those Green Bags (i don't know the brand - it's on the infomercial) work very well with fruit and I find they last longer.

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

We have the same problem as well....I've recently starting buying meat and veggies more as we need it and it has helped, but DAMN do we throw out a lot of food!

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

Re: Please help me stop wasting food! (kinda long)

I find that I buy more frozen foods rather than fresh foods. When I buy something like fresh meat, I have to be really certain that our schedules are stable enough that we'll actually eat it when we plan to.