Wasting Food

I hate wasting food and do everything I can to ensure that nothing gets thrown out.

This week I was so sick, I could not eat (and the house was already stocked with so much food) and I also could not cook (to freeze or use up ingredients). It made me really sad. This was the first week in over a year that I had to dump a bunch of food.

This got me thinking of what I usually do throughout the weeks to make sure I don't waste food.

I will share my tips. PLEASE SHARE YOURS!


1. One day a week, I have a "leftover" night and basically plan that nights meal around whatever ingredients are leftover in our house. It's fun because the leftover ingredients are always different and I get to be creative with how to repurpose some of the items.

2. I use leftover scraps to make soups and broths.

3. I make DH eat A LOT.

Re: Wasting Food

I bring my leftover dinner for lunch at work the next day.

I try to limit the amount of fresh veggies I buy and stock up on frozen for a side.

I buy bagged spinach for salads because it doesn't tend to go bad as quickly as the lettuce mixes.

I take meat out of the freezer in the morning if I am going to use it for something that night so it limits the amount that goes to waste.

DH loves bread so I often make biscuits, crescent rolls or a quick bread to go with a meal instead of buying fresh bread that gets hard quickly if there are lots of leftovers.

Every once in awhile, DH will buy a dozen bagels and I will freeze them if there are any left.

Leftover Italian bread I will also heat up in the microwave to make it soft the next day, or dip it in soup or something really saucy.

I also have leftover nights too if we have a lot of something.

Re: Wasting Food

We have "day of reckoning" nights every few days, too, to clean out the fridge.

I've also realized that growing up in a "clean plate club" household, that eating food to "not waste it" was still a waste. I used to eat food even though I wasn't hungry, just to not throw it away in the garbage. I finally realized that I was just throwing it away in my body.
I still don't like to waste food, but I'm at the point where I'm OK with throwing out food that we aren't going to eat because we're full.

Re: Wasting Food

I hate wasting food. It's like throwing away money.

I buy frozen veggies in bags so that I can take out as much as I need. I try to limit fresh produce to cook at the beginning of the week so that it won't go bad.
I cook enough to have leftovers and lunches. A whole chicken is too much for just DH and me, so I bake parts instead.
I don't stuff my freezer with meats, so that I can see what I have in there. and don't over buy. I also package carefully to avoid freezer burn.
I'll make my own tv dinners with leftovers.
Fritattas are a great way to use up leftover veggies and pasta.

Re: Wasting Food

Re: Wasting Food

We rarely have a ton of leftovers b/c we only cook portion sizes. When we buy chicken, chopped meat, steaks or anything like that we break it up into freezer bags with just enough for the 2 of us.

We only eat fresh fruit and veggies so we go food shopping for these items every Sunday and make sure we only buy what we'll eat during that week.

Re: Wasting Food

I buy only exactly what we need to make the meals that I know I will be making for the week.

We eat dinner leftovers for lunch.

Re: Wasting Food

I like fresh veggies & fruit, but it sometimes gets hidden & not used quick enough. Then I wash & cut so it's ready to eat.

Ever since I started to plan the weeks meals, I've found that I'm wasting less. I'm using items like herbs, broth, etc for multiple items during the week & if I think I won't use something I try to either freeze it.

If a veggie is not getting eaten, I try to roast it in the oven & then use it for eggs or freeze it to throw I to soups & such.

I've been throwing out SO MUCH LESS!!!!

Re: Wasting Food

I try to eat all our food every 6 months or so. I will work to use up things in the pantry/freezer to ensure these things don't go bad.

I am in the process of doing that now. I will continue to grocery shop but try to limit the "stock up" items I purchase to dwindle down my amounts at home. So I will mostly buy fresh veggies/fruits and add the pasta meats, etc. that i already have.

I am always making up random stuff to use up food. I HATE throwing things out too!

Every week I start my menu by looking in my fridge to see what needs to be used up - open bottle of sauce, produce, etc. and build meals based on that and the sale circulars.

Re: Wasting Food

Re: Wasting Food

I keep fruits & vegetables right in the front of the fridge so I don't forget to eat them, and I only buy enough for the week.
If I buy a lot of yogurt, I put the ones that expire first in the front so I eat them before they expire. I only buy one half-gallon of milk at a time, so it doesn't go sour before I can use it.
If I buy too much bread (like thinking I ran out but then I get home & realize I didn't need it), I freeze it so it doesn't go bad.
I keep the older stuff at the front in my cabinets so I use them first.