Do you eat your family's leftovers?

This is a timely topic for me!

I recently calculated our grocery bills for one month's time. We average around $1,100/month for two people! The bulk of our diet is mainly produce. We don't purchase a lot of packaged stuff, except for crunchy chips; which I can't do without. I don't eat meat and my husband only has meat at lunch. Going through our fridge, it's clear there's waste going on and we are going to try to be more "aware" eaters. I've been making sure I prepare/cook what we purchase to eliminate waste.

I cannot imagine what meat eaters pay for monthly groceries, or is this a regional thing where my food costs more than yours?

This next season our local, organic veggie boxes will begin to arrive. By my calculations, it should save us money and provide us with more quantity (fresher food, too). It will be an effort, but I am going to be using everything in the box that arrives.

So, I'm with you....wasted food is just wrong on so many levels, not just because it's a waste of money.

 

I only eat food at the highest level of overpackaging and processing. Single containers of Pudding...Instant Oatmeal...frozen dinners...

I cut the crust off the my bleached processed Wonder White Bread...

Nah...just kidding...eat the leftovers...hell, swing by a vegan restaurant dumpster before coming home if you wish...

As hunter/gatherers... most of us have become numbed and poisoned by packaging and processing...I find your approach laudable...

Now where are my twinkies?

 

I hate to see food wasted. The amount of food thrown away in the United States every day is staggering.

I deliver food for the food bank to homebound seniors. Many of them haven't ate in days, and are so thankful to see me. Many of them are veterans.

 

There must be something regional - we don't pay that much for 3 of us (4 including the dog), and that includes meat. Most of the meat is purchased once a year from a relatively local and organic source, so it's much better quality and probably cheaper than buying it from the store. We eat a fair bit of produce, too, but do without the more expensive items out of season. I have a theory that food doesn't come in 'packages', but it's not shared by the rest of the family. Only rarely something will go bad - leftovers generally get eaten.

 

I do shop at Whole Foods for my produce and I don't eat in season. Both "issues", my local, organic food boxes will cure. I love the cold crops, though, so I have a feeling I am going to have to supplement the boxes with store bought broccoli, brussels, kale, etc.

Whole Foods isn't cheap. It's probably almost double what I can pay elsewhere but I tried transitioning to the inexpensive produce marts and my produce would expire within days and I ended up composing a large portion of it so I switched back. I also started using the produce disks that absorb waste gases and it extends the life of my produce markedly. I think it's made of a mineral (zoelite?) that absorbs the gas so it's supposedly safe around food (or is that why I'm coughing a lot lately).

Some people go so far as to remove the broccoli heads from the stalks for purchase there but I always feel weird doing this. Ultimately, someone else is paying that cost somehow, right? I'm trying to eat the upper part of the stalk now as I hear that contains the most nutrients. Ick.

 

What types of meals do you eat for that kind of money? You guys pay more for food in a month than the two of us do for rent, electricity, water, Prius payment, Auto ins, gas.

We love meat, and spend about 70-90 a week when I am working and we buy pretty much what ever we want, but when i am laid off we spend less than 50 a week.

This person says they could feed 23 people a month on your budget. LOL
http://www.doctoryourself.com/eatwellcheap.html

 

we've never wasted food. since we got married, we've always repackaged everything on the table and eaten it over the next couple of days or later if freezable. lunch's, dinner's, whatever. i'm not picky either. mix it all up in a bowl and give me a fork.

 

I know. It's messed up. I looked at that link and I actually don't buy the more expensive stuff on that list, i.e. the packaged beverages and dairy (this is purchased once in a while). We eat veggies, roots, beans, grains and herbs every night. Tonight I'm making canellini beans with olive oil, sun dried tomatoes, kale, spinach and cauliflower with herbs. Tomorrow I'll probably make an indian type stew with rice and veggies. It shouldn't be breaking the bank. I've switched to dried beans instead of canned to see if that helps. If we at meat, we'd be bankrupt.

 

+1 Same thing here.

 

Sometimes leftovers are better than first-times. It's sinful how much we as a nation waste. Perhaps that has started to change out of necessity.

 

I often make leftovers on purpose - it's more efficient to make a big batch of something, and then zap another serving the next day. I don't usually cook most vegetables, so they can be a really handy snack. A beef roast will last several meals, and the dog will help 'wash' the pan.

 

i suppose your tall and thin with low cholesterol.

 

Peel the thick skin off those stalks with a knife and cut into 1/2" slices. Cook them right along with the rest of the broccoli. I dont like raw broccoli but the peeled stems raw are dam tasty, crunchy too.

 

that's a good height weight ratio, and non fasting c level too. can you eat anything you want without putting on weight?

 

What are leftovers?

Up until my fight with cancer start, I was often quoted by friends as saying " You gonna eat that?" wile pointing at some morsel left on their plate and usually uttered half way through dinner. Since my bowel issues necessitate the need to reduce my food intake at one sitting, I simply take the leftovers to work for lunch.

 

that's not too bad, i've been anywhere from 215 to 160 my whole life. nearer the upper end now. when spring comes, and i can get outside, it's gonna be diet time again!