Well, hi.
It’s Food Waste Friday, and this is definitely not my best one ever. Life has been a little a lot busy around here in good ways (we took an overnight trip with the kids last weekend) and some not-as-fabulous ways.
Regardless, my food waste amounts are directly proportional to the crazy in my life.
Much crazy = much food waste.
I really, really did not want to look through my fridge yesterday, which is exactly why I keep doing Food Waste Friday posts. *I* need them!!
So.
I found some Swiss chard in the fridge that looked wilty and I thought I’d just freeze it to throw in some smoothies. But alas, inside the leaves there was fuzzy mold.
Also, right behind that is a bunch of broccoli rabe, which came in my produce box and which I have never eaten or cooked before. So, I accidentally put that off until it got slimy.
This is a downside of a produce box delivery (getting things I sometimes don’t know what to do with or don’t feel like preparing!), but honestly, it’s also an upside. We might not always eat everything in the box, but the net effect of the box is that we eat more produce and more variety too.
I mean, I never ate kale before my produce box started, and now it’s kind of a regular.
But hopefully next time I get broccoli rabe, I’ll be better about using it.
Here we have a single pancake (What? My kids always eat leftover pancakes!), a leftover Beef au Jus sandwich, and some chicken that is far too old to safely eat.
Here’s what my fridge currently looks like.
Do you notice the abundance of eggs? The chickens my friend owns have been laying like crazy, so I’ve bought a lot of eggs.
I think some pfannekuchen needs to happen. Or a Dutch baby or two.
Here’s the door of the fridge, which is generally pretty boring….mostly condiments.
You know what’s starting to look gnarly again, though?
The freezer beneath my fridge.
I think maybe I’m gonna add pics of my freezer each time Food Waste Friday rolls around because at this rate, I’m going to need another freezer challenge in short order.
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Alrighty…that’s it for me! How did food waste go at your house this week? Tell us about it!
And if you blogged about it, leave your link in the comments so we can come visit you.
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P.S. Remember the Ultimate DIY bundle sale? Apparently it ran at a time of year that was financially tough for a lot of people who wanted to buy the bundle, so it’s being offered again on Monday and Tuesday for 48 hours. More on that when Monday rolls around!
Elise
Friday 10th of April 2015
Ugh...I hate food waste and ours was bad this week, too. I had to throw out almost a pound of lamb that we didn't eat. It was mostly my fault...I just don't like lamb and so I wasn't motivated to use up the left overs.
I have been pricing out razors and will have to give $.99 razors a look. Currently I've been getting our razor blades at Costco when they have the extra 'sale' price on them. They come out to a little more than a dollar a blade, but they seem to last forever (which is awesome!).
Rachel
Monday 30th of March 2015
Broccoli rabe instantly made me think of this, pretty much one of my all-time favorite recipes: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/09/baked-pasta-with-broccoli-rabe-and-sausage/
I guess it has some similarities with what Monica mentioned... seems like pasta, cheese, sausage, and broccoli rabe are a match made in heaven! :)
I have been SO terrible about food waste lately. For me the issue is just letting my fridge get way too full (it's just two of us, so we really don't need crazy amounts of food on hand at all times!) and then I don't see stuff and it goes bad. My boyfriend was noticing how grimy our fridge is looking the other day, so I think maybe next weekend we'll do a full cleanout. Hopefully with all the weird old condiments gone it will be easier to see everything (just in time for farmer's market season! yeah!!!)
Kristen
Monday 30th of March 2015
That's what gets me into trouble half the time too...letting the fridge get crowded.
Off to check out your recipe. I'm determined not to waste it this time!
Monica
Monday 30th of March 2015
Broccoli rabe: Rinse broccoli rabe and rough chop it into bite sized pieces. Separate thicker stem end from the leafier stuff. Saute 2 cloves of garlic in olive oil. Add thicker stems and saute 3-5 min. Add remainder of broccoli rage and sauté another 5 min or so - with lid on - stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
We eat it plain or mixed with pasta and parmesan cheese. Common to add sausage to the pasta dish as well. At one point my older son told his doctor that broccoli rage was his favorite food!
Kristen
Monday 30th of March 2015
Good to know, as I think I'm getting a new bunch in this week's box. Thank you!
Kayla
Saturday 28th of March 2015
I am new to the more frugal living lifestyle and paying close attention to food waste. But you have inspired me so much!! This week I threw out two pears and a teeny bit of cucumber that was rotten, one serving worth of leftovers we forgot to eat (boo) and a handful of moldy cheese. Oh and a little bit of a bag salad that got lost in the produce drawer. Not exactly worth a medal, but a significant improvement over years past. I now cringe every time I throw food out, I feel like I should just put dollar bills in the garbage. =/
Kristen
Saturday 28th of March 2015
I know! Once you see it like that (dollar bills hitting the trash can), it really changes how you view food waste!
Marianne
Saturday 28th of March 2015
I threw away a Stromboli we got while eating out, it was horrible reheated. I also bought a huge bag of buffalo style chicken for a treat as I don't typically buy to much prepared products. They are super hot, my husband hates them...I like them but ended up with endless hot flashes after eating them. I am trying to find a way to salvage them.
WilliamB
Sunday 29th of March 2015
Could you wash off some of the spice? I mean literally dunking them in water.