As I get deeper into this project, and the more research I do, the more I learn that there’s a pretty distinct set of pioneer values. And, as I learn more about those values (or, at the very least, create what I think are those values), the more I try to incorporate them into my daily life. Because at the end of this, I hope not only become more self-sufficient but change some of my ways of thinking.
One of the areas I’m working on a lot is food waste. Overall, my family does a decent job of not wasting food. Sure, there’s the occasional cucumber that might liquify or a container of leftover pasta sauce that sprouts some fuzzy friends or maybe a bottle of salad dressing that lives longer than it should. But for the most part, we’re good about not wasting food. When it does happen, and I have to do a major cleaning of my fridge and I throw out more food than I should, it bothers me.
That happened this past weekend. And there was absolutely no reason it should have. And now I’m on a mission to make sure it doesn’t happen again (at least in the volume it did).
Because the pioneers didn’t have the option of food waste. They had to find a use for everything they had. There was no excess to just toss into the trash. They had what they needed, used it all in some way, and that was that. To start incorporating that into my life, I’ve established three ways to put our food to use and reduce food waste in my kitchen:
- Leftovers
- Composting
- Repurposing
Recycling is its own entity and we do recycle everything we possibly can. My tree hugging, renewable energy field working husband wouldn’t have it any other way.
As far as the list, I’ll explain each one in detail in its own post (particularly the repurposing, which I know sounds strange. But think of it along the lines of popsicle stick crafts, macaroni art, or noise makers out of dried beans), and for this post, we’re going to talk about leftovers.
My family is big into leftovers. Not only does it reduce food waste but it saves money so there’s a double bonus to them. My husband and I eat leftovers for lunch most days and if there’s a big batch of something like rice, I’ll find a way to incorporate them into another recipe. That’s what I did with pasta.
I don’t know about you, but when I make pasta, I usually wind up making enough for 87 people. As we are a family of 3, we don’t need that much. So I typically find at least 2 recipes to make with a box of pasta or I leave the leftovers in the event that my daughter refuses to eat what I cook (the rule used to be if she didn’t like it, she got pb&j but she brings that for lunch every day. So now it’s pasta). Last week, however, I wanted to do something different that adding the noodles to soup or making two dishes to accompany the pasta. So I went through my trusty recipe binder (pics are forthcoming but it needs a major overhaul first) and landed on sesame noodles.
You seriously cannot go wrong with cold noodles in a peanut butter sauce. And I had a lot of noodles.
Then I pulled the rest of the ingredients out of the pantry.
And I mixed a few of the ingredients with the peanut butter.
Then I added the rest and it looks a little gross but looks are deceiving.
When the sauce thickened a bit and was smooth, I poured the peanut buttery goodness over the noodles.
Wait about 3 hours for the noodles to chill and spoon into bowl (you can also eat directly from the container. No judging). I added broccoli for some extra nutrition and flavor. And also to not waste the broccoli in the fridge.
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I DETEST wasting food. I get so pissed off at myself when I have to throw something out. If I can’t freeze it, I will find a way to use it before it goes bad.
This looks good. I typically always have a little bit of broccoli I need to use. I’ll pin it.
SMD @ Life According to Steph recently posted…The weekend that was – This weekend I…
I need to get better about freezing leftovers. I have an extra freezer in my garage and it has almost nothing in it except bottles of alcohol. Shameful.
I just pinned this. Mr. C would LOVE this. I have been slacking lately. You know when I had a very limited budget I was so good at portioning out ingredients for several meals which virtually eliminated any waste. I need to now focus on being a better steward of our money regardless of our income. ***Love that you included your burner. I am always trying to strategically crop out the mess 😉
Jenniemarie @ Another Housewife recently posted…Don’t Blink
That’s how I feel. No matter what our income, I need to manage it well. And I am on an anti-perfection in blogging kick. I want people to see that it’s okay to be messy.
Thank you. I’m so trying this recipe.
Yum yum yum! I love peanut noodles, but (duh) I’d never really thought of them as a using-up-leftovers strategy before.
Sarah @ Beauty School Dropout recently posted…Sam at 7 months
This was a new way of thinking about it for me, too. I had a ton of pasta leftover and I love anything with peanut butter. Let’s just say this recipe didn’t last long.