Struggling with Left Overs

I used to cook for 20 people (there were/are only 3 of us). And I used to eat for 15 of those imaginary people. So leftovers were not too much of a problem. I could snack on them between meals so they disappeared quickly.

However, now I cannot and will not. So I am left with a dilemma. What do I do with all these leftovers?

My first (and the most obvious) solution was to stop cooking for 20 when there were only 3 of us. Ok! Part of the problem is solved.

Next problem, there are still inevitably left overs. You can't make 3 servings of chili (unless maybe you open a can, but I like home cooked stuff and it is better for you and I know what goes in it) so a can is out.

But, chili contains beans and beans are not something I want to eat daily. (they are more carby, not lean protein).

So, the result is that I have a bowl (about 3 cups) of chili left in the fridge. I could freeze some (but then it sits in the freezer, uneaten). And some things don't freeze well, (think chicken curry). It is much better made fresh.

So, now it occurs to me, I could simply throw them away. ... ... ... Ummmm... but what about all those starving children in all those third world countries? Or even the ones here in the US that go to bed hungry?

I could invite them over for dinner, but I don't even know where to send the invitation. And homeless shelters won't take food from the general public (I know because I checked and they are afraid we will poison them and the liability is too great).

So, what do I do with them? Even the dog won't eat them (tried that too and he just looked at me like I was out of my mind... why would he eat hot spicy chili? Did I think he was stupid? He did offer to finish that rib eye. He would do his part when it comes to steak, but he wanted no part of that jalapeno surprise.)

I would love to hear from you guys about how you deal with left overs. (Or how you changed or are changing your mindset about "wasting" food.)

Thanks in advance, I luv you guys!

Chili, soups, stews, etc we have learned to freeze and pull back out for a meal in a couple of weeks. Some of the options I even freeze in individual portions for myself (I did this with the Ricotta bake early out). Otherwise, I have learned to cook for no more than 2-3 adults and that covers all of us (2 adults, 2 kids).

But really, most things I eat as leftovers for lunch the following day. So for example, a normal meal for us would be: boneless, skinless chicken thighs, roasted veggies, and rice. I would skip the rice and only cook a portion large enough for Jon + kids. That's gone after dinner. Then I portion out no more than two 3oz protein + 1oz veggie portions for leftovers for me. Anything else goes to Jon and he eats it for lunch the following day. We rarely have enough to feed both us for more than one additional meal.

I also have been known to add meat or veggie leftovers into my eggs for breakfast. 1 egg, plus a sprinkle of cheese, plus an ounce or two of the meat/veggie we had the night before.

And yes, in some ways I have had to learn to just chuck food. Honestly, though, we make a lot less waste then we did when we were eating junk. At that point, I never wanted leftovers and would always want something new and exciting to eat the following night. Now I couldn't care less.

I do just eat or freeze leftovers (in individual servings to make them easier to grab). I don't like to cook so the leftovers definitely get eaten. You do like to cook though so I see your dilemma.

We thrive on leftovers. We make big vats of stuff on the weekend and then eat it for the rest of the week. If you do two or three things like that, you don't get stuck eating the same thing meal after meal. And chili is a big favorite here, although there can be discussion about how much hot pepper goes in.

We will make a big pot of turkey chili, roast 4-5 lbs of chicken breasts, and make some pork or beef, and we are set for a while. Every now and then some will go bad if it gets shoved to the back and forgotten, and every now and then we get tired of something. Throwing food away was a sin when I was growing up, but now I look at it as go to waste or go to waist. That makes it easier to toss, especially if it is something I really shouldn't be eating anyway.

I make our chili mild (because of the kids) and then we go through vats of hot sauce around here!

I have to make it mild. I am often supervised while doing so. Trust but verify, you know. I add ghost pepper salsa to mine.

My family consists of three people and here's what I do. I plan for two nights of leftovers a week - those are on nights that Art has Aikido and gets home late anyway, so it's a good night to fend for ourselves.

Two other nights a week I only cook a protein. No sides, no composed things like chili or stir fry, just a protein.

And then the other three nights are full meals.

We all eat leftovers for lunches and there's always rice in the house for the guys to have as a side dish if necessary. Most of the recipes I cook are listed as having four servings. So this works out very well.

I do freeze things if I have excessive portions. I keep track of what I freeze so that I don't forget about it. Chili is easy to plonk into the slow cooker. I also make a lot of curries and find that those freeze well also and reheat in the slow cooker with no issue.

Then there are some nights, like last night, when I have something planned to cook, look in the fridge, and say "nope!" We had a huge number of leftovers last night, so it was an impromptu leftover night.

That's how my meal planning works, though. We need 28 meals of food each week for the guys, 14 meals of food each week for me, and, of those 42 meals, 27 of them are leftovers. It definitely was a learning process to figure out how much protein to cook and to reduce the number of side dishes I made since I no longer eat them myself.

Oh - and I can't remember the last time I had to toss food.

I'm a fan of freezing leftovers in small glass containers. I make sure that when I do I put a small label on the container with the date & description of the dish; I use a sharpie and blue painter's tape for this. I love taking in yummy leftovers with me to work for lunch. I also enjoy eating out of the freezer when I get home from work and don't want to cook. And if I have to toss food I always add it to the compost/foodwaste bin instead of putting it in the landfill or down the garbage disposal. But the main thing I do is buy less food post-WLS; therefore, I throw away less food. I've also transitioned to a mindset of food being for fuel and less of a hobby or entertainment or way to show my love to others.

If you find yourself throwing away a lot of food you have 3 options: 1) make less food; 2) be ok with eating all/most of your leftovers; or 3) be ok with throwing away food. That's it. Only you can decide on the approach that works best for you and your family. Good luck.

I bought a FoodSaver, the thing that sucks the air out so food doesn't get freezer burnt? Love it! One tip, if you are trying to use it with a moist food like meat with sauce or chili, freeze it in its bag first, then suck the air out. I'm single,so I freeze in batches of two servings, reheating once and eat twice. You could do three servings for your family.