Throwing food away

Before surgery, I never ate leftovers (but went back for 2nds and 3rds all the time). We would toss whatever didn't get eaten. Now, I save pretty much everything that is Bari friendly for lunch the following day.

The stuff that isn't friendly and needs to go, goes to the chickens. It's fun to feed them and feels less like wasting, I think.

Big thing is re-learning how to make a meal. My oldest son left for school 2 yrs ago and it took awhile to figure out how much food to make. This is the same thing. You no longer eat like a ravenous hyena so you have to adjust your food purchases and recipes to fit. Congrats on realizing keeping all that stuff will just make you eat what you don't need

As long as everyone has had enough of the food for nourishment purposes, then I consider the rest throw-aways.

If someone wants to take them home, I am glad to pack them up.

Excess food is either going to end up in the garbage can or the sanitary sewer.

I do not need to process it through my body or another person's body first and I do not need to let them age in the refrigerator until garbage day.

love this! This is a *great* way to look at it!

I still have a hard time throwing food away. Not sure if it's having depression-era parents, being tight with money, or if it's just me - but I'm going to remember what you said from now on..

Ditto. Thinking about Thanksgiving meal as nourishment vs. "all you can eat" is a big mental shift for me.

Then there is the cost factor. No one really wants to waste money. I'd imagine with hungry growing wee ones, careful planning and measuring goes out the window because of their changing needs.

It hurts if I have to throw away vegetables or fruit, so I don't. My Mom used to make exotic odd meals growing up like sauteed calves brains and such. The only good I recall is that we had no soda or sweets growing up. The only time we did have a treat was when the ice cream truck drove through and she bought six cones for one dollar because there were six of us.

So today I like simple portioned meals of either fish salmon or chicken and vegetables. I don't like rice or pasta or bread with meals but will take a piece of fruit. I like it this way because I know how much I am spending on groceries and how much I am saving each month.

Leftovers don't really tempt me anymore, thank goodness. We do have a 3-day rule. Leftovers stay in the fridge for 3 days and then I toss anything that is left.

I hate throwing food out, too, and if it's helping you with temptation, pasta is a cheap discard. It took years to figure out new portions so I didn't have so many leftovers. For several years there was no pasta or rice in the house, so that was their treat when we ate out. At home, our three-course meal was a meat and two vegetables. It didn't suck for any of us and my son's wrestling coach was delighted, so it's okay if you want to discontinue serving it at all.

Some alternatives to pasta and rice might be spaghetti squash, gnocci (look up ricotta gnocci recipe. It's still got carbs, but plenty of protein), quinoa (good sub for rice).

It was hard for me, but I just started cooking smaller amounts.

I still find it hard to throw away food. I'm good for keeping leftovers till it comes to the point that it really should just be tossed. I'm part of that if there's nothing wrong with it you keep it & fini**** Lately I try to avoid buying new food till the old stuff is gone.