It's about using up food scraps, peels and stems ...
It's about being mindful of every bit of food that comes in and through our kitchens and finding a use for it ... all of it!
That's our purpose for this series, so, how did we do this week?
Let me tell you that we had a leftover feast this week! Yes ma’am, we did!
there was leftover …
Chicken
Bratwurst
Okra soup
Rice
Homemade macaroni and
cheese
Steak
Meatballs and gravy
Whew, let me tell you, I was in leftover haven, and we used every one of them, nothing went to waste. Pulling together a meal was easy, for most days I only needed to add a side or two. Towards the end of the week, we had a buffet type meal with what was left.
But that's not all! I had some leftover turkey broth in the refrigerator and when I did my preserving day this week, I added it to the liquid that was needed to can the item which I'll tell you about in tomorrow's 'A Journey of My Days' post.
I had a craving for some cheesy eggs one day this week, and after preparing and consuming them I added the eggshells to the compost bin.
So, how did you do? I can't wait to read your comments!
My second blog: From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love
for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study. Physical
preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual
preparedness. Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word
with me.
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Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday! You did very well, Patsy! I look forward to seeing how you used your turkey broth, as I have a lot of chicken broth in the freezer I need to use up. We ate very well this week from the freezers and pantry. So far, so good, and NO waste. Today we've planned eggs, bacon and biscuits for brunch, then BLT's for dinner. Our son--who lives about 1/2 hour away--joins us on Sundays for meals and to hang out. Pretty sure there'll be no leftovers!
ReplyDelete--Elise
Elise, we enjoy 'breakfast' for dinner occasionally, too! I'm glad your son lives close enough to join you on Sundays, that's a special time for the both of you.
DeleteYay for leftovers! Our egg shells get composted too.
ReplyDeleteWhen we travel to the lake for two weeks I take the same list of breakfast and lunch foods each time plus menus and the foods for ten main meals. Then we have a standard list of things like oil, popcorn, coffee, etc. Once we are here it is the see how far those foods can take us challenge. Some one always contacts us and says they are coming to visit and that was the case yesterday. We did not go to the store but made the soup on the menu list. It fed four of us well. We also baked a lemon cake mix in a Bundt pan and glazed it with a saved PKG of glaze mix from another mix a few weeks ago.The second week is the fun week when it always looks like we may run short but we never do.
A big way that I make sure things are not wasted is to plan all three meals for the next day at some point when I am awake in the night.Then when my feet hit the floor in the morning I don't have to think about meals at all. Today we had cinnamon muffins from a salvage store mix and eggs that our friends brought to us yesterday. I remembered that we have a lot of lettuce that needs to be used and we have a pkg of cooked chicken strips that was 90 cents on sale with a coupon so we will have a big salad for lunch plus the crackers that we opened yesterday. Supper will be the leftover soup plus grilled cheese sandwiches because I sliced a block of cheese to go with crackers and the soup yesterday. If I am not mindful to use that cheese the next thing I know it will be moldy.
Other saves were a bag of frozen broccoli stir fry. We found that we fo not preter this but adding some fresh sliced celery made the entire stir fry taste like fresh veggies somehow. We had a seasoned pork tenderloin one night and ate a third of it. A second third made delicious sandwiches and the last of it went in the stir fry .
So we are on to the second week! I am sure we will eat well as always!
Lana, you amaze me with your planning! I have no doubt that you all will be just fine the second week!
DeleteLooks like everyone did really. well this week. It was leftover heaven here to,which was a really good and convenient thing. I added an apple and a pear to some leftover coleslaw and it made enough for a side for two meals. I had a pepper that needed using up .Added to onions, we had a frittata.. There Wer bits and bobs of steak in the kitchen freezer that was added to stir fry. . About a cup of sesame seeds that I found in the pantry got toasted and made into tahini . I will make some bean free hummus with it. All veggie scraps and egg shells got composted
ReplyDeleteCookie, doesn't it feel good to use up all the bits and bobs as well as the larger portions of leftovers!
DeleteIt always feels really good, especially the savings on groceries that can be put into our emergency fund. The savings on making my own Tahini was immense. A jar in the store is $ 9 here. I always have sesame seeds on hand for baking so no purchase was necessary and all it takes to make a jar is one cup of seeds that you toast and then put in the food processor until they're finely ground and add a couple of tablespoons of oil and continue processing until smooth and creamy. I added just a little salt to it. One of the things I will make with it this coming week is sesame noodles as a side dish. Also the hummus was used as a vegetable dip. Really a lot of deliciousness from one cup of sesame seeds.
DeleteCookie
Lettuce is my nemesis, prepackaged bag salads are expensive and don’t last long so I buy 3 head romaine or a head of iceberg and can’t eat that quick enough either, especially when Chris decides is doesn’t want salad all of a sudden. I’ve tried storing it in mason jar, those green veggie bags, etc but inevitably I end up throwing some out. I live in an apt so no chickens or composting.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, lettuce is a tough one. I have to be really mindful of working it into the menu to keep it from going to waste at our house.
DeleteI rarely throw put lettuce. I keep it in a Rubbermaid produce box. The key is for it be washed and as dry as possible when you put it in the box. Then put a paper towel on top and every time you use some lettuce replace the paper towel with a dry one. Iceberg keeps best for me if I wash it and then roll it up in a thin cotton towel and replace the towel after every time that I remove lettuce. Leaf tape lettuce and romaine often keeps three weeks this way.
DeleteThank you, Lana. PattiCinCO
DeleteLana, thank you for the lettuce keeping info!
DeleteI've been away visiting family, so am just now catching up and seeing this new challenge. I'm an avid menu planner, and that helps keep my pantry in check and helps me reduce food waste. Tonite's menu will include either spaghetti or mostaccoli, and leftovers will be reheated for lunch tomorrow.
ReplyDelete