Waste Not, Want Not

{image from Cafe Johnsonia}

I watched a little bit of the Today Show this morning and they had a segment on how much food we waste in America. The suggestions for combating this waste were to go shopping more often so we only buy what we need (I'm not really sold on that strategy) and, obviously, use our leftovers. I sat in my kitchen for a little while and pondered what we do in our family that helps eliminate waste and what we could do better. Here are some ideas:

• Use It Up - I love when I find recipes that use whole cans or packages of food so I'm not throwing away a little here and a little there. For instance, the Strawberry Pina Colada Smoothies recipe uses a can of coconut milk and two small cans of pineapple juice. I'm going to focus more on finding recipes like this or modifying my recipes so there's no waste.
  
  One thing I tend to throw away is produce that is past its prime. In addition to things like making banana bread with overripe bananas or shredding un-crunchy apples to put in muffins, one thing that has really helped me are the Rubbermaid Produce Savers. I was a skeptic but they really work. I can chop a whole head of lettuce, wash it, and store it in the container for a whole week without brown edges or wilt. This has not only helped us eliminate some waste, but has helped us have more salads, lettuce on sandwiches, etc. I've also used these containers with other chopped and washed veggies like carrots and celery.


• Fridge the Leftovers - We don't mind eating leftovers. Well, unless they are in the fridge more than three days...I don't like taking chances with food poisoning. This Mayo Clinic article on leftovers says I can increase that to four days (my husband will be happy about that). We also organized our fridge so there one shelf dedicated to leftovers and we've been fairly good at keeping it that way. This way the leftovers are easy to spot.


• Freeze the Leftovers - Lots of leftovers will freeze well. Just remember to always add a label to identify what's in the container and also list an expiration date. A guide to freezing prepared foods is handy.


• Take Inventory - I usually just make a menu based on what "sounds good" that week, but I'm going to start checking the freezer and pantry before I go grocery shopping so we can use what foods we already have before they expire.


• Underfill Your Plate - We remind our kids frequently that it's better to put less on their plates and have seconds if they are still hungry.


• Share - My husband and I are getting pretty good at sharing a meal when we go out to eat. Restaurants usually serve way huge portions.

What do you do that helps eliminate waste or what ideas have you heard about that you want to try?