Food Waste Friday

Food Waste Friday has escaped me the past couple of weeks. We have been doing pretty well and have wasted little more that Miss J's table scraps. This week we weren't so lucky. I have three-quarters of a package of cream cheese from I don't know when. I don't even remember why I bought it, but needless to say, I didn't use it.

I also have a half container of ricotta cheese. That stuff is my nemesis. I can't seem to buy a container and use it all before it goes bad. I need to start buying local ricotta anyway. The price of that will motivate me to use it up quickly. ;) That's all though...not too bad considering we have had a TON of stuff going on the last few weeks (sick family and a toddler whose tummy issues have gotten worse).

To see how others did, visit Frugal Girl's website.

Food Waste Friday

This week I wasted about a 1/2 cup of hummus (notice I didn't say "we"...my hubby hates hummus!). I had made a ton with some leftover chickpeas and I ate most of it, but I forgot about it for a couple of days. When I went to make a sandwich with it on Tuesday, it had an unpleasant stench. I made some more hummus yesterday, but it was a much smaller quantity. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to eat it before IT goes bad. :)

I'll be posting later today about my super frugal (and easy) falafel dinner that I made at the beginning of the week. Stay tuned!

To see more about food waste (and some techniques on how to prevent it), head to Frugal Girl.

Food Waste Friday

I am so embarrassed about this week's food waste. This week really got away from me. At the beginning of the week, I had 13 credit hours to complete for my continuing education requirement to keep my physical therapy license...to be done by today. I recommend that if you have to do continuing education for a license you have, do NOT wait until the week before it needs to be done. This is the first year I've really had to worry about it because last year I had just completed my Doctorate and the two years before I went to a course that surpassed the number of hours I needed. Anyway, I digress...I could make excuses until the cows come home. My continuing ed IS completed, by the way.

So, on the left is my failed experiment at making yogurt. It just didn't set. I don't know what I did wrong. I'm going to give it another go, but I was really bummed. I had one more jar in addition to what you see here, but I tried to strain it to make it thicker. It tasted like yogurt...creamy with a little tang, but it was the consistency of cream, not yogurt. On the right is a container of black beans. I'm still getting used to figuring out how much dried beans expand when you cook them. I made a TON the last time I prepped beans. I thought I'd figure out ways to use them up before they went bad, but I just didn't have the time with everything else going on. What you don't see here is the equivalent of about 4 apples I had to get rid of because they went soft before I could make them into applesauce. Did I mention I had a bad week?

If you're curious about others' food waste, check out Frugal Girl. I estimate I wasted about $8.50...most of that coming from my failed yogurt. Sigh.

Food Waste Friday

Another partial container of ricotta...ugh! I really only use this for one recipe. I need to find multiple uses for it so I don't keep dumping it down the drain. This wasn't too bad though! I am hoping for no waste next week! To check out how others did, or to participate in Food Waste Friday, head over to Frugal Girl.

Food Waste Friday

This week we wasted a partial container of whipped topping. I don't feel too bad about this because it's not good for us anyway. I bought it for a specific dessert I made for Valentine's Day (I do allow treats on special occasions...). Sadly, it took this long for the container to start molding. Thinking back on it, I should have made a lower fat version of real whipped cream rather than buying this artificial crap. Oh well...hindsight is 20/20. Other than this container of whipped cream, we wasted a freezer bag full of pureed papaya with freezer burn. I had made it for J, but it didn't agree with her tummy (what a surprise). I don't like it because it sort of tastes like soap. So, it was wasted...bummer. To see other pics of moldy food, head over to Frugal Girl.

Food Waste Friday

*Sigh* It's apparently getting to be that time of year where my bread products suck in all the condensation in the air and turn moldy. I wasted a quarter loaf of whole wheat bread this week, in addition to a half of a container of ricotta cheese and a half of a bagel. I was determined to use the ricotta before it went bad, but when I opened it to use it, I realized I was too late. A loaf of whole wheat bread typically lasts about five days in our house. This one lasted about three before it started to get fuzzy. Bummer. I'll try to keep a better eye on our bread products now that I know they are getting moldy quicker.

How did you do this week? Head over to Frugal Girl to see how others fared.

Food Waste Friday and Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

So, no picture this week because there was no food waste! We almost had a red pepper casualty, but I cut off the moldy section and I used the unaffected portion. I have about half of a huge container of hummus (that I purchased at BJ's...what was I thinking???) that needs to be used soon, as the expiration date is tomorrow. I will probably mix it in with some salsa or chicken broth and use it over pasta or mixed in with some potatoes, black beans and onions (very delicious). I'll have to freeze those things though because there would be no way for me to use it up and then be able to eat all I made before IT goes bad. Anyone know how hummus would freeze?

I also have a block of cream cheese that expired on 3/16. I haven't opened it yet, so I'm sure it's still fine. I bought it to use for a specific recipe, but I have since used all the other ingredients. I haven't had the time or energy to look for another recipe that uses it because I've had a pretty miserable toddler with teething (and tummy) issues this week. If anyone has a healthy suggestion on how to use the cream cheese, I'll take it.

One side note, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution airs next week on ABC. I encourage all of you to watch it. He goes to the fattest city in the nation to try and reform how the people perceive healthy food. He is met with much resistance. Check out the trailer.

How was your food waste this week? Head over to Frugal Girl to check on how other people did!