Why waste food?

I hate when food goes to waste. I don't think anyone can really comprehend and appreciate how much I hate it unless they've personally experienced real, sustained, brain maddening HUNGER.

I remember hunger. As a refugee of war, you learn very quickly that the availability of good food and clean water should never be taken for granted. Mom has always been great at saving food, re-using food, "recycling" recipes", etc. I learned from her.

Here are some ways I avoid wasting food or throwing it out....

Fresh fruit, should it become over ripe or show signs of bruising, etc., gets washed, cut up and frozen in Ziploc bags. Ripe bananas are great frozen because I add it to smoothies, pancakes, bread recipes or PB & banana mash. Overripe fruit has an abundance of natural sugar, so it adds sweetness without requiring processed sugar. Berries, grapes, oranges, melons, you name it. I freeze it if I know its shelf life is coming to an end.

Apples are tricky. No one likes a mushy apple, so if that happens I'll throw it into a smoothie because I can't tell it's mushy in there, or I chop it up and simmer it in butter, cinnamon and nutmeg for a pancake/waffle topping, or I just grate it into yogurt with some granola.

Tomatoes are apparently a fruit also. I don't care if it they're beefsteak tomatoes, plum, cherry or grape tomatoes...if they're starting to go before we can eat them, they get washed, chopped up and frozen right away. I can use them for future sauces, salsas, omelets, whatever. If I don't freeze them, then I'll usually cook them into a recipe as soon as I can.

If we have leftovers we don't feel like finishing, I'll 're-use' and 'recycle' them in another dish. Leftover steak goes into a breakfast omelet or lunch steak burrito. Leftover veggie side dishes go into a casserole, an omelet, on a sandwich or even on top of salads. One of my favorite dishes is a medley of roasted/grilled veggies marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. If there are leftovers a couople of days later, I'll add it to my green salad or chop the veggies up even finer and mix them into a coarse tuna/salmon salad.

Of course, there is always the leftover veggie stir fry! Leftover veggies are also great if I chop them up in a food grinder and add it to meatloaf. You'll never know there is broccoli, green beans, potatoes, okra, spinach, or whatever vegetable in your meatloaf since it's chopped so fine. You get nutrition and a good "filler" for the meatloaf or casserole. Nick's meatloaf always had chopped broccoli in it. He went crazy for it.

Rice and pasta sometimes stay in their Tupperware long after they've served their purpose as a dinner grain. I can use it as a mix-in with yogurt and chick peas with garlic. Or I heat it up, shred some meat into it, add yogurt and give it as a treat to Achilles and Milo. Leftover rice is great for "healthy" fried rice with egg whites and leftover veggies. I also add it to meatloaf, casseroles or soups.

Even with all these ways I try to avoid letting food go to waste or letting food spoil on my watch, sometimes it still happens. I hate when I open a container in the fridge and see food that has spoiled, therefore rendering it useless. I really hate it. It makes me very sad.

So, one of the BEST ways I avoid food wasting is buying just enough fresh produce for the two of us and our pets. Sometimes I'm tempted to stockpile ripe navel oranges because they're on sale at 4 lbs for a $1.00, but I remind myself that there is only so much room in the freezer and I'd better buy as much as we can healthfully finish before the oranges go bad. I say "healthfully" because I remember one summer eating about 7-10 oranges per day for a few days because there were BAGS and BAGS of oranges that we got at an orchard sale. We were so amazed at the price that we loaded up the car. Everything, including healthy oranges, should be eaten in healthy moderation. I learned my lesson that summer!

Another BEST way to avoid food wasting or spoiling is to share it. If I know I'm making a large dinner, I invite friends over to share the abundance with us. I also send leftovers home with my friends. It makes me feel good that it will be eaten and enjoyed.

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, I was just thinking of how much I hate wasting food this morning as I prepared doggie ice cream for my golden babies out of the following:

2 bananas that had become too ripe in the fruit bowl;
2 large tablespoons of unsalted natural peanut butter;
1 overripe apple that I chopped up into little cubes;
1/2 cup of oat bran;
sprinkle of cinnamon; and
a very light drizzle of honey because the fruit already has sugar.

I mashed all the ingredients together into a paste, spread it onto wax paper in a block shape, folded the paper closed and placed it in the freezer. Within hours my puppies will have some "ice cream". I cut it into large cubes and give it to them. I'll make sure to enjoy some too! This is delicious actually. You should try it. Sometimes, if I have it, I'll crumble graham crackers into the mixture as well. If I try real hard, I convince myself it's chocolate fudge I'm eating since the consistency is the same. :-)

Enjoy! Oh, and try not to waste food! ;-)