Works for Me: Eating Leftovers
Posted in Mixed Bag and tagged with Food, Works for Me on January 16, 2008
Growing up, I hated eating leftovers. It’s still not my favorite thing, but I have learned what I dislike about eating leftovers: seeing them cold. I can’t stand to see my food all gloppy and unappetizing before I am about to eat it. Nothing says um-um-goodness like plopping spoonfuls of unidentifible globs of varying colors on a plate.
Now that I’m on my own and paying for my own food, I know that I have to eat leftovers. My first rule is never to have more leftovers than I can eat. I generally eat leftovers for lunch at work, so that’s my limit.
Secondly, I always store leftovers in serving-sized containers. This helps me easily assess how much leftovers I have and shields my eyes from having to see my food before it appears edible. I get the small bowl Ziploc containers (last I checked Walmart had them for about $2.50 for a 4 pack), and they fit my appetite perfectly. They stack easily, and I can also store any leftover vegetables in those containers as well. If I send leftovers home with someone else, I don’t have to worry about getting them back.
Maybe this technique won’t work for anyone else, but it works for me!
For more of my brilliant (don’t laugh!) ideas:
January 16th, 2008 at 1:00 am
That’s a very good insight about leftovers — they do look unappetizing cold. Yes, these containers are great to have on hand for sending home with people.
January 16th, 2008 at 7:38 am
We do this too! In order to save on Peter having to eat out all the time for lunch, I always make enough for dinner and then one or two lunches. Tupperware also has some great storage bowl.
January 16th, 2008 at 7:42 am
I eat leftovers all the time. My rule is that as long as nothing’s fuzzy, it’s edible.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:12 am
You’d never last at our house! We eat leftovers way more than once, especially when I have to cook seperate meals for each of us. Thankfully Mark usually tolerates this pretty well. Helps me have to cook less and I appreciate that! My theory. I’d rather see it 4 times than spend another night in the kitchen!
January 16th, 2008 at 10:51 am
That’s a great tip, and it also can help with portion control!
January 16th, 2008 at 11:04 am
I have recently started keeping my leftovers in serving size containers also. It has really helped in preparing my lunch. If I don’t have time to do much in the mornings, I just reach in and grab it. It is already made.
This also helps when freezing soups. I make a big batch of soup and put serving size containers. When one of us wants some soup, I just pull out one container instead of having to thaw out an entire pot.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:08 am
They make great brown bagged lunches for those who work outside the home – saves me tons by not buying my lunch. I always freeze the leftovers for this purpose.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
It’s a great idea!
I throw either cheese or salad over it.