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:
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.
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.
I eat leftovers all the time. My rule is that as long as nothing’s fuzzy, it’s edible.
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!
That’s a great tip, and it also can help with portion control!
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.
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.
It’s a great idea!
I throw either cheese or salad over it.