Eating Leftovers...

It has been 6 days since a meal has been cooked in this house & I am ready for something new!!  I have eaten enchiladas for 4 nights in a row while Jon has been eating cabbage casserole.  Jon and I set a very rigid rule in our home years ago: NO WASTING FOOD.  No matter how much we dislike something, we will eat it as long as it hasn't spoiled and won't make us sick.  We don't purposefully put ourselves through the misery of eating the same dish several nights in a row; we just have deep-rooted values about throwing food away.  Even if the food can be composted, we believe it is morally wrong.  Believe me, we never repeat the same recipe after making it wrong the first time and we remember how much volume a recipe produces.  How many of us can remember hearing our parents say, "There are starving kids in China!"

I hope that our wasting food philosophy will be instilled in Paul.  At the age of 2.5 he understands when I say, "Finish your oatmeal before more raisins."  I admit that Paul has gone to bed hungry many times because he refuses to eat something.  My son is not going to only eat macaroni & cheese and cookies!  What is put on your plate, you eat.  What is left on Paul's plate when he is finished, Jon or I eat (reluctantly most of the time).  I feel a deep connection in the food I eat and can't help but consider the amount of energy it took to grow the plant or animal and transport it to my table.  From a financial standpoint, it makes cents; you are basically sending money to the landfill when you throw food away.

With the refrigerator empty & clean, I take a deep breath, and dive into my cupboards to unearth more random jars of forgotten beans, and containers in the freezer full of pumpkin from the fall.  Seeing an empty fridge gives me a boost of creativity!  What's for dinner tomorrow?  Our family favorite----homemade pizza!  We love pizza leftovers!