This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. For more information, see my disclosure policy.
I recently teamed up with Glad Food Protection to take the #SAVEITSUNDAY pledge to not only help eliminate food waste in my own kitchen, but to show you some cool and creative ways you can reduce food waste in yours.
What is the #SAVEITSUNDAY pledge?
Well basically it’s about loving food more and wasting it less, one day at a time.
You probably already know that I think food waste is BAD. That being said, every little leftover gets put to good use here. The HH takes leftovers for lunch and I love to have them on hand for my lunches.
They also work great for those nights when everyone is going a million different direction and eating at different times. Keeping leftovers from not tasting like, well, leftovers, is the key to getting the fam to eat them.
Did you know that American families waste about 25% of the food and beverages they buy annually? In fact the estimated cost of food and beverages thrown out by the average American family each year is around $1,300 to $2,200.
Yep, it’s true, so storing leftovers properly is essential.
First things first, temperature. Leftovers should be put in the refrigerator immediately. Second, air is the enemy. Leftovers that are stored uncovered, even in the fridge, start to adopt the flavor of the food around them. The texture can also be compromised. Oxidation=bad. Wrap them in foil, store them in Glad containers, Glad freezer bags, etc. Just make sure you keep the enemy at bay.
Some leftovers freeze beautifully {saying freeze beautifully makes me feel fancy, like I am on the Food Network}. Think: chili, soups {not cream based, though}, meatballs, etc. In general, if they are not freezable, and they are kept in the fridge, it is best to use them within 4 days of being cooked.
After that, they are still edible, in my opinion, but the flavor starts to deteriorate a lot. I feel like this happens even faster with chicken: it tastes best within 3 days. This, in my mind, basically means, every 3-4 days, I get a night off from cooking and we all heat up leftovers {if we have them}.
Another great way to put leftovers to good use is to reinvent them. Chicken can easily be turned into fajitas and turkey makes a great casserole. Use the leftover spaghetti sauce to make stuffed peppers.
Keep it fresh, and no one will even know they are eating leftovers. Looking for more ideas? Head on over HERE where you’ll learn lot’s of cool tips and tricks to keep the food you love fresher, longer from Glad Food Protection.
Lastly, I highly recommend meal planning. That way, you will know exactly when you plan to use the leftovers, no food will go to waste ever, and you will have essentially saved the world from a terrible food wasting epidemic. Pat yourself on the back.
How do you use your leftovers?
~Mavis
Glad knows a lot about protecting the food you love. But they’re always impressed by your protective nature, too. Let Glad help protect and wrap the food you love to help keep it fresher, longer. From one protector to another — we salute you.
For more information about the #SAVEITSUNDAY Pledge and how you can enter to win a gourmet chef prepared meal in your home, head on over to SAVEITSUNDAY.com. You can also follow Glad on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest.
Barbara says
You know it has taken me so many years to figure this out. I started just 2 months ago to make a menu for the week, and go from there. What a time saver and also money saver this has been for me. And I am a 66 year old woman…!!!… LOL..
Though, I have also been thinking of new ways to store my leftovers and one way I think I want to go is glass containers. They are clean, and can go into a dishwasher with no problems. I have been using plastic for so long and some of these plastic containers are not meant for a dishwasher. And I want to make my life easier, so I think that is the way I am going. I still will buy the plastic containers for other things.. but for my food storage I think I want to try glass containers like my Mom did when I was growing up.
Natalie G says
There are also certain recipes that are even better the day after. So when I make those, I’m sure to double the recipe so we do have leftovers! I like to pack them in meal sized containers so my husband can grab one and go to work. That saves me about $2.50 per lunch cause then he doesn’t use a tv dinner instead like he usually does.
Lorraine says
I never throw anything away!!! Actually, that is 99.99% true! If I can’t use something, it goes into compost. I use squash that is extra into the freezer as puree. I just cooked up a giant pot of chili and threw in a chunk of my frozen winter squash puree. HH thought it was scrumptious. My veggies that I need to use can be thrown into smoothies, or can be used in soups or stews; leftover mashed taters can be the start of creamy potato soup or thickener for other soup or potato pancakes! Leftover corn can go into anything! I have made corn pancakes and muffins with leftovers. . . leftover bits of meat get frozen for soups. I actually buy chicken in bulk and can it. The backs and stuff I cook up and then I can the broth. The little bits of meat off the bones and the livers, etc. I save and can as well in small batches. I use that for my kitties. They LOVE it! What did people do before good freezer bags and boxes?! I have mine in use continually….wash and reuse. Thankfully, I have a family that is really happy for leftovers. No one ever complains. . . . just one more thing, Sir: I am allergic to eggs and wheat so I can’t have a “normal” breakfast. My breakfasts are always leftovers from the night before. I feel so special!
Sarah says
I use these containers all the time! I think they discontinued my favorite one though, a rectangular container that held just over a cup, it fit nicely in my freezer, not wasting space like a round container. The mini round container is great for saving small portions of sauce – I can make a big batch of pepper sauce when the garden is over flowing and stash it in the freezer. To help us eat healthy, I make big batches of beans, brown rice and other grains that take a long time to cook and freeze them in meal sized portions.
I do not re-heat in the containers, heating plastic creeps me out. But they are great for storing stuff.