Stop Wasting Healthy Food!

RacheyB160

Hi All, I wanted to share an awesome idea I had today when I was sitting in the parking lot at Publix.

So just a quick background on myself. I've been on and off diets for about 2 years. I just recently started a new job and with that came this HUGE support network to lose the weight that I've suffered with since college. So this is a restart of my diet/healthy lifestyle that I hope to continue with MFP.

I find myself struggling to use all my veggies before then expire each week as I live alone so this is going to be my solution!! Taking fresh stuff that I like to nibble on during the week and finishing it off into a carb that is actually yummy for later in the week.

I've been on the 24 day challenge from Advocare for 6 days now and today/yesterday was struggling to find carbs I'm allowed to have that I actually enjoyed. I can only eat 1 serving of carbs for dinner/lunch and I find a lot of things lack luster. So I'm sitting in the parking lot and realize I have a lot of "halves" of veggies in my fridge that need to be used, from various things I've cooked recently. I wanted a carb for dinner, then I went to my favorite(bane of my existance) pasta! Whole Wheat Pasta was on sale this week at Publix, so I grabbed two boxes and decided I'm going to make a pasta salad.

For me this meant, grab all my veggies, left over lunch meat, and boiled eggs I haven't eaten yet this week and chop them up while I boiled the pasta. Mixed it all up with some garlic, oil/vinegar/s&p(use italian/vinaigrette of some kind if you prefer) and then chilled it for 30 minutes. I now have 7 servings of pasta salad to eat!~ .. tonight I had 2 of those, I was STARVING. 2 servings cost me about 500 calories, so I cant complain when 1 serving is only coming in at 250 calories!

Its funny, the back of the box I picked up today actually had another recipe for a similar pasta salad too haha.

Suggestions: Peppers, Onions, Garlic, Squash, Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, Zucchini, Boiled Eggs, Left over lunch meat(turkey or chicken yum) or even Some cheese if you eat dairy.

I don't know how many people are eating alone but if you are, and you're like me...you hate wasting stuff, this is the perfect way to use those left over fresh & yummy veggies you didn't use in your last meals.

Feel free to add me if you want, I love new friends!

redbev306

Great idea! I always struggle with eating the veggies in time.... I'm never "hungry" for them so I have to make a conscious effort to eat them...

lindustum

One of the old ways of using up left-overs is making it into a soup
Can be either pasta-based or potato based. Basically any "clear" soup (i.e. no cream) can be used as a base.

@OP: Great suggestion actually. I quite like the idea. Living on my own I find it hard to use everything before it goes off. Will deff. try