Food Waste Friday | Cheese Dip is my arch enemy.
Every week, I post a picture of the food that has gone bad over the last seven days. Why do I do this? Because in March of 2008, I finally got fed up with the amount of food I was wasting, and I thought that showing my waste to other people would motivate me to use up my food instead of wasting it. Because this often embarrassing practice was so helpful for me, I invited other bloggers to join me in posting their food waste photos, and Food Waste Friday was born. If you're not a blogger but still want some food waste accountability, feel free to participate by leaving a comment.
Michael Pollan would say that this is a "food-like substance", so maybe it doesn't even count for Food Waste Friday? 😉
This jar of cheese dip has been in my fridge for a very long time. It's not something we eat often...I think I bought it for Mr. FG and Joshua to eat while they watched some hockey playoffs, actually. They ate most of it that day, but the last quarter of the dip grew some mold during its stay in the fridge.
Last spring I wasted some cheese dip too (I bought it for the Super Bowl and then forgot about it for a few months), so I seem to have a very sporadic habit of buying this for a sporting event snack and then completely losing track of it.
So, next time the husband and son want this for a snack, I'm going to enlist Joshua's help in using up the leftovers. I dislike cheese dip (I also dislike Velveeta and American Cheese!), but he loves it and would be glad to finish it up if I tasked him with that.
Happily, we didn't waste any real food this week, and my fridge is just about as empty as I like it to be on grocery-shopping day.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make an Apple Pfannekuchen to use up a slightly mushy apple I discovered last night. Oh, the ways I sacrifice to avoid food waste! 😉
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Today's 365 post: Bread is Beautiful.
I wasted some mango pudding that got shoved to the back of my fridge, and some homemade mayo. I hate it when stuff gets shoved in the back and I forget about it!
The bad news: *three* CSA cucumbers went bad and I dumped 1/3 of an order of Clay Pot Tofu and Veggies - I tried, but the chef at this usually nice restaurant was not having a good day.
The good news: That it wasn't worse. Roommate and I both got strep at the worst time - right after I went shopping. The peaches became ice cream and a large pie. The leftover cupcakes went to a neighborhood meeting. Several bits became soup, which is in the freezer now. Random bits of fruit became popsicles instead of becoming compost (puree fruit, pour into molds - so, so much better than store-bought with stabilizers and sugar).
The really good news: My CSA had a sale happy chickens (the kind that scratch outside). I bought 4 chix at $3/lb!
More bad news: My CSA is not doing CSA next year.
Kristen, maybe for your cheese dip problem you could try to buy smaller containers? I have the same problem with those large Tostitos dip jars, but the smaller Frito Lay cans (I really like the jalepeno cheddar!) seem to be a much more manageable size. I'm sure you've already thought of this, so I guess I'm more just plugging the Jalepeno Chedder dip!
Oh, that's a good idea. I'll have to ask Mr. FG if he likes the kind that comes in the little cans.
I would reinvent that dip into something else next time. That being said I am from WI and we have cheese for blood. I adore all cheese and cheese esque products. Mix it into some rice or mashed potatos. Stir it into some refried beans and top with sour cream and or salsa and use as a dip with fresh veggies.
I was thinking it would be really yummy in a breakfast burrito!
I love that stuff but never buy it because I agree that at best it is a food-like substance, so I'm wishing you could have shipped your half bottle to me before it went bad. 🙂
I am a vegan, so cheese is never my problem. I mostly waste leafy greens.
Next time try using it up by making a cheesy brocolli soup or cheese and potato soup.
If I don't use mine up by making nachos, I always make soup and even add it to a can of chili to make a chili cheese dip. That's not bad for the week though. Rose
Another bad week but considering the way I'm feeling (my new so-called love seems to have dumped me - what fun!) I am going to forgive myself the food waste and just try and move on.
Aww, I'm so sorry to hear that! 🙁 I hope things get better for you, relationship-wise.
Yipeee!!!!! Nothing this week, finally. I do have a couple of things that people gave me this week that are getting close, but I'm going to try to use them this weekend.
Another suggestion - maybe make up the needed sports watching cheese dip from scratch with 'real' cheese? I know you do a ton of scratch cooking so this is definetely not a snarky judgement! I just think you could control the quantity better as well as be more likely to enjoy some of it yourself.
Today I threw out one slice of manager's-special pumpkin pie and half a small loaf (All told, about the size of a man's fist) of homemade beer bread.
I -thought- the plums that I'd forgotten about in my fruit drawer were going to have to be tossed out, but! They seem to be doing great. I have at least a few more days for those, so they will be my afternoon-snack today and tomorrow.
Oh, a contest - which is worse, cheez dip or cilantro?
I ended up wasting 1 banana this week from the farmers market.
Thanks for the apple pancake recipe. Made it this morning and it was fantastic. We are now baking one up using pears and I think it will be awesome, too. (Yes, thats two in one day-yum!)