Do You Keep Leftovers?

In our household we tend to keep left overs. I just think it would be a waste of money if we we're to just throw them out. I also dislike the fact knowing that I would be throwing away food that we should be so thankful in having. I just think of all those people who don't have the food that I have. And it breaks my heart thinking of doing this when it could be given to people who are starving out there in this world. Each time I have thought of throwing left overs out in the past I try to think of this each & every time. As I believe everyone in my household should be more than thankful that we have food in our stomach as it is already. Either way whether it be left overs from the meals I had prepared for dinner on that particular night. Or even a meal I have had at a restaurant. We tend to keep left overs in our house no matter what. I have never been a big fan of left overs personally but that doesn't mean I just throw out the food I had prepared. If I was to do this I would be throwing away the money both me & my other half had.. Worked so hard to earn to purchase the food I had prepared on that particular night. Whenever we have left overs my other half ends up taking them for lunch to work with him. I find it makes my life a lot easier because all I have to do then is.. Put the left overs in a bucket & his lunch is made for the next day. My other half loves left overs as he finds.. The ingredients & seasonings all have time to mix in together.. Which makes the meal the next day even more tastier for him personally. Me on the other hand it all depends upon what it is that I am having the next day that is left overs. Some things I like having the next day more than others. Though sometimes I have used the left overs I have had from the day before to sometimes prepare another meal for me & my other half. Instead of allowing them to go to waste I'd much rather put them to good use. And find other things to do with them if no one wants to take them for lunch the next day. I find sometimes using the left overs to prepare another meal makes the left overs taste even better by going ahead & deciding to do this. When it comes to left overs from a restaurant.. I usually will end up eating them later on in the night when I become hungry.. If I don't eat them most likely my other half will. Or I will as well get him to take them for lunch the next day to. Either way they always get put to good use. And never get thrown away either. I find there is always smart things to do with ones left overs. I just find by throwing them away it is a waste of money. In conclusion.. I tend to keep left overs. The left overs within our household seem to never last all to long either. They never sit for days on end.. As usually the next day they are used to prepare a new meal.. Or they are taken for lunch by someone else.. I personally find throwing away food is just a waste.. Especially when there are people out there who don't even have any food in there stomach.. And are starving out there in this world.. I guess I just don't have the heart to just throw away food that could be put to good use each & every time! . . Thanks for allowing me to share! xx

I'm totally with you on that one... I can't stand seeing food go to waste. In fact, I often tend to cook far more than is needed, specifically so there will be some leftovers... which can often be "adjusted" a little bit to make some kind of new dish, tomorrow. I can't say that I bring back a whole lot from restaurants... perhaps a hangover from my childhood where my parents always were trying to teach me to not order more than I was SURE I would be able to eat.... to this day, I RARELY have anything left over, at a restaurant.

I try to use most leftovers, and refrigerate them. If I don't think it will be eaten within a day or two, I will freeze it to keep it fresh.

Yeah, I always have a lot of leftovers since I live alone, I'll cook something and I'll usually have enough for 3 more meals (sometimes more!) so I'll eat it for lunch or dinner a few times that week, and if there's really a lot left I may even freeze some for a later time.

I keep everything as well....and we too have a leftover night,every Wednesday,some foods just taste better the second time around

You can have so much fun creating many dishes out of leftovers. Sometimes I plan cooking to much so I can use it in another meal down the rode. just remember once you cook it and reheat it then you are done in the business we call that a two time loser. Just keep it fun and your idea's can be countless. ChefMichael

I can't afford to not save it for later. Sometimes I make huge amounts of something so I can divide it up in order to have meals that I won't have to cook later. I just take it out of the freezer and I pop it in the microwave. Quick and simple. Usually everything goes in the freezer so I don't have to throw anything away.

when i have leftovers i keep it too and put in the fridge and th efollowing have to recook it or made new recipes from it..likewise also in the restaurant i bring it home coz i believe we have already paid it and its our decision to bring it or not and im not ashamed on bringing it out...

We keep leftovers for lunch the next day or a leftover dinner night. We take home from eating out if there is stuff leftover as well. Leftovers do not make it past 3 days in my house though. That's just me though -- my mom usually freezes food and will have something again a month later. I just don't go there ~ lol I don't just throw out the leftovers and foods that I think are ready to go -- they all go down the driveway by our pond to feed any hungry birds and critters that live around the pond. No food goes to waste, it's just that animals might get it instead of us!

I keep leftovers from restaurant or my own cooks. But I try to eat them soon like the day after so that I don't have to left them in the fridge too long. I just don't like the smell of the fridge on the food + I don't think it's healthy to leave your food too long in the fridge.

I just tossed out a plate of pasta that was sitting in my fridge for about 3 days. When we have leftovers I do try to save it. But if it's not eaten in a couple days then I usually toss it out. I kind of like leftovers cause I can have it the next day for lunch, just pop it in the microwave. But sometimes I forget about the leftover in the fridge and it never gets eaten. My family doesn't care too much for leftovers, so we usually never have it for dinner.

Well, I tend to save everything. Not that it gets eaten... Quite often I find that a very small amount of something will get ignored until it's growing a science project's worth of mold on it. :) However! I do save things like chicken carcasses (from a roast chicken) for soup. It's so wonderful to be able to have a whole pot of soup to nosh on throughout the week, and even though it does take some time to make it, I love soup more than any other meal. I make it for myself, though, since Hubby is not a soup person. As for restaurant food, any leftovers come home for either me or the cats. Occasionally something like spareribs will be an acceptable leftover for Hubby to eat (Why do men not like leftovers?) and we'll have it for lunch within a few days. Pasta and meatloaf are his favorite leftovers.

I try to cook just enough food for the meal. There are a few times that I over cook but we seldom keep leftovers because they get forgotten in the fridge.

I will admit no. I am totally bad at this and it is truly my fault as I am the one who prepares the food for my family. I save the food in containers but never actually use it. I end up throwing it out after a week or so. I know I am wasting food and money and I always feel bad about it but I can't seem to get the hang of it. :-(

Yes I always keep left-overs because I get tired of cooking everyday. a lot of times I will cook enough for 3 meals, and frezze it. for some reason left-over food tastes better the next day. Do you agree?

I don't generally toss out leftover food but I do not keep it more than a couple of days, if it isn't eaten then or used in another meal I generally give it to the dogs, thats depending on what it is. I sometimes mix leftovers like potatoes the next day with my dogs dinner, at least it's not getting wasted.

I always cook a HUGE amount of food for dinner every night. I like to have leftovers for my kids to eat the next day for lunch. I homeschool them, so I like to make sure that they have something hot and nutritious to keep their little brains and bodies fed....if we don't have any leftovers, they usually eat sandwiches. If we have leftover food on our plates at a restaurant, we will bring it home, as long as it's something that one of us will eat later.

When we have leftovers, which isn't often, I will serv them up the next day. We seldom need a doggy bag from a restaurant. We are usually starving by the time we get there! I don't think leftovers should be kept for more than a couple of days at best. Sometimes I will have it for lunch the following day if there is not enough for the two of us.

We always save leftovers. But only for about three or four days. If it's still there then, it goes to the dogs. Usually my husband eats left overs for lunch if we have them, though. We always leave restaurants with food! Our 14 month old does so much better if he has his own plate than if we are trying to get him to eat off of ours. That means that about half of his dinner becomes lunch the next day. I usually don't finish my food when we eat out, either. I tend to clean out the fridge three times a week. My dogs get so excited. There is almost always SOMETHING in there that we forgot about and didn't eat. So they get a treat. When we eat out, if the baby gets french fries, the dogs always get them, because they are so gross heated up. The dogs like them, though, so it's better than wasting them in my opinion.

I keep leftover food and like to eat it, sometimes things taste better next day, I don't waste food or get large quantity so it usually ends in a day or two and I don't have to keep it more than that in the fridge.