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I'm getting so tired of throwing food out! Any good ideas on ways to get the family to actually eat the leftovers instead of ignoring them?
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I just noticed an article in the sidebar you may want to read too, Savannah. That helps you know what to encourage them to use up first.
Should I Throw That Out? A Guide to Food Expiration Dates
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Fruit gets overripe fast in the summer and it can be hard to use that up fast enough too. If you have bananas that are overripe, make them into banana bread. Overripe bananas make the best bread anyway.
Any soft fruit like plums or peaches that are showing signs of turning can be chopped up and stewed in some sugared water. Just remove any bad bits and do the rest. Apples too. Mix them all together if you want and serve with vanilla ice cream.
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Cut down how much you cook in the first place, Savannah. Reduce what you normally make by a third or a quarter and see how that goes. If you're always left with just enough for one more portion/meal, that should mean you don't have any leftovers at all. Put out bread or rolls on the table to supplement the main meal.
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You could also plate up the cooked leftovers from a meal on a freezer/microwaveable plate and freeze it like that. I found that if I did that they eat it more because they can just microwave it. I use those rectangular polysterene disposable segmented plates. Sometimes they just don't feel like having the same thing within a day or two but when they're hungry and want something fast, that works. Make sure it's well wrapped so there's no freezer burn.
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If it's salad make a point of saying it needs to be eaten in 24 hours. My crowd overlook the salad until it's brown and needs thrown out unless I remind them that's there. They don't realize how fast lettuce deteriorates once it's been chopped up.
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I designate a day of the week now as pot luck day and clear out the fridge that way. All the leftovers get warmed up and put on the table for them to pick from. Even if they only eat one or two, I'll then make more to eat but not before. I had to get stricter with them and myself about using up leftovers. It's like throwing dollars in the trash when you don't.
I put them in plastic tubs and --this is the important part!--stick big labels on them saying what it is and the date ( so I know when to throw it out). When they see it easier, they eat it.