waste vs waist

It's probably a combination of growing up in the 80's, the horrors of the Ethiopian famines the benchmark against which we measured our well-fed privileged childhoods, and living in a country in which we witness great poverty every day, but I HATE, just HATE wasting food.

I'm that person who heats and eats an assortment of leftovers for lunch as I can't bear to see them spoil in the fridge. I'm the one who freezes browning bananas, juices turning oranges, toasts the last slice of bread. I'm the crazy person who bakes a batch of cupcakes rather than waste a last bit of chocolate icing.  I know!
More often than not I don't enjoy these scraps much (except the cupcakes of course), but I eat them anyway.

Similarly I can't bear to throw away the scraps the girls leave from their meals. I used to think this was one of the top reasons for having a dog - getting her to polish off the plates - but since she's recently been diagnosed with a dodgy pancreas and is not allowed any more scraps, ever, her list of uses has dwindled down to security, finding new ways to try my patience and of course, for laughs ...

So I find myself polishing off bits of full-cream yoghurt, the last quarter of the cheese sandwich, the last few mouthfuls of mac 'n cheese, a stray cracker here, half a sausage there.

And so the wastage slows but the waist she grows ...

What's the solution? Get less precious about the leftovers? Get more fierce about everyone finishing their food (and thereby adding another nag to the endless list of motherly nags)? Get more self-control? Get a pig?

What's your policy on leftovers?

marshmallow lego heads

How cute is this?

Ja okay, she's very sweet but that Lego head?! That's cute.

A friend's son recently turned 7 and had a Lego themed birthday party. Keeping it simple his parents got the talented Kirsty Paxton from Artee Parteez to host a Lego building workshop at their home and my friend made these super cute marshmallow Lego heads!
Find out how she did it here. Her mods included drawing the faces with edible pen (much less fiddly than piped icing) and using the lid of a koki or marker to cut out the knobbly bit for the top - hers are better proportioned I think. In fact, hers are better all round - well done!

I went over one evening before the party to help out. She finished up the heads and I finished up all the marshmallow and chocolate scraps.
I'm such a great friend.

And if you'd like to feel completely mesmerised,overwhelmed, inspired, inadequate, surreal, awed, normal, gobsmacked ... you actually have to decide for yourself ... check out this Lego party.
She made her own Lego-man crayons?! Er ...