Mothers can become human garbage disposals

Running a household is all about resource management: money, time and space in the refrigerator. With all that a modern mom has to do, there is little I enjoy less than having to drag my 3-year-old with me to the grocery store more than once a week. I try to be very careful about noting how many meals and snacks I'll be preparing for how many people each week. Then I try to make sure I buy just enough supplies. I used to love those warehouse style stores like Costco and BJ's and their enormous cases of paper towels and Cheetos. It was such a lovely feeling knowing that we always had enough paper products and juice boxes. But then the awkwardness of trying to jimmy those oversized cases of water, diapers and toilet paper into those huge grocery carts without crushing the child riding along began to convince me that being constantly oversupplied maybe wasn't a necessity. I began to enjoy having extra space in my storage room rather than forgetting that I had more than enough ketchup and jelly to last the year. Now my goal is to fill the pantry and fridge at the beginning of the week and have it rather empty by the end of the week. To this end, I often find myself finishing off the foods the rest of my family has forsaken. Sometimes, I figure that I can get another meal out of my leftovers if my lunch consists of what my children left on their plates. I find using the Braun mixing wand my mother bought me is great for blending over-ripe bananas into smoothies. When I've exhausted my family's patience with the last of the leftover chicken, I put what's left into a soup and toss in any vegetables that no longer look pretty enough to tempt my kids. I'm constantly calling my father-in-law – a chef trained in food safety – to ask if my leftovers are still OK to eat. He almost always answers “When in doubt throw it out.” It's also good advice to toss some of the more fatty foods my kids leave behind. I'm often horrified to realize my lunch consisted of cold macaroni and cheese, a few left over chicken nuggets and what was left in a juice box. And then I think to myself, I probably should have fed my kids something better as well.