Cinderella's Raincoat

From about 2000, because everything old is new again:

Cinderella's Raincoat

It rained on Cinderella, you know:
an hour before the pumpkin turned
she got wet
after the ball
And her hair came down
And her make-up ran
She slipped into his puddle
and her slipper slipped off

Cinderella had a raincoat, you see:
sometime before riches fell to rags
Prince Charming
at the ball
Didn't offer his coat
because he wanted to know
if she would put hers on
She kept heart through his puddles
and kept her own heart dry

Cinderella's raincoat wasn't yellow, after all;
at 11:00 on that magical night
She shivered
from the fall
Her coat dropped to the floor
And her hair came down
And her make-up rain
The slipper didn't even need to fit
because Cinderella's raincoat
was
her
skin.   

Vegan leftovers....or not...

I am the only person in my household who eats leftovers.  The children barely like their dinners the first time (unelss pizza or pasta, of course), and my husband just doesn't care for heavier lunches...so that privilege/responsibility falls to me.  I love it.  I always have something to bring to work, and I never have to answer the question, "what's for lunch?"

Since becoming vegan by day, leftovers have been an issue.   For dinners, I always make enough food in case everyone wants 2 servings - so sue me, it's the Italian in me.  The kids are wild cards, loving pork chops one day and hating the next. And I feel physical pain when someone is digging in the pan for the last sausage and there aren't any left.  As a consequence, there are almost always leftovers.  And now, where do they go?

Some of them get fed to others.  Otherwise, I have to get creative.  One of my favorite things to cook is a big roast-like meal on a Sunday.  But now I know that roasted meat will sit there unless I use it, so I have to plan two meals for the meat, not just one.  I'm a planner, and this is ok.  In a way, better, because we have less waste.  Reworking one meal into another has been a fun creative challenge, a real positive side-effect of the Vegan Experiment.

Overall, though, this month I think we've wasted more food than we've saved.  I need to figure out what to do with that second-day food.  Not all meats are as easy to rework as roasted chicken - sometimes it's chicken already doused in cream sauce, or pork with a distinctive Mexican blend of spices.  How many quesadillas can this family eat?  I guess the first step would be to prepare less for dinner, but that is going to be hard for me. 

What do you do with your leftovers?  How do we reduce this waste? 

The Death of the Mommy Tax

I know I'm not the only mother who does this: eat my kids' leftovers.  Those buttery frozen waffle crusts are pretty awesome.  Now, I know some people are grossed out by this - some mothers, even (I think of you, Jill Smokler!).  I wish I could be more like you, Jill.  I wish I weren't tempted by those little crusts. 

I used to always joke that those leftovers had no calories.  But sadly, that's not true.  And now, with my vegan-until-6 routine, many of these tempting leftovers are off-limits for another reason.  Those buttery crusts don't fit the mold.  Neither does the crispy chicken nugget, the half of cheese taquito, or the small scoop of mac 'n cheese left in the pot. 

This morning, I pb-ed my toast and buttered theirs.  I composted the little crusts, and enjoyed eating the ends of their bananas (sorry, Jill).  On the way home from our walk, I stopped in the mini-mart to get some milk.  Of course they asked for little chocolate milks, and I did buy them. 

Here is where I have to explain the 'Mama tax.'  Often when I open a treat for the kids, I take some before giving it to them.  I call it the Mama Tax.  They tolerate it grudgingly, like people tolerate all taxes grudgingly.  When I open special milks, for example, I often take a chug first.  The bottles are very full and spill-prone, so I'm helping us all out.  Plus, Jill Smokler would be proud - no backwash.

Except this morning, I couldn't do that.  Because, vegan.  I love that creamy chocolate milk, but the Mama tax is no more. 

They left some in their bottles, and those bottles are in the fridge.  When 6 pm comes, I am digging in.

Which leads me to think that either 1)I need to get used to this diet, so that it doesn't feel like a deprivation, or 2) it's not working for me.  I have never been a binge eater, but suddenly I feel like cramming my face at dinner, when I know I can.  And it's only been 4 days.  Is this something I have to get used to, or is it simply a model that doesn't fit me?  Time will tell; I'm not giving up yet.