I'm Biggie: avid cook, speedy lunch packer, mom & former expat fluent in Japanese. 
Top 7 things to do with leftover food scraps
I don’t make much food art — you know, making shapes and fanciful characters out of food, using cookie cutters and scissors. But I do it occasionally, making cutout sandwiches and veggie shapes like those in these lunches (click photos for details). After you’ve cut out the fun shapes, though, you’re left with a pile of food scraps that’s a shame to throw away.
So without further ado, I present:
The Top 7 Things to do with Leftover Food Scraps
1. Eat as you go: Have them as part of breakfast or a snack as you pack.
2. Camouflage: Put them underneath a layer of pretty food, or cut them small and mix with other food. For example, the yellow pepper scraps in the orzo salad lunch to the right are chopped and mixed in with the salad itself.
3. Veggies: Save & put in other food like salad, fried rice, stir fry, soups, or a sauteed add-in to macaroni and cheese. You can also chop them up small and add them to a mirepoix or seasoned food topping.
4. Bread crusts: Make into bread crumbs, croutons, or freeze in cubes and save to use in stuffing or bread pudding. Or you can always save them to feed to the birds — my preschooler enjoys going to Golden Gate Park and feeding stale bread cubes to the ducks in Stowe Lake.
5. Fruit: Save (in refrigerator or freezer) and put on cereal, in smoothies, yogurt, pies, pancakes, or muffins.
6. Cheese: Save and use in salad, melt over bread (sandwich melt, grilled cheese, or “pizza”), melt over tortilla chips as nachos, or put in an omelette.
7. Sliced meats: Save and incorporate in other dishes like pastas, sandwiches, omelettes, fried rice, etc.
What do you do with your food scraps? Comment and let us know. 
READ MORE:
- Leftover Remake of potato salad: Faux potato latkes with tuna
- Leftover Remake of potato salad: Faux Scotch egg
- Need for speed: A mommy’s lunch manifesto
- How to pack a bento lunch and use “gap fillers”
- Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and equipment reviews
August 27th, 2007 | Categories: parenthacks, tips | 
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August 28th, 2007 at 3:33 am
[…] are chopped and mixed in with the salad itself. 3. Veggies: Save & put in other food source: Top 7 things to do with leftover food scraps, Lunch in a Box: Building a Better […]
August 28th, 2007 at 5:38 am
Well, we’re lucky (?!) to have 18 chickens so we usually give the food scraps to them….if there isn’t enough to save. I do however freeze leftover veggies in ziploc bags to add to soups in the wintertime…
August 28th, 2007 at 5:44 am
with veggie scraps, I keep a plastic container or bag in the freezer and just toss in veggie scraps (and leftover vegetables). When I make soup, I can add chopped, mixed veggies, yum! It’s great for the scraps or when you don’t really have enough for leftovers but hate to waste it.
August 28th, 2007 at 5:46 am
I don’t do much food shaping either, for the very reasons you mentioned. I hate to see the waste and as I’m in the process of losing weight, I can’t afford the added calories…usually. I do save crusts for bread puddings and stratas in the fall/winter and when I cut carrot or cucumber rounds into stars or hearts, I’ll add the “negative” cut to the lunch because that is equally cute. I’ll watch this thread for more ideas.
August 28th, 2007 at 8:46 am
Hmm… I don’t do much shaping because I’m lazy but the funny thing is, the fastest bento I can make is a sandwich bento with cut out sandwiches, then fill the rest of the bento with veggies + hummus. So the sandwich portion that I’ve cut out- I eat it as a breakfast, since, as I said, it’s the fastest bento I can make, I usually wind up with a few extra minutes before I leave the house.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Actually, I usually save vegetable scraps (and many other things) for timables. I have a recipe if you’re interested.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
I feed them to my brother…
:B
August 28th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
I feed them to my kids! lol
This morning while cutting out my soot sprite eyeballs I hear the familiar, “Mommmmmy…. I want cheeeeeese.” No problem sweetie!
August 29th, 2007 at 12:08 am
@2 from leendaluu: Ah, feed the 18 chickens. That’s what I forgot!
August 29th, 2007 at 12:10 am
@3 from karen: Nice suggestion, thanks!
August 29th, 2007 at 9:07 am
@4 from Beanbean: Nice idea on using the “negative” cutouts as decoration!
August 29th, 2007 at 9:08 am
@5 from Yvo: Mmmm, hummus. That sounds like a fast but delicious lunch (just add hummus!).
August 29th, 2007 at 9:09 am
@6 from iasmin: Those timbales look like the perfect leftover dish! Thanks for the link; I’ll try it out sometime.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:09 am
@7 from Siea: Ha ha, maybe I’ll give Bug a treat next time too!
August 29th, 2007 at 9:10 am
@8 from Pikko: So you’ve got a cheese monster in the house too? I swear kids would live on cheese if we’d let ‘em.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I feed scraps to my “pet” worms (vermicomposting)
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:58 pm
mini-refrigerator pies (a.k.a. quiche)
good, quick, and can take pretty much anything
great in bento cold or hot
^.^
January 24th, 2008 at 10:49 am
@16 from Keri: Hey, vermicomposting isn’t something that would have occurred to me! Good one (and sorry about your comment slipping through the cracks).
January 24th, 2008 at 10:50 am
@17 from ursweetheartless: Quiche is an excellent suggestion, especially mini quiches. Now I’ve got a craving…
February 5th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I put my scarps into my compost, except for cheese and meat because then it’ll smell. If I have meat and veggies sometimes I’ll make fried rice.
February 6th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
@20 from Sharon J.: I finally got those biodegradable bags for our compost and love them — it’ll make composting in our urban kitchen a lot neater.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Has anyone any recipes for mini quiche? I love quiche but the shop made ones use dried egg product and taste bland. And they are huge!)
Our hamster eats scraps of carrot and apple. Apart from that, my 6-year-old usually just eats leftovers when lunch is being made!
April 30th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
@22 from Anne: I haven’t made homemade mini quiches; let me know if you find a good recipe!
Feeding your pets the food scraps — now that’s a good one I hadn’t thought of!!!
May 7th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I eat as I go though I’m not much for cookie cutters ( mine went missing )
sometimes I give the cheese to my dogs they love it
May 8th, 2008 at 11:15 am
I agree with Tony [above]. My dogs love cheese. It’s an extra special treat for them whenever I make cheese cutouts for my bento.