How Do You Not Let Throwing Food Away Bother You?

[Country Kids]

I've tried to not let it bother me but oh my gosh, I just can't get over how much food I throw away each and every day.

Today-cheese quesidillas, salad (cucumbers, tomatos, green pepper, carrots) and peaches.

1. ate quesidillas, peaches, drank 1/2 cup of milk

2. Same thing, drank no milk

3.Would take a nibble of a peach slice, put it back down, and do the same to each peach slice. Did not eat a whole slice at all and ate nothing else. Drank their milk.

So I'm throwing this all away now. Also, they drink nothing all day long. No water or milk. They don't even ask for it or take when offered. I get very tempted to go off the food program and just serve junk. Then I know at least they will be eating.

I have a friend who has a childcare. One of the kids cries everyday no matter what they are eating.

[Countrygal]

Can I eat at your house?? I LOVE cheese quesidillas!!!

I only serve about 1/4 portion, especially to those I know are tiny eaters. I have one. He gets 1/2 of what everyone else gets. Everyone is allowed seconds and even thirds if wanted. I have had wonderful eaters, though, except the one. I don't throw out much any more because of the small portions. For example, he will get 1/4 peanut butter sandwich, two peach slices and the regular amount of milk (he always drinks his milk), and one small carrot stick with dip. If he eats that (or at least his two bites of maybe one food left), then he can have more of anything. This same child has never eaten a lot of food, says dcm. Some days I've seen him take thirds, tho! I'd rather get up three times than throw food out, imo.

[Country Kids]

I've even cut out having morning snack and that hasn't even helped-

What I also don't get is my kids never ask for seconds, so when I read about providers that do that it amazes me ask I can't get mine to eat their first. Even when they eat they never want seconds.

[e.j.]

"How do you not let throwing food away bother you?"

You put a certain amount of food on the kids' plates. You are out that same amount of food whether the kids eat it or you throw out so really.... what difference does it make?

Thinking of it this way has really made all the difference in my frustration level. As others have suggested, place a small amount of food on the kids' plates. If they want more, it's easy enough to give them more. If they won't eat it, you don't waste much.

[daycarediva]

I am required to give them the correct portion sizes. Some days it really does bother me to see it go to waste. I spend a LOT on food. I have a very very picky eater and throw away entire meals quite often. Like pp said, I guess it doesn't really matter but I grew up poor and we cleaned our plates. kwim?

I just had a suprise inspection from the food program today and sure enough dcb ate nothing. He sat there the entire time. Today's meal was hm turkey meatballs, whole grain spaghetti, tossed salad. She said all I can do is offer it.

[Country Kids]

I guess what bothers me is having to have x amount available to the child. So even if I place a small amount on the plate I still have to have the x amount available in case they eat and want more. So if the child/ren don't even eat that small amount I end up throwing everything away.

I just wish we could make just the small amount and not worry about having to have more available (especially if we know they aren't eating it).

[countrymom]

were you at my house today because today

we had pasta with homade sauce and watermelon everyone got 2 large scoops of pasta (like a half a cup of alphabet pasta)

dcb (age 7) ate a 1/4 of it and no watermelon, so I gave him applesauce. He then comes and tells me that he's starving and wants more food. Sent him on his way and told him that he has to wait till snack time. At snack time I gave out saltine crackers (I would have had cheese but didn't have any) but all the kids love these crackers like crazy. This is at 230pm, at 330pm same boy comes in and says that he's hungry can he have an apple, so I said to him that we already had snack and that he's going to go home and have a good dinner. He tells me that he only ate 2 crackers and now wants an apple.

Seriously, I'm not an open kitchen, yes there are apples on the counter but they are kinda of yucky and there wasn't enough to feed everyone so I couldn't give it to one kid and not the others. Mom always says how well her boys eat, bull cr@p!! Ya they eat well when its junk food, I'm so tired of throwing food out from them its ridiculous! and no i can't ask people to bring their own food because he never ate his lunch at school either. I'm barely putting food on their plates and they are still not eating it. Dh says that its too bad, they can starve then because I don't get paid enough to make what every child wants to eat. Oh, the other day, we had sliced carrots, 2 of the kids didn't know what they were, they have never seen carrots sliced up before ?????

oh, I'm going to make quasadias tommorrow or tacos

[e.j.]

So even if I place a small amount on the plate I still have to have the x amount available in case they eat and want more. So if the child/ren don't even eat that small amount I end up throwing everything away.

I just wish we could make just the small amount and not worry about having to have more available (especially if we know they aren't eating it).

I hear what you're saying. It is a little crazy to expect food to be cooked and ready for kids who we know won't eat it but I guess that's the trade off for getting all that money from the food program. (Being a little sarcastic. I'm on tier 2 so the reimbursement isn't all that great considering what I spend on food but it helps defray the cost a little.)

When I have leftovers from lunch, I serve it to my family for dinner that night and vice versa. (The day care kids sometimes get leftovers from our dinner the night before. I just divide what I make and save the untouched food for the next day.)

[daycarediva]

I hear what you're saying. It is a little crazy to expect food to be cooked and ready for kids who we know won't eat it but I guess that's the trade off for getting all that money from the food program. (Being a little sarcastic. I'm on tier 2 so the reimbursement isn't all that great considering what I spend on food but it helps defray the cost a little.)

When I have leftovers from lunch, I serve it to my family for dinner that night and vice versa. (The day care kids sometimes get leftovers from our dinner the night before. I just divide what I make and save the untouched food for the next day.)

That's a great idea. Or save the leftovers from Mon,Tue & Wed for a Wednesday 'warm up leftovers' dinner or something.

[Country Kids]

We can't serve leftovers unless they are taken out and put in containers before serving. Well I never know how much my family is going to eat so that doesn't work for me.


I'm hoping that the food inspectors will realize that these kids aren't eating and maybe try to get the rules changed. Its utterly ridiculous!

At school, the amount of food that is thrown away is beyond me.

[Blackcat31]

Today we had spinach salad, HM pizza with whole wheat crust and feta cheese, steamed carrots and bananas.

Honestly, I have fantastic kids....they all eat everything on their plates and ask for seconds. I have kids who ask for thirds and rarely have enough to get that far. I don't make enough for thirds because I really don't think it is necessary. Seconds are simply a bonus but not something I do on purpose.

For me, the secret to having good eaters is to serve, model good eating myself and never ever ask if someone does or doesn't like something.

As a matter if fact, I don't allow anyone to say anything negative about the meal. If they don't like something, they keep it to themselves.

I make NO ISSUES whatsoever about what or how much a kid eats. I do, however, make a ginormous deal about the kids who do eat! We have tons of positive praise and sometimes even special treats. The treats though are random and NEVER predictable because I don't want a child to eat just to earn the reward.....bad habit to start.

I have yet to come across a veggie or meal my kids won't eat. A majority of the parents tell me their children would never eat what I make at home and I suppose they are completely truthful about that as I really am a firm believer in the whole "monkey see-monkey do" concept. When a child sees their friend eating something, they will usually do it too.

Peer pressure is a valuable thing at this age.

I truly feel for those of you have eating issues with your daycare kids. I am NOT by any means a lucky person but I have to say I think I hit the jackpot with eating and daycare kids.

[e.j.]

I am required to give them the correct portion sizes. Some days it really does bother me to see it go to waste. I spend a LOT on food. I have a very very picky eater and throw away entire meals quite often. Like pp said, I guess it doesn't really matter but I grew up poor and we cleaned our plates. kwim?

I'm always amazed at how differently the food program rules seem to be interpreted from program to program and from food rep to food rep. This makes me crazier way more than the wasted food does!

Here, we just to have the proper amount of food available for each child which, of course, helps to cut down on waste and to me is just common sense. I try to follow the rules as closely as possible but if I were in your position, I'd be very tempted to disregard the rule about correct portion size unless 1.) they agreed to pay the actual cost of the food and not a portion of it and 2.) they were actually in my home observing. (Probably should say that on a public forum but honestly, it's how I'd feel.)

[Crazy8]

easy.... I don't supply the food - meals come from home. Sorry, I understand your frustration but unfortunately don't know the answer.

I am not on the food program, don't provide bfast or lunch but still get the tax write off of $2.07 per child/per day for using the standard meal rate for 3 snacks per day. No headaches, no time cooking and none of MY food thrown away.

[e.j.]

We can't serve leftovers unless they are taken out and put in containers before serving. Well I never know how much my family is going to eat so that doesn't work for me.

I just guess at how much my family is likely to eat. If they want more, I just take a little more from day care container using a clean serving spoon and put the container in the fridge immediately for the next day. That way, it's not like it's just sitting on the table gathering bacteria, kwim?[/QUOTE]

I'm hoping that the food inspectors will realize that these kids aren't eating and maybe try to get the rules changed. Its utterly ridiculous!

At school, the amount of food that is thrown away is beyond me.

Wouldn't it be great if our government sponsored programs were run with just a little more common sense?

I remember even as a kid being amazed at the amount of food being thrown out every day. I went to a relatively small school and at every lunch, there were 2-3 large garbage pails filled to the brim with wasted food. We could have fed a small country on all the food that was wasted but you had to take what you were served instead of what you wanted.

[momma2girls]

I know I can make leftovers from the night before. If I make spaghetti, soup, lasagna, beef roast, chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, grilled items, anything that I make that has a large amt. to it, I use it for leftovers. I use it 1-2 days for that week at daycare. This works out very well for my small group!!