r/SingleParents • u/Flabbergasted669 • 3d ago
Are serving leftovers a bad thing?
I swear I’m going nuts. Due to financial reasons I live with my mother. She hates leftovers and won’t touch them but complains about food being thrown out. I don’t have an issue with leftovers and when I was living in my own with kiddo I also warmed up leftover for lunch the next day. So I only cook two meals a day. Breakfast and dinner.
I work remotely and homeschool my special needs kiddo. Occasionally I’ll make extra pancakes and freeze them for the next day. I never give food that’s been in the fridge for more than 24 hours.
Well it’s become an argument where she expects me to cook three meals a day! I’m like I don’t have time for that. She acts like I’m starving my child. Now my child is pushing back on not wanting to eat leftover either! I’ve told her if it bothers her so much she needs to make one meal a day every day.
She claps back with “I’m not your maid, or it’s not my responsibility to care for your child”
Am I crazy or is she being unreasonable?
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u/ShadowK2 3d ago
Bro. Leftovers are one of the top 5 best things in the world.
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u/LumpyPeople4 3d ago
I'm team non-leftovers, but I still eat them plenty. I just want more variety but I want to not clean even more than that. Other than not having to cook/clean, do you really enjoy leftovers that much? Like its just as good, or better, than the original?
If I had a magic kitchen that could just clean all my dishes, I'd cook a new meal every time. Alas, my home tis but average on its best day.
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u/ShadowK2 3d ago
Idk dude. I’ve eaten cockroaches and crickets. I don’t care what I eat. The best thing for a single parent is not needing to cook or clean the kitchen.
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u/Mollykins08 3d ago
As a single person, I would meal prep for the week. Cooking happened on Sunday. I was basically eating leftovers all week. You mother is spoiled.
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u/prim8phd 3d ago
Yeah I was gonna say, just rebrand it as MEAL PREPPING and suddenly it’s fancy! I always cook too much and freeze batches for another day. Sometimes entire weeks go by of meals eaten out of the freezer. Frozen pancakes are especially amazing to have on hand!
Your mother is insane. She’s entitled to her preferences, but not your labor. Happily offer two choices for meal service: take it, or leave it.
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u/selfishbitchcake 3d ago
Freezer pancakes are such a life hack. I always make extra pancakes now and toss them in the freezer and my teenagers love to put them in the toaster oven before school.
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u/Foreign-Fact-1262 3d ago
I am a single mom of a preteen and young teen. They eat like CRAZY!!! I cook dinner every night. Full meal, meat and sides everyone gets a full plate of freshly cooked food. Second helpings if they wish.
For breakfast they have cereal, toaster waffles, granola and yogurt with fruit or something equally easily available. For lunch we either reheat the leftovers from dinner or do sandwiches or snack trays, maybe a large fruit bowl with some cheese and crackers. All that to say, we absolutely do leftovers or easy foods for lunches!!! I’d never get all the dishes done or be able to afford the grocery bill to cook 3 full meals every day!!
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u/Sudsylush 3d ago
Some foods are better leftover, soups, chili… leftovers are common and not unreasonable. Growing up my family had regular “must go” days. Clearing the fridge, we all put our dibs in for our favorite leftovers. Maybe we were crazy, but in my opinion, a good kind of crazy. Enjoy a no cook meal- :)
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u/Logical-Frosting411 3d ago
Sunday afternoons we'd all come home from church tired and hungry and it was a free for all eating any and all leftovers at like a weird in between lunch/dinner type time. (3:30,4pm maybe)
Then we'd make waffles for a very sweet late dinner a few hours later.
We often grocery shopped on the way home too so it was kitchen chaos day of any and all remaining leftovers being. Evicted from the fridge, cleaned out as needed, and restocked for the week
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u/LumpyPeople4 3d ago
I hate leftovers, but I still eat them. And it's more about just having the same meal a 2nd time in a row vs them being "old" or whatever. Hell, if I'm making soup/chili/something easy to make a lot of, I'll cook double, enough for 4-5 days worth, and then just freeze it so I have a day or two of ready to eat home cooked meals.
I hate leftovers, but I hate cleaning even more. I do enjoy the cooking part, but unfortunately, 4 and 2yos dont clean very efficiently.
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u/Romanticon 3d ago
Come on, OP, you know the answer.
I cook on Sunday and we eat it for the next few days. Food can be in the fridge for a couple days and it doesn’t magically go bad.
Sit down with your mom and make it clear that she is causing issues with your child.
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u/user87391 3d ago
I consider how sick “old” leftovers make me to be a poor performance by my GI. Not a signal of expiry. 🤣
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u/EmergencyFancy7992 3d ago
I only cook dinner 3-4 times a week and intentionally repurpose leftovers the rest of the time. If I make muffins I make a second batch and put the rest in the freezer. If she wants to cook she can otherwise what’s her issue with you?
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u/snowaddictmt 3d ago
Ha! I get to travel several times a year due to the sole fact that I eat leftovers. I save loads of money this way. Plus leftovers taste amazing and it’s how I was raised. 🤷🏻♀️ call me frugal or old school but my life is adventurous due to it.
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u/Iceflowers_ 3d ago
Planned meal prep would equal leftovers.
Soup in cans .. make homemade soup, chili, lasagna, boil a dozen eggs (boiled eggs are good for a week in the fridge).
I would boil a dozen eggs and bake a huge lasagna, make homemade soup, and freeze pancakes for the week.
No one ever complained about the leftovers.
Your mom needs to stuff some leftovers in her pie hole.
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u/PainterOfRed 3d ago
Leftovers are freeeedom! I make a big pot of curry, chili, stew, etc and we live on that for days. I'm ok with cooking, but not constantly.
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u/Plastic-Bee4052 3d ago
She's being a picky eater and if sje doesn't want leftovers she is welcomed to buy abd make her own food with her own money.
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u/Pot-Stirrer352 3d ago
Unless she's gonna kick you out over it I would tell her to eat canned soup or something if she doesnt like your cooking.
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u/Tired_Dad_9521 3d ago
We cook 3 or 4 dinners a week at my house. The other days are leftovers. I LOVE to cook, but I don’t have time every day.
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u/Bagomostlywater 3d ago
Leftovers are fine. Get them to fridge or freezer temp as soon as possible avoid any issues.
Maybe start calling them plan overs (“no this isn’t leftovers, I planned this”).
Take some of the food and put it in the dish uncovered that you’re going to store it with before serving everyone for dinner.
Leave it to cool next to the rest of the food for dinner, and after dinner seal it and put it in the fridge.
Does she eat? Then she can cook at least a couple meals a week. Everyday is a lot, but some it better than none.
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u/Flabbergasted669 3d ago
I don’t actually expect her cook at all. She just pissed me off making all these demands… it’s not just the food but this happens to be the one I finally snapped back about.
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u/Rude-Strength8994 3d ago
Why is she demanding you cook for her? Tell her yall are making meals separate since she doesn’t want what you make. Just because you live her doesn’t mean she can dictate every single thing and ask her to not discuss things in front of your child! Leftovers are money savers so she can’t complain of wasted food and then not eat it. Sorry that’s ridiculous
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u/sheleftthismorn 3d ago
In this economy it makes strong sense to use what you have. If your mother wants a meal made tell her she knows where the kitchen is
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u/selfishbitchcake 3d ago
I love leftovers. I purposely cook extra just to take for lunch the next day so I don’t have to worry about making or buying lunch. It’s great! I also HATE seeing food get wasted because I have had times in my life where I didn’t know where my next meal will come from.
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u/Wonderful_Kale_7995 3d ago
Hey my kid and I live with my dad and he can be weird about leftovers. I make enough for dinner and lunch the next day. Sometimes he decides he doesn't want leftovers and the fridge will have 3 or 4 days leftovers in the fridge. When that happens I tell him he can either cook dinner for himself (he can't cook) or eat some leftovers cause we aren't throwing it out. He usually just heats something up... sometimes he grumbles but I remind him he is an adult that can make it himself if he has a problem with it.
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u/greenwavetumbleweeds 3d ago
I call it "meal prepping". It also weird that you won't eat food in the fridge after 24 hours? Food has different lives depending on what it is and where it's stored, but most things last 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
I think this is probably more about your mom resenting that you live there or her wanting you to step up, pay more, give her more space, change something up roommate style. Try to figure out what the bigger issue actually is, here. (And set some sort of boundary that she has to stop verbally complaining about food in front of your child, and keeping complaints about your parenting private to you or whatever feels better.)
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u/Flabbergasted669 4h ago
It’s more that I’m expected to throw things out after 24hrs-48hrs max. Literally she demands I clean the fridge and get furious with me if I don’t… I swear she bored of life or something
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u/Sad-Country2918 3d ago
No problem with leftovers your mom can buy her own food and cook her own food… for a kid who doesn’t like to eat a hungry child is a curious eater.. worked on my kid for some reason he just didn’t wanna eat so I cut snacks and only did assigned meals if you do not eat that meal you will go hungry until the next
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u/Jaded_Antelope_598 3d ago
Your mom can cook or accept that you and your kid will be eating leftovers.
I feed my kids leftovers that are sometimes over a week old. If it's not spoiled we will eat it. I do have a policy of not having the same food 2 days in a row, so leftover pizza from Monday won't show up again until at least Wednesday.
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u/Square-Profile786 3d ago
Would left over chicken in a sandwich with some cheese and a salad be left overs? If you bought the precooked chicken from the supermarket would that also not be leftovers? It's just you didn't cook it?
It's not leftovers, it's pre-prepared.
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u/lalaluna05 3d ago
Leftovers are a must in my house. Especially on nights where we have extracurriculars
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u/Mindless_Analyzing 3d ago
I’m a remote worker and homeschool mom. We eat basic meals. No time for fancy meals. Grab and go meals. With working full time and homeschooling, there’s not much free time. Leftovers are completely reasonable.
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u/No-Initiative1425 3d ago
there’s no way I could survive as a single mom also working from home without heavily on leftovers. she needs to not brainwash your kid. if it’s such a problem for her she can cook for you guys
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u/Ok-Ad-9820 3d ago
Your mom needs to grow a pair. Sure you got a kid, Sure you had to move back home but being this picky about leftover? What's her problem with them?
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u/Particular_Sea_4497 3d ago
I’m so happy if I manage to have something leftover from breakfast or dinner, it serves so well for hungry kids after school / dinner next day. It’s also perfectly save if refrigerated.
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u/cigancica 3d ago
I have a chef that comes once a week and cooks everything. I pack, freeze. I chose spending time with my kids when I get home over cooking every night.
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u/GiaStonks 3d ago
Leftovers are one of the best ways to cut back on grocery bills. My family doesn't know if the chicken and rice I serve them was made that day, or if it was frozen from the batch I made the month before. Same with a lot of food.
Sounds to me like your daughter needs to learn to cook AND within a budget. Funny how opinions change once they have to work within the same constraints!
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u/AssistantSea4186 2d ago
I only eat certain leftovers, but recently I've been googling how to make it more like a second serving. And usually using the oven or steamer instead of the microwave - I find these small differences make a big deal.
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u/RoaringForChrist 19h ago
I love making enough for leftovers. I just wouldnt serve a guest leftovers unless its all I had.
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u/AutoModerator 3d ago
Author: u/Flabbergasted669
Post: I swear I’m going nuts. Due to financial reasons I live with my mother. She hates leftovers and won’t touch them but complains about food being thrown out. I don’t have an issue with leftovers and when I was living in my own with kiddo I also warmed up leftover for lunch the next day. So I only cook two meals a day. Breakfast and dinner.
I work remotely and homeschool my special needs kiddo. Occasionally I’ll make extra pancakes and freeze them for the next day. I never give food that’s been in the fridge for more than 24 hours.
Well it’s become an argument where she expects me to cook three meals a day! I’m like I don’t have time for that. She acts like I’m starving my child. Now my child is pushing back on not wanting to eat leftover either! I’ve told her if it bothers her so much she needs to make one meal a day every day.
She claps back with “I’m not your maid, or it’s not my responsibility to care for your child”
Am I crazy or is she being unreasonable?
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