Just 30 Days

I had the best turkey sandwich ever this year. I was motivated out of my usual prosaic turkey sandwich building doldrums by the ingenuity of the Naftali. It also seemed like a good way to use those Thanksgiving leftovers for more than drying out in the microwave. With this in mind, I went to work. I took two slices of seven grain bread and slathered them both liberally with mayonnaise. These were then lightly seasoned with salt and pepper while one side received a mandatory layer of turkey breast meat. Next came a small spoonful of cranberry sauce, a heaping layer of stuffing and a final layer of turkey before putting on the lid. I thought I had died and gone to Thanksgiving sandwich Heaven. This was an amazing sandwich. So amazing I decided to recreate the experience the next day for lunch. It was just as good the second day around.

For the first year ever, we were cleared out of Thanksgiving leftovers by the day after Thanksgiving. (With the exception of the cranberry sauce that is. My husband won't touch the cranberries, which leaves me on my own to finish up the fruit.) It helps, of course, that we only baked a small breast, but I still think this divine sandwich building contributed to the success with leftovers.

In the midst of our sandwich consumption, I realized how much food has been going to the wayside recently in our house. Wasted food normally isn't a problem, let me assure you. I have gotten pretty good over the years at not cooking too much. Which means that food is either consumed at that meal or soon thereafter. For some reason, though, I have ended up throwing quite a bit of food away over the past week or two. Plus, I end up spending considerably more on food around the holidays anyway. Not only do we tend to purchase more at the grocery store, we tend to eat out more often. This led me to thinking about a challenge one of our Chaplains issued earlier this year.

For 30 days, those who chose to participate, were to live off what was currently in their pantry, refrigerator and freezer. Obviously, you can buy the necessities such as milk, eggs, bread, etc. as you run out, but you were to use up what's hiding in your larder. I know I have food that I purchased for a meal that has gotten pushed further and further back into my storage space. In addition, we could not go out to eat during those 30 days. The idea is not to starve yourself or to start your new diet, but just realize how much we spend on wasted food. At the end of the 30 days the money you would have spent on food shopping or eating out is to go to a good cause of your choice.

After some discussion, Ben and I decided that this is a great time of year to attempt this challenge. My husband is being a bit more extreme than I as he talks about eating dry cereal towards the end of our 30 days and marking down the cost of a box of crackers on a tally sheet. I was thinking along more simple guidelines. Either way, at the end of 30 days, I hope to have a better appreciation for how much wealth we really have in our lives and perhaps to give just a little bit to someone more in need.