We often have mystery containers in our fridge -- some Tupperware with leftover turkey meatballs or salmon from the grill, a Ziploc bag containing some extra steamed broccoli, maybe even some takeout from a favorite restaurant. We always have good intentions when it comes to consuming this stuff, but the days usually get away from us and we end wondering how long our foods have been chilling on their respective shelves. So we toss them, just to be safe. If only we could remember when we started storing our leftovers, we'd know when exactly to toss them.

We've got about three to four days to eat our cooked leftovers, says the USDA. This goes for cooked meat and poultry, mayonnaise-based goods (egg, tuna, or macaroni salads, for example), and takeout. Want to make your foods last longer? Freeze them, and they'll stay good for two to six months. Not the mayo foods, though. Don't freeze these.

Another recommendation: Ditch any meat, poultry, eggs, or casseroles that have been sitting at room temperature for more than two hours. If the temp is more than 90 degrees, trash after one hour. Keep this in mind when setting out your Thanksgiving spreads. One last suggestion: Experts agree that you can't judge food safety by smell or taste -- so when in doubt, throw it out.

Source

What if there was one small thing you could do each day to make the world a better place? Newsflash ... there is.

Did you know that Americans send about 96 billion pounds worth of food to landfills every year? We produce an enormous amount of food per year, yet we still manage to waste about one quarter of it. Not only is this a blatant slap in the face to the thousands of people who go hungry every night, but it is also an economic burden to society on the whole, for we spend close to $1 billion a year to dispose of this food.

How can we do our part in helping to fix this problem? Here are a few good ideas:

• Donate leftover food to local food banks, shelters, and community service organizations
• Participate in a co-op buying program to support local farmers
• Refrigerate or freeze foods that can safely be stored until a later date
• Compost food waste
• Make sure that your refrigerator temperature setting is not too high, which can cause early decomposition
• Plan meals by food's 'use by' date to reduce waste
• Only purchase perishable foods that you are certain you will soon consume

Got some get-up-and-go this morning? Great. Now put on those running shoes, strap on your iPod, and do whatever it is you do to prep for your fancy fitness routine. Whatever you do, just make sure you do it outdoors -- and with a trash bag.

You are about to embark on an eco-running journey. The concept, started by Samuel Huber of Milwaukee, is simple: Just hang on to that bag and pick up any trash you encounter along your exercise route. Huber wants runners to combine their passion -- running -- with a purpose -- cleaning up the environment. He's sure it will make a difference. According to treehugger.com, studies show that by cleaning up an area you remove the incentive to contribute to its mess.

If you're not a runner, have no fear. You can still pick up litter while you walk, rollerblade, skateboard, or hike. Use your imagination. Just don't forget the trash bag.

Source

I did a little investigative reporting the other morning while walking the hills in my neighborhood. It happened to be trash morning and black cans and blue and orange recycling bins lined the streets. Call me nosy, but I made it my business to peek in those bins -- they are open-topped bins so I only had to look in their direction, no actual snooping -- and check out just what my neighbors are consuming. It was an eye-opening experience.

My neighbors seem to be drinking many of their calories -- and sugar too. Coke, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, and hoards of wine and beer bottles overflowed from the bins. Also present were empty ice cream containers, sugary cereal boxes, kiddie snack packages, and more. I did come across an occasional healthy neighbor whose trash consisted mostly of empty water bottles but for the most part what I saw was junk.

The trash truck that collects this weekly waste boasts an inspiring statistic on its side -- something about how great amounts of recycling are saving great amounts of trees. Super! Until you consider that we are saving trees at the expense of our health. How about cutting down on the crappy food. Less recycling will occur as a result. And the trees will still come out victorious. So will we.

Yes, the truth is in the trash. What do your bins say about you?

Sometimes I over-shop. I buy too many bananas, a loaf of bread my family never finishes, even ground turkey meat that sits in the fridge beyond it's expiration date. Sadly, these foods end up tossed in the trash. What a waste.

As first reported by Kristin Darguzas on ParentDish, American families trash, on average, 14% of the food they buy, mostly because it spoils. Never fear, though. According to this article, there are six measures we can take for storing our food for lasting freshness. Now these are some tips I can use. How about you?

• Refrigerate fruits and vegetables separately. Some fruits emit a gas that speeds the ripening of veggies.

Source

Although summertime is friendlier for outdoor sports and physical activity for many people than winter is, it's also full of hot lazy days, fattening BBQ meals, and vacations. All too often people start off in the spring with big plans to lose weight and get in shape, only to let themselves get derailed by mid-summer holiday plans. The great thing about summer holidays, though, is that they lend themselves fairly easily to fitness if you're willing to make the effort. The "trailer trash workout" (named by the trainer who created it) was designed to be easy, quick, and nearly equipment-free -- all great qualities in a summer travel exercise routine.

Source

One Small Step is our attempt to show you all how easy it can be to improve your health, and the health of the planet. Each week, we'll take one more little step and encourage you to take it with us. This week, I'm thinking about my prodigious waste generation and commiting to:

Stop taking food to go.

I was on my way home from an errand (walking, naturally), and noticed that new, funky coffee shop on 28th. I'd run for a few miles and needed a cup of water and was entranced with the vegan cupcakes in the pastry case. "I'll take one to go," I said.

A few minutes later, I was walking down Holgate, holding an empty paper bag with a few traces of vegan chocolate frosting (awesome, by the way) and an empty plastic water cup. Suddenly I realized how much waste such a small decision -- to take my food and drink to go -- had generated. Had I stayed at the coffee shop for five minutes, I could have foregone the paper bag altogether and drunk deeply from a real glass, creating far less waste, saving money for the business owner, and even better: enjoying the ambiance for a little while.

I committed then to change my ways, and get it for here whenever possible. Maybe I'll see you at the Funky Door sometime ... the cupcakes are on me!

One Small Step is our attempt to show you all how easy it can be to improve your health, and the health of the planet. Each week, we'll take one more little step and encourage you to take it with us. This week, I'm taking a cue from my four-year-old and commiting to:

Pick up one extra piece of litter every day.

I live on a busy street, and as soon as my oldest son had gathered a repertoire of 10 words, he'd learned "whassat?" Naturally, his attention was drawn to the variety of delightful shiny colorful litter that decorated our sidewalk and we encountered on our daily walks. "Whassat?" he'd say, and I'd wonder if I could just say, "a culture of disrespect." But he saw it otherwise. Can you even imagine something so beautiful as a Gummy Lifesavers wrapper? An empty soda can?

He wanted to pick up these beauties, and though I wanted to rant and rail on the uncaring "neighbors" who left their trash behind, I had a minor flash of brilliance: I'll teach him to do his small part to make our world better. Every time he'd ask about a brightly-colored foil wrapper, I'd explain that it was garbage, and we'd make a game of searching for a place to put it.