Cash to Trash

I wonder how much money I throw in the garbage after dinner each night. Scott and I try to eat balanced and healthy meals. The kids, on the other hand, move their food around their plates and leave me feeling frustrated. I don't believe in forcing them to eat...just makes for a long drawn out fight and encourages unhealthy habits. They do like some things, but nothing (and I mean nothing) is ever a guarantee.

One day macaroni and cheese is golden and then the next day, "I don't really like the way it tastes." They'll gobble up salad and leave me amazed, but the next time I serve it their plates will return to the kitchen with the salad barely touched. It drives me nuts!

But the thing that really frustrates me is the money going in the garbage. Last night Gracie didn't eat her green beans and Tyler passed on the carrots. Tonight I was the only one to eat the pork loin. (Scott wasn't home...he would have cleaned his plate! I made this exact recipe a week and a half ago and and all three kids chowed down with oohs and aahs.) I only give one serving between the three kids, but that's still a whole serving in the trash.

I've been tempted to put empty plates in front of them and just through my money directly into the trash can. It seems like less work. Unfortunately, I don't think it would make all that much of an impact. Do you?