Munch Menu V.7

How to “recycle” rejected food + chicken finger Friday

Jun 13, 2025

First of all, I woke up Wednesday morning to see that I had almost 1,000 new subscribers straight from the Substack app. As a relative newb around here (hitting my two month mark next week!), I have no idea how or why this sort of thing happens, but I am deeply grateful and humbled to have so many new faces around here.

If that’s you, WELCOME! For a little more about how these weekly meal plans work, you can check out my first munch menu, which includes my dietary philosophy and some tips on how to use the game plan. Also, make sure to stock up on my (mostly) non-toxic munchkin kitchen essentials which help make meal prep much easier. And if you’re curious who I am, you can read more about my villain origin story / career in food here.

If you’ve followed me for longer than this Wednesday, you might already know that I am a “low waste warrior.” I say warrior (even though it’s cringe) because to live in a house with a toddler without a constant supply of paper towels sometimes makes me feel like one.

I’m going to share our systems and supplies in another longer post, but in the meantime, I want to talk about one small way you can combat a very large problem: food waste.

It’s an unavoidable part of the equation when you try to introduce your kid to new foods. Half the time (er, maybe more than half) that food is going to be completely rejected.

This is how to make sure it doesn’t end up in landfill as a result. Our playbook usually includes one of the following three solutions:

Compost it (not ideal, but less wasteful than it going in the garbage)
Put it down the daddy garbage disposal (should your spouse be a walking Hoover like mine)
Make recycled veggie frittata (hallelujah)

This week’s menu contains a line item for option #3, and here’s how it works.

Over the course of the week, you add your rejected morsels to a Tupperware in the fridge. I specified veggies, but proteins and even pasta also work well in the frittata format.

At the end of the week, finely chop everything in the container and make a big ass frittata (loose instructions in the Game Plan below).

It doesn’t always work on my munch, but often eggs are a favorable vehicle for her and if there’s enough “stuff” she likes also packed in (sweet potato, cheese), she won’t turn her nose up at the random other contents. And if she does, at least my husband and I can have a real meal of her leftovers instead of just cleaning her plate with a 3-inch fork.

I’d love to hear in the comments if you have any other strategies for repurposing rejected food.

Happy munching!

Phoebe

Please join the conversation and share your thoughts on the subscriber chat (or in the comments of this post).

WEEKDAY MUNCH MENU V.7

THE GAME PLAN

Store-Bought Spotlight

(elements you can buy)

Sweet Potato Chili: It’s hard to find canned chilis that are on the mild side (my go-to Amy’s has a little too much kick for my little one). This HeyDay version is made with Sweet Potatoes, which makes it sweet and smoky. You can always stir in some canned black or pinto beans if your little likes them.

Ugly Tomato Sauce: Since this week’s email is all about low waste strategies, I’d love to highlight this fantastic brand that uses rejected produce from the grocery store. They also make a vegan vodka sauce that is absolutely delicious.

Little Sesame Hummus: This is my new favorite brand of hummus – so creamy and flavorful. Not suitable for munchkins, but you MUST try the jalapeno flavor if you like heat.

GF Chicken Fingers: Chicken Finger Friday was a tradition in college that I’ve carried on in our household, since by the end of the week the fridge is at its emptiest. My favorite gluten-free frozen option is Bell&Evans. Their tenders have a great meat to breading ratio and unlike some nuggets, are made with real whole chicken instead of ground meat bulked up with junk. But if you want to make them from scratch, here is my recipe!

Polenta: Premade rounds of polenta are a huge time saver. I’m not brand loyal, so use whatever you can find at the store. Simply cut into circles (or fries!) and bake at 400 degrees F until crispy. Alternatively, you can pan fry the rounds as a “quickie” the night of.

P.S. Have you been enjoying Munch Menus as a free subscriber? It takes me many many hours to put together these game plans every week. If you love them, it’s a very reasonable $1.50 per week if you do the annual option. A small price to pay for someone to do all the planning for you!

Meal Prep

(elements you can make in advance)

Hidden Veggie Bolognese Sauce: I’ve given you an option for a store-bought sauce above, but if you have time to make something from scratch, this recipe is my favorite since it has hidden veggies in it!

Recycled Veggie Frittata: Finely chop your leftover veggies (you’ll want about a cup). In mixing bowl, beat 8 large eggs with 1/2 teaspoon salt until the yolk and whites are very well combined. In a large (12-inch) oven-proof skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over a medium-low flame and swirl to coat the pan. Pour in the eggs and sprinkle in the veggies. Cook until the sides are set and there’s just a shallow layer of uncooked eggs on the top, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pan to the broiler for 1-2 minutes until the top is set. Cut into wedges. If you want more of a recipe to follow, here is my sausage and pepper frittata.

Roasted Eggplant: Cut a medium eggplant into half-moons and toss with olive oil + salt. Bake at 400 degrees F on a parchment lined sheet pan until caramelized, 20 to 30 minutes.

Sweet Potato Wedges: Cut a medium sweet potato into wedges (like steak fries) and toss with olive oil + salt. Bake at 400 degrees F on a parchment lined sheet pan until caramelized, 20 to 30 minutes. Can be done on the same sheet pan (or at the same time) as the eggplant.

Zucchini Fries: Cut a medium zucchini into matchsticks, toss with olive oil + salt. Add 2 tablespoons of cornmeal and toss to coat. Bake at 400 degrees F on a parchment lined sheet pan until soft and lightly browned on the bottom, 20 to 30 minutes.

Quickies

(non-recipe recipes you can cook the night or day of)

The Simplest Guacamole: Mash 1 avocado with the juice of half a lime, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin and ¼ teaspoon salt. Taste for seasoning, add more salt or lime as needed and voila.

Pasta: Boil them noods. Toss with sauce.

Polenta: See above! If you want to make creamy polenta instead, go for it! This is generally best made fresh the night of. Buying quick-cooking polenta makes it even more of a quickie.

Munch Menu Version 7

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FAMILY MEAL IDEAS FOR WEEKENDS

If you’re someone who goes the family dinner route, don’t worry, I still got you! Every week I’ll add two ideas from my archives or the internet that have been kid-approved in my house. You can make them on the weekends or rotate them into a munch menu.

Cream of Mushroom Chicken and Rice Casserole: We had our first 90 degree day in NYC this week, but since the temps are dropping over the weekend, I thought I’d feature this cozy casserole anyway before we fully enter salad season and can’t look back. Like all my “CRC’s” it’s a perfect dump and stir recipe, even if your munch ends up picking out the mushrooms (like mine does).

Fried Quinoa: I’ve featured her recipes before, and I’ll surely do so again because Hetty (who writes To Vegetables, with Love Substack) is one of my favorite vegetarian cookbook authors. If your kid is into fried rice, this variation using quinoa as the grain is a great way to do “same same but different.”

TELL ME: hop over to the subscriber chat and tell me about the products and strategies you swear by for eating out with kids!