Leftovers are a thing that contribute to refrigerator stink. They also, are one of the major contributors to food waste. That and not using food before it spoils, which reminds me I have a head of cauliflower...
This is a topic I hope to hit on a few times, there is so many directions it can go in.
Here are my 5 leftover tips.
1) Think Simple
Having a simple meal, not to extravagant on the spices and flavoring, and then you can easily reuse left overs. One of favorites is reuse spaghetti sauce for pizza.
2) Use the Freezer!
I really wish our freezer was twice its size... There is so much you can freeze! We freeze a lot of left over soup, we easily get two meals out of a batch of soup since there is only two of us. Here is a great resource on what and how to freeze a lot of common items.
Here is a link to a printable list of how and what to freeze. You do have to sign up for the email list to receive the printable.
Here is a third link on how and what to freeze.
Be sure to check out my Pintrest board, Leftovers, for more links to how, what, and what not to freeze.
3) Make Broth!
It is slightly cheaper to buy meats with the bones (and skin for chicken). Save those bones and some extra meat and make broth. I like to add some veggies to my broths, and I will save a lot of the skins, peels, and little leftover parts. I actually keep a bag in my freezer for them and when it is time to make broth I just dump it in the pot. You can also just make vegetable broth from the leftover scraps from everyday cooking.
4) Plan Ahead!
Similar to number 1, but schedule your leftovers. If I try to schedule them so that they don't just spoil. Here are a few of our meals that get a second life.
Ham to Navy Bean Soup
Roasted Chicken to Chicken Salad Sandwiches or taco meat or soup
Tacos to Taco Soup
5) Vegetables
Vegetable leftovers are a great way to "beef up" a meal. We have a side of steamed veggies with a lot of our meals. and I always steam extras to use in our next meal, just to help a make it rounder. You will be surprised at how great pasta sauce and broccoli and carrots go together.
What do you do with leftovers?
I accidentally used up leftovers from last night (crock pot roast) to make tonight's dinner (beef and veggie casserole.) The leftover gravy got mixed with the beef (cut into cubes) and I added some (a ton lol) of veg to spread out the meat. Then I mixed up a gf biscuit recipe and spread it out on top. TADAAAAA dinner in 20 minutes. :)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds a lot like something my mom would make, but would serve it over rice! YUM!
DeleteI totally freeze veggie odds and ends to make broth! And I also wish my freezer was bigger haha.
ReplyDelete