Tag Archives: leftovers

Leftovers: Good Idea or Bad?

Growing up I hate leftovers and would do everything I could to avoid them. Now, as a mom of three, I’ve made my peace with leftovers and try to use them in creative ways. (Here are some ideas for Unconventional Leftovers.) But, are leftovers really a good idea? Let us take a look. Leftovers Can Make your Sick (BAD) Since I hate wasting money, I’m reluctant to toss out food. Taken too far, this could make me sick, when leftovers are too old or haven’t been stored properly. Getting leftovers refrigerated or frozen immediately, labeling leftovers with a date, and … Continue reading →

Eliminating Food Waste: Leftovers for Lunch

Winter is a great time for converting your leftovers for lunch. While a cold sandwich or a salad might be fine for the summer, winter’s temperatures often bring appreciation for a warm and heartier meal. Plus, when you have leftovers for lunch, you are eliminating food waste. Eliminating food waste means eliminating the cost of additional food, as well. Many people turn their noses up at leftovers. It is okay. I used to be one of them. One way to solve this is to freeze any leftovers you have and then bring them back out on another day. Of course … Continue reading →

Creative Leftovering

I’m a master of the sneak. I like to make sneaky menus that incorporate a little bit of last week’s menu. What’s on the table this week? Baking with leftovers. I baked a banana bread with all of the little bits of flour left in containers in my cupboard. I also put in a few halves of bananas, since my daughter only eats half of one at a time. Since she likes chocolate chip banana bread, I put crumbled up some chocolate cookies that we got for Christmas and placed them into the dough.Bread pudding is another good way to … Continue reading →

Taking Care of Leftovers

I have blogged before about the alarming amount of food waste in America.  But, I am guilty as well.  We often don’t finish an entire meal and leftovers go in the fridge, only to be thrown out later because we don’t want to eat that same thing again so soon. Freezing food, even leftovers, is always an option.  But, I always worry about freezer burn, which ruins the food.  What can we do to alleviate freezer burn?  Well, there are plastic bags that are airtight, helping you avoid freezer burn, but what if you are trying to avoid plastic?  Some … Continue reading →

Meat Pancakes

One of the things I loved as a kid was when Mom made meat pancakes. It is a great way of using up leftover roast meat. It was one of those casual meals we often had for Sunday evening dinner. I just assumed all families knew about meat pancakes. When I married Mick he’d was skeptical at first, as he’d never heard of such a thing, but he soon became a big fan of them. Often we have cold roast beef or lamb with salad for lunches but the other day when we’d had roast beef he said, ‘Make sure … Continue reading →

Last Call For Thanksgiving Leftovers

Are you still eating Thanksgiving leftovers? I posted a few simple, affordable and tasty ways you could breathe new life into leftover Turkey Day dishes, but I wouldn’t suggest you use any of them after tomorrow. According to health experts at the Mayo Clinic, you should not eat refrigerated Thanksgiving leftovers after Tuesday, December 1st, in order to prevent food poisoning. Doctors say they see an increase in food poisoning cases in the first weeks of December due to people eating spoiled Thanksgiving leftovers. Food poisoning (also known as food-borne illness) is caused by bacteria in contaminated food. Symptoms can … Continue reading →

Ways to Jazz Up Thanksgiving Leftovers

Last night my 5-year-old devoured so much Thanksgiving turkey she actually declined dessert. (Cue the choir of angels.) As hard as it is to believe, my little turkey was so stuffed from eating nutritious dishes that she actually passed on her favorite pumpkin pie. Thanks to my daughter’s voracious appetite, I have less leftover turkey than I had anticipated. (Cue the angels again.) Still, there’s some holiday bird left and I don’t plan to waste any of it. The leftovers will be used in other dishes that will be eaten in the coming days. If you are looking for ways … Continue reading →

Tips for Livening up Your Kid’s School Lunch

For some kids back-to-school means back to eating the same ol’ peanut butter and jelly sandwiches five days a week. If you pack your child’s lunch every day, then you know how challenging it can be to come up with new and exciting options your kid will actually eat (and not trade for cookies and chips). Instead of spending the next eight months packing PB&J, consider breaking out of the sandwich rut with these ideas: * Leftover pizza * Leftover pasta * Leftover fried rice * Soup in a thermos * Brown rice salad with nuts and veggies * A … Continue reading →

Ideas for Easter Leftovers

Easter may be over, but you’d never know it looking in your refrigerator. If you made enough food to feed an army, then you might be dealing with a mountain of leftovers, especially if your guests filled up on Easter chocolate before sitting down to dinner. Don’t let those holiday goodies go to waste. Instead, consider using the following recipes to breathe new life into Easter leftovers, including eggs, ham and asparagus: EASY OMELET Ingredients: 1/4 cup yellow onion, caramelized 3 sausage links, cooked and diced small 3 slices bacon, cooked and chopped 2 tablespoons clarified butter 6 large eggs, … Continue reading →

Frugal Food: Three Ways to Do Leftovers

Whether your leftovers are planned or just accidental, they can help you to save money when you actually use them instead of tossing them, as most people tend to do. Here are three different ways you can do leftovers. The Bait and Switch If you go for a restaurant meal, each order a favorite and then when it arrives, halve each plate so that you only plan on eating half of the meal (fill up on any bread and salad that is brought to the table). Get the other halves of your meals to go and plan on eating them … Continue reading →