Leftovers | Photo by Goodncrazy
If you’re like me, you don’t naturally gravitate to leftovers when searching for that next great meal.
And sadly, according to the US Health Department, Americans now throw away on average, 25% of the food they purchase. (The NY Times offers a great graphic showing the breakdown.)
Imagine if you could save 25% on your weekly food budget? Wouldn’t it be worth learning a few new tricks?
By putting just a few of these tips into regular practice, you can turn bland into grand and make those frozen TV alternatives a thing of the past.
- Plan ahead – one of the best ways to have great leftovers is to plan your meals accordingly. My Life and I have a number of meals on our menus that I know will naturally make good leftovers — and then there are others that I know we should cook less of because I know the leftovers will just sit and sit in the back of the fridge until we take the time to throw them out.
- Cheese – one of the easiest, all-around improvements you can make to most leftovers is adding cheese before you toss the leftover dish into the microwave. There’s something about cheese that can cover a multitude of “sins.”
- Bring on the hot – after cheese, my favorite way to spice up leftovers (literally) is with Tabasco hot sauce. Like cheese it can change a dish in a flash.
- Make tacos – add tortillas, shredded cheese and salsa and you can turn just about any left over meat into a great helping of tacos. Even fish sticks, chicken strips or salmon patties can make great tacos.
- Make a sandwich – if you prefer the more traditional route, toss your leftover meat onto a couple slices of bread, add a slice of lettuce, a dab of mustard and mayo and you’ll have a sandwich that will put any processed, pre-sliced meat to shame.
- Make a soup – if you have left over meats or vegetables, they’ll often go great in a soup or stew the next day — especially chicken or beef.
- Make an omelette – leftover meats and potatoes go great with a morning omlette or scrambled eggs.
- Add a bowl of rice – rice is a great staple food in many diets around the world. Adding rice to ground beef or chicken can give you totally different experiences, depending on what sauces or spices you add to the dish. Beans work essentially the same way.
- Make a salad – last night’s chicken is often today’s chicken salad at many restaurants — don’t forget this option in your home as well.
- Add a baked potato – many of your meat and vegetables leftovers will make great potato toppings as well.
BONUS: Italian Dressing – some people might not find this as appetizing as I do, but I LOVE Italian dressing and I’ve found it a great way to spice up many leftovers — especially casseroles or Italian and pasta dishes.
“You can be a chef with most anything — just let your imagination go.” My dad — the leftover expert.
Whatever your choice, find a way to put those leftovers to use and do your best to avoid those frozen TV dinners and unhealthy fast food lunches on the go.
What other strategies have you come up with?
10 easy ways to spice up your leftovers
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