Planned Leftovers – Ideas Needed, Please

When I buy any type of protein I try to plan on getting several meals out of it. So If I grill chicken for mondays dinner than I make enough for salad with grilled chicken on tuesday and for grilled chicken tacos for wednesday. This works well in my house because even though we are using at least one of the same Ingredients several days in a row it doesnt seem like it. I find the Rachel Rays new show a week in a day ( or something like that) has some great ideas.

Instead of making enough of one meal to last for 2 days, try to reinvent part of the meal so that they aren't eating the exact same thing. Like with the spaghetti. Make extra the first night and then use the leftovers in a spaghetti pie the second night. Or do a whole chicken in a crockpot, then use the leftovers for chicken quesadillas or tacos the second night. Those are just a couple ideas, but go with your family's favorites, and try to think of another meal that uses basically the same ingredients in a different way. Try google for good ways to use leftovers. Good luck!

the key to feed my family leftovers - trick them into thinking its not leftovers.

I don't have the exact same thing when I plan leftovers for meals. If I had made spaghetti, for instance, I would make a double batch of noodles and only sauce half of it. Put the rest in the fridge in water. The next night I would've made that into lomein with a little soy sauce, chicken, and veggies. SO, it's the same ingredient but a totally differant flavor. In this case, not having enough, I would've made chicken parm on a bed of spaghetti. So it stretches and it's not the main component.

BBQ grill is great for planning leftovers. When I have the colas hot, I cook every piece of meat in the house. Start with the denser thicker meat and bone in items that take a long time, then burgers and finally on to sausage and hotdogs that dont need as much heat. After everything cools you can portion it into freezer bags. I put a bag of cooked hotdogs in the crisper for a quick reheat. Freeze the sausage links so I can pull them out and chop into other dishes or serve on a bun with sautteed peppers and onions. I make double or triple the chicken I need. We eat the chicken as entree one night and the next night make a wrap, or turn it into fajitas, or put it on a salad or put it on alfredo noodles, or all the other 1000s of things grilled chicken is good for.

Tracy K has the right idea. And even if you serve the same thing over, don't do it the next day if anyone objects. Serve Mondays left overs on Thursday, not Tuesday. Wednesdays leftovers on Saturday, etc.

There are some things I like better the second day, like lasagna. If you grill, do a two chickens on Saturday. One for Saturday and one as cold chicken for Tuesday.

Good luck to you and yours.

I would make sure you cook something that can be turned into something else - that will help keep boredom at bay! For example, a roasted chicken can become chicken quesadillas in a snap. Also, there are a lot of resources on freezer cooking (cooking ahead and freezing prepared meals). Personally, I don't have an entire day to devote to freezer cooking and I doubt you do too so I really like www.moneysavingmom.com - she has recipes and info on 1 hour freezer cooking sessions which yield a ton of food. I have found that dedicating an hour on Sunday makes my whole week go much smoother! I think she has a button at the top of her page that is labeled freezer cooking or from my kitchen - something like that - then look for the one hour stuff. Good luck!

Leftovers last a couple days in the fridge. This is what I do: I cook Monday Tues and Wed. Leftovers of all 3 days on Thurs, Family movie and pizza (frozen and salad) night on Friday and "easy" meals on Sat/Sun. I live in the dessert and don't cook (no oven) in the summers so I have found some easy recipes to do in the summer. Lots of sandwiches, salads, eggs, turkey burgers on the forman grill, tacos, tostadas, etc. I have also gathered off this site recipes that others have posted under "easy" recipes. Send me your email if you want it and I'll send it to you. :o)

I like to do crock pots. Also, I usually do cook at least double what they're going to eat most of the time when I cook. You'll get used to how much to make.

I would not do the leftovers the next night. Most families are going to moan and groan if you do that too often.

Most leftovers really are good for a few days, so my system is more like MzKitty's. I usually cook a lot on Sundays. Sometimes I heat up the same thing for everyone. Often times I tell them what the options are and let them pick. Our boys are still little and don't like their food too hot, so I warm theirs first and then the plates for me and my husband. It sure does make it easier to have all the food ready at the same time :-)

Tacos one night and taco salad the next (or nachos, burritos or quesadeillas:

taco meat, cilantro, tortillas, cheese, onions, salad, sour cream, chips, beans and lettuce can make.

Week in a day!

day 1
Baked chicken quarters, rice and veggie
Day 2
Potato soup
day 3
Pasta w veggie marinaiea
Day 4
Italian Sausage bun
Day 5
Chicken soup
Day 6
Ministrone

- Roast 4-6 Chicken quarters or whole chicken in oven

-brown/saute a bunch of celery and onion in pot.

-have 2 chicken quaters for dinner, then set the rest to cool and pick.

-seperate celleryand onion in to threee parts, put into 2 in pots on stove and set third aside


Pot 1 chicken soup
chicken bones, ect and water to make stock.
strain, then add carrots
celery and onions
and chicken meat

Pot two2 potatoe soup
celery onion
add carrots and potatoes and water/cream

Pot 3 italian marinaira
celery and onion
brown 2-4 italian sausages whole
add mushrooms/veggies and red wine
diced tomatoes, and tomatoe sause
italinian seasoning

______________________________

day one make your veggies and some extra rice and eat baked chicken.
save extra rice

day two make pasta, but leave the saugages in pot and have pasta and marinaira

day three have your potatoe soup

day 4 fish out the sausage and put in a nice bun with veggie marinara on top with cheese, broil to melt cheese. add salad?
save extra sause

day 5 chicken soup
save left over soup broth

Day 6 add left over chicken soup broth to left over marinara, add can of black Beans, rice, and or pasta. Boom, minestrone!

Day 7, have your husband take you out to eat, cause you have worked your tail off!!!!!!!!!!!
;)

Check out Sandra Lee on foodnetwork.com. She has a section called Round 2. It is recipes from left overs.

Hope this helps!

Spaghetti sauce can be use in several ways. French bread pizza-buy a loaf of french bread, slice in half length wise top with sauce peperoni or Italian sausage and whatever pizza topping you like add cheese --put on cookie sheet and pop in oven, center, under broiler. When done slice, add salad enjoy. I call it poor man's lasgne in a large casserole or dutch oven layer sauce elbow macroni cheese ending with sauce and cheese on top, cover, put in oven at about 350*-400* about an hour, could be made in a slo-cooker too.
On weekends make a huge batch of soup, freeze some it, reheat the rest. Can also be taken for lunch at work.
Left over macroni put in big bowl add cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, sliced black olives, onions, green pepers, even baby carrots cut up can also add tuna or canned salmon. I like the Wishbone Aisian Seasme Ginger Vingerette Salad dressing (low fat)
Left over beef roast can become hot beef sandwiches, heat the meat put in deep bowl use hand mixer to break up the meat stir in gravy, reheat. Use to top leftover mashed potatoes or as open faced sandwiches add a veggie and salad. Chicken or turkey or pork works too.

When making rice or pasta, always triple the recipe and freeze portions in ziploc bags.

Always make a HUGE batch of spaghetti sauce and freeze portions in ziplocs. Use this not just for spaghetti, but think about meatball sandwiches, pasta w/ Italian sausages, chicken parmesan, baked pasta dishes, etc. Pull out the ziplocs about 2 days before and thaw in fridge.

If you make your own meatballs, make a HUGE batch. I do 6 lbs of hamburger meat at a time. Bake the meatballs on foil lined rimmed cookie sheets - much easier than doing in a frying pan. Again, freeze in smaller portions in ziplocs. These can be used for meatball sandwiches, pasta, put in crockpot frozen with cream of mushroom soup and serve w/ egg noodles. I even crumble mine up and make shepherd's pie. Warm up the crumbled meatballs w/ ketchup, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, dried thyme if you have it, frozen peas and carrots. Put in a casserole dish, top w/ mashed potatoes (I use instant and add a little sour cream) and bake 350 for about 30 mins. You can also put shredded cheddar on top.

Make up large amounts of cooked chicken breasts in your crock pot. I prefer the ones on the bone, more flavor than the boneless-skinless. Put as many as your crockpot will hold, cover w/ water and cook on high 2-3 hours or low 6 hours. I do this on the weekends when I'm going to be home during the day. Shred, cube or leave whole and freeze. Use this for tacos, enchiladas, soup, stir-fry, casseroles, salads.

I work full time but it is very important to me that we sit down as a family almost every night with a home cooked meal. But I do take shortcuts whenever I can!

Monday - Baked chicken breasts & rice (make extra chicken & rice for Wed)

Tuesday - Tacos (brown extra hamburger for spaghetti sauce)

Wednesday - Chicken quesadillas & spanish rice (made using leftover rice from Monday)

Thursday - Spaghetti & salad (use leftover lettuce/tomato/cheese from Tues)

Friday - pizza night (homemade with any leftover meat or frozen or take-n-bake)

Saturday - leftovers