Cooking with leftovers or using pantry items

[Night Elf]

Do you eat leftovers? I'll admit we always save stuff because throwing it out is wasteful, yet we rarely eat leftovers. They go bad and get tossed anyway.

 

Do you cook with everything in your pantry or do you always have stuff stocked that you never seem to use?

 

We are making our grocery list for our one big weekly shopping trip today. As I'm noting what we are out of, I'm really taking a good look at what we already DO have. I'm not even sure what to do with some of this stuff. For example, I have a can of chili beans, a can of red kidney beans, and a can of Rotel. I bought the kidney beans to make red beans & rice and then never did it. But I think I got the other 2 cans with coupons, thinking I'll use them and never finding a need for them. I have Bisquick because I used to love pancakes on the weekends but we don't do that anymore. I have 2 boxes of tea bags because I used to keep iced tea made all the time, but I haven't done that in a while either. These items have been pushed back in the pantry. I feel like we need to pull them out and use them.

 

We have leftover baked chicken. I think I'm going to fix a casserole tonight with the chicken and Rotel. I found some recipes online. I'm challenging DH to prepare meals with what we have. I must say, he and I both feel kind of clueless! :tongue_smilie:

[talk2ham.1]

I make lots more food than we need on purpose. I serve the dish and then wrap up the rest for the freezer so that by the time I serve it again, it doesn't feel like leftovers.

 

I feed my kids leftovers for lunch often. They don't know the difference and I feel like it's better than throwing PB&J at them every time they sit down for lunch. At least this way they get some variety.

 

Also, try supercook.com or allrecipes.com! I use these sites regularly to help me revitalize leftovers and whittle away at the pantry to keep from letting things go bad. Allrecipes has a generator that helps me find recipes for specific types of dishes with the ingredients I want to use in it while letting me exclude items I don't have in the pantry or just don't want in that recipe. This is helpful since DH has some very specific food aversions that are common in many dishes. This feature helps me weed those recipes out immediately while still finding the type of dish I'm looking for. I make my meal plan around what we already have and need to use up this way. So I can enter pasta and cream cheese as the main ingredients and exclude any dish that uses diced tomatoes since DH doesn't like tomatoes. I get very specific lists of recipes and can choose based on reviews and ingredients that look interesting for my family.

 

What I love about supercook.com is that I can use the database there to keep an extensive list of all the items in my pantry and it generates recipes for the things I can make with what I already have on hand. It also generates a list of grocery items that will be necessary if I want to broaden my recipe options a bit. I find I don't have to buy as much as I thought at the grocery store when I use this list since I can make lots of variety with the stuff I've already got in the kitchen. Also, I can highlight certain foods that I especially need to use up before they go bad and get recipes that use those foods specifically. It's a great tool!

[HSMom2One]

We are a very frugal family and cannot afford to waste food. I can get three meals out of one roasted chicken! We do eat leftovers, although occasionally we will miss that window of opportunity and we have to toss something. On the most part we don't let that happen though. Mostly, we eat leftovers from dinner for our lunch the next day -- or sometimes even for breakfast.

 

As for pantry items, try this: When you create your meal plan and grocery list, take a look at everything you have on hand in the freezer and pantry, then work those items into the list. Why not go ahead and make that red beans and rice dish you bought the beans for? If not, then there are many ways to use beans, especially when they are canned and you're in a hurry. Beans are great in salads, casseroles as well as with rice. One of our favorite meals is our version of goulash that has ground meat, onions, spaghetti sauce and kidney beans over pasta. It's both quick and delicious.

 

There are some foods that I try to keep in the pantry as staple items. As they get used, I just buy more when I shop. Beans are always in the pantry, as well as canned fruit, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste, canned milk, tuna, pasta, rice, etc.

 

With the constantly rising cost of living, doing things like this can and do make a huge difference.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[elise1mds]

I try to do a periodic pantry purge, too. I always try to incorporate any fresh veggies into the next week's menu, but the dry ingredients that I don't use seem to pile up. Things like black beans and kidney beans can be made into a quick batch of homemade refried beans. I enjoy the challenge of cleaning out the pantry, but it never seems to last very long. As soon as I get the pantry cleared out enough to see the back, I'll go to the store and start gathering extras all over again! It's a vicious cycle. ;)

[regentrude]

Of course we eat leftovers.

My mother was born in 1941, spent her childhood years hungry in war and post-war Germany and would never let any food go to waste - to her, that was unthinkable.

We try to do the same and not be wasteful. Usually, leftovers are reheated and eaten at the next meal or the next day.

 

I occasionally buy pantry items that looked good but end up not being eaten; those I usually donate before they expire. Staples get used up and don't go bad.

[Laura Corin]

We eat leftovers for lunches. I also cook leftover veg/potatoes with egg for breakfast.

 

Laura

[lisamarie]

Your beans and tomatoes would make a good chili.

 

Yes, we usually eat our leftovers. I even save the little bits left over--like one half serving of peas, a few pieces of broccoli, etc. Then I dump it into some other meal that I'm making. I will often specifically make a meal just to use up my bits and pieces of leftovers. Main dish leftovers almost always are eaten up for lunch.

 

I do have things in my pantry that we never use--usually things I got for free with coupons. But I'm working on using up my back stock before it goes bad. The key to this is rotating your stock. When I buy new, I put it behind the older stuff so the oldest can/box is always in the front. Twice a year I do a deep purge of the pantry and the usually the only things I end up tossing are things we wouldn't eat anyway because our tastes have changed.

[Night Elf]

Also, try supercook.com or allrecipes.com!

 

THAT is one of the coolest sites ever!

 

As for pantry items, try this: When you create your meal plan and grocery list, take a look at everything you have on hand in the freezer and pantry, then work those items into the list.

 

This. Thank you. We did normal shopping today but I kept in mind some of the things I would like to use. DH and I are already making up a list of meals we can cook. We haven't used a meal plan in years and he likes the idea of returning to it.

 

When I buy new, I put it behind the older stuff so the oldest can/box is always in the front.

 

That is a simple fix that never occurred to me! Now I need to go rearrange my pantry after today's shopping trip. :tongue_smilie:

[HSMom2One]

We did normal shopping today but I kept in mind some of the things I would like to use. DH and I are already making up a list of meals we can cook. We haven't used a meal plan in years and he likes the idea of returning to it.

 

That's great -- and it's so easy! This is what I do: Twice each month I make a list of 12-14 meals I'd like to prepare. The list always includes meals that use the ingredients I have on hand. From there I create my grocery list for everything else I'm going to need to buy for those meals, with the only exception to that being that some items I might like to buy fresh closer to the day I'll need it. I post the menu list on the fridge and choose which meal we want for that particular date and crossing it off the list as we go.

 

Several of my friends have said, "I wish I could be that organized!" But I don't understand because its very, very easy to do and saves a lot of time and hassle in the long run.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[Peela]

Although I do try to use whats in the pantry, and we do eat leftovers- we have a back up- they are called our chooks! So it doesn't feel like so much of a waste to throw leftovers, if they pass the 3 days in the fridge mark.

[morosophe]

Here's a confession: I love my food processor. And one thing I do with it is chop up leftover meat, when nobody can stand to look at it anymore. Throw it in the pot with plenty of taco seasoning, and my kids will take it on their tacos just fine. (This doesn't work for corned beef, by the way. Or at least I've never tried it.)

 

Here's another confession: I do this on purpose, now. I finally have a reason to make pork roasts. All those bland slices in the middle? Fodder for my food processor!

 

Not that this really helps you at all, but it's another consideration for leftovers, along with those good old soups and stews.

[Deb in NZ]

Left-overs = lunch or fried rice or soups or casseroles or wraps or pizzas, etc.

 

A roast makes 3-4 meals in our house even with teenagers. Meal #1 is the roast dinner. Meal #2 is a meat pie with left-over meat, veg., & gravy. Meal #3 is soup made from the bones & any veg. that looks to be getting past its used-by date in the fridge.

 

I purposely cook a bit extra when possible. Sometimes I freeze a portion for another meal on a busy night before I serve dinner to make sure there is enough left-over ;) I often pack lunch size portions to put in the fridge or freezer when I'm cleaning up from dinner. Ds#1 & I have microwaves available at lunch time, so left-overs are preferable to sandwiches. One night a week is soup night. I call it "pot a fer" to make it sound fancy, but it is really just a soup made from that week's left-overs with some fresh bread. We have a smorgasborg night wihen we seem to have a selection of left-overs that are enough for a serving each. It's first come, best choice on smorgasborg night. To keep left-overs from becoming boring I try to remake the left-overs into something new (fried rice, pizza, wraps, casseroles, soups, pasta dishes, meat pies, etc.)

 

JMHO,

[joannqn]

I very rarely buy anything that we don't use. Most of our meals are cooked from scratch so our canned/boxed items are limited to a single smallish cabinet, and the things in there are things we use often.

 

We have leftovers from most dinners. DH eats them most often. When I run out of Tupperware, I'll pull them all out of the fridge and do a leftover lunch or dinner. We still throw away too much, though.

[FrogMom5]

We eat leftovers. We make several meals out of one chicken, roast or pot of beans. For example, I make a pot of beans and we eat those with rice and salad. The next night, I make tostadas. The following night might be nachos or burritos. If we can't eat something before it spoils, we freeze it for later use.

Denise

[mazakaal]

I haven't read all the responses, but wanted to give you an idea of what my cousin does. Once a week, she serves all the leftovers, so everyone eats whatever they want from what's there. I never have enough leftovers to do that. I usually eat whatever leftovers we do have for lunch.

 

An idea for your pantry items. I frequently go on allrecipes.com and do an ingredient search. So I'll list chicken, rotel, and beans and get a list of recipes that use those items. Very convenient. :001_smile:

[iquilt]

We've never not used leftovers; that's the way I was raised. Dh was new to leftovers when we married, but was quickly won over to the frugal side as we were poor college students. Some of my favorite meals as a child were made from leftovers including chicken tetrazzini and meatloaf. We just had pork fried rice using leftover pork chops from the grill last weekend. When I make pizza I always make two, just the same amount of mess but now we have pizza for lunch the next day. I also shop using my menu plan for the week, using what we already have and adding what we need. I have a calendar for just meals and I use post it notes so that I can move the meals around easily. If the meal is on a post it that means I have everything I need to make that meal.

[DarlaS]

We definitely make an effort to use leftovers here.

 

Leftover chicken is easy. I keep egg noodles on hand and my kids love chicken soup. All I need add is some carrots & celery (maybe some soup base if I didn't save any broth. Add egg noodles and cook another 10 minutes or so.

 

Leftover roast beef almost always becomes stew.

 

I do have a hard time deciding what to do with leftover pork roast. I may try the taco idea.

[HSMom2One]

I do have a hard time deciding what to do with leftover pork roast. I may try the taco idea.

 

I usually make stir fry with pork, or I might add it to a sauce like sweet and sour then cook veggies and rice to go with it. Oh, another really good one for pork is BBQ pork on a bun. Shred the meat and add it to your favorite BBQ sauce, then serve it hot on hamburger buns, kaiser rolls or whatever bread you like with coleslaw on the side. Yummy!

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[DawnM]

I hate wasting food! I will find some use for it for *almost* everything.

 

Dawn

[Oakblossoms]

We hardly ever have meat around. I don't buy a lot of pantry items, but my MIL is always giving me canned and boxed meal stuff. So, I try to use it up. I have a bunch of canned veggies right now. On th enext coolish day I am going to dump them in the crock with some tomato soup or v8 and make soup.

 

I use the top shelf in the fridge for leftovers. When we had a freezer on the bottom I used the bottom shelf. That way they know what they can eat for a snack or quick lunch if I am busy. I actually bought a microwave a when I was pregnant with my last for that reason.

 

We don't feel well when we eat a lot of pantry stuff. So, I try to do more fresh stuff with some pasta, rice or beans here. We love our beans.

[DarlaS]

I usually make stir fry with pork, or I might add it to a sauce like sweet and sour then cook veggies and rice to go with it. Oh, another really good one for pork is BBQ pork on a bun. Shred the meat and add it to your favorite BBQ sauce, then serve it hot on hamburger buns, kaiser rolls or whatever bread you like with coleslaw on the side. Yummy!

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

 

Good ideas! Now I wish I'd picked up a pork roast today.

[Oakblossoms]

Had more thoughts. Leftover rice becomes Sushi ( my kids love it), fried rice, or put in the crock with coconut milk for rice pudding.

 

Leftover taco stuff can become taco salad, soup, or omelets.

 

Leftover stirfry can be added to noodles for yakisoba or stuff in wonton wrappers.

 

we really love to wrap leftover tofu, rice and veggies in tortillas. I usually add some teriyaki sauce to moisten. Then wrap them up for a quick lunch. We always serve sirachi with them.