- Tricia Nickl
Waste Not, Want Not. Uses For Every Day Leftovers!
We find ourselves in the situation all too often. We don't know how much food to cook to ensure we have enough to feed our family or guests. To air on the side of caution, we make too much – and are left with leftovers. Living in a world where many go hungry, throwing food out is not an acceptable option, so the trick than becomes: 'What can I make that can use up some of these leftovers without creating new leftovers!?'. The next modifying questions make it a little trickier. 'What can I make that is healthy?', 'What is different and not one of the same boring tastes I make all the time?', 'What foods can I incorporate so I am not just eating the same 7 foods all the time?'
Although there are numerous options out there, we find ourselves eating the same few foods over and over. Well below is a list of ways to use up some common leftovers. And thanks to the internet, there are many healthy versions to these recipes. Whether you are dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan or so forth - there are endless recipes to match the following suggestions. I hope this list is helpful and handy!
Bread – Bread pudding, stuffing, croutons, breadcrumbs, French toast, French onion soup, bruschetta, as filler in meatballs, in a casserole.
Mashed Potatoes – Shepherd’s pie, potato soup, to bind meatballs together or to cut the portion of meat down (filler), Perogies, gravy thickener, dumplings, potato crusts, in cakes.
Sweet potatoes – Sweet potato Gnocchi, mashed, pancakes, cupcakes/cakes/loaves, soups, cubed in a salad, stews, chili.
Rice – "Bowls" (i.e. noodle bowls), stir-fry, soups, stews, rice pudding, meatloaf, meatballs, stuffed peppers.
Chili – Nachos, enchiladas, tacos, Tex-Mex shepherd’s Pie, loaded baked potatoes, add to soup.
Ham – Ham buns, grilled ham & cheese, with eggs for breakfast, in Mac N’ cheese or casseroles, add to split pea soup, ham fried rice, white bean & ham soup.
Roast Beef – Beef stroganoff, beef barley soup, easy stew, hot beef sandwich, swiss/beef sandwich bakes, Shepard’s pie, curry dish, broccoli & beef stir-fry, fajitas, pulled bbq beef sandwich.
Pork roast – Pulled pork sandwiches, sweet & sour pork over rice, nacho topping, pizza topping, quesadilla, serve in mushroom sauce, in tacos, skewered as souvlaki.
Yogurt – smoothies, shakes, add to cakes/muffins, as a Greek souvlaki type topping for meat, as a topping, added to a cream soup, frozen yogurt pops, salad dressing, Waldorf salad.
Hummus – as a topping on a sandwich/burger, in a noodle dish, in a “bowl”, as a salad topping, mixed into deviled eggs, in mashed potatoes, in a wrap.
Bananas – loaf/bread/muffins/cupcakes/cookies/fritters, in a smoothie/protein shake, in an almond butter sandwich, ice cream, banana cream pie/cheesecake, pudding, crepes/pancakes, added to oatmeal.
Apples – dried slices, applesauce, baked apples, crisp/cake/muffins/fritters, dumplings, added to salad, added to panini/grilled sandwich, in a stuffing, in coleslaw, in oatmeal, lentil salad, Waldorf salad, juice it!
Most veggies - can either be made into soups, stews, stir-fry's or salads.
Most fruit - can either be juiced, made into a sauce, baked into a dessert or made into a frozen treat.
Many of these are ideas are interchangeable with different foods in other categories, and pretty much all of these ideas can be modified to suit sensitivities/allergies. Cooking doesn't have to be stressful OR expensive. Use what you have, use your imagination, have fun!
Hmm. Food for thought!
....Stay Healthy Friends! :0)
T xo
Tricia Nickl Holistic Nutrition & Iridology
