Lucky is the cook who can predict exactly what her family will eat and make exactly that much food and no more. Or is she?
There are ways to make leftovers work for you! And that does not include serving the same thing over and over and over…unless that is what you and your family adore. (In that case, what are you doing reading this? 😉 )
My favorite use of leftovers is TV dinners. In fact, I try to make an extra serving or two make my TV dinners! A quick how to:
- Choose your container. For short term storage, which is what is needed for my family, I usually take a paper plate or bowl, depending on what the food it.
- Prepare a plate with the different items. Recently, I’ve done a few small pieces of chicken, some pecan rice, and broccoli on one plate, or some kung pao chicken over rice in a bowl.
- Then, cover the container with plastic wrap (so it can be microwaved) and last, foil (to keep it fresh in the freezer).
- Label and freeze.
These make good lunches (thaw the night before) and dinners when time is tight, too. And you don’t have to eat the same thing over and over again–it’s like a new meal when you thaw it.
Another interesting option is one I’m working more on, but still figuring out; intentionally creating leftovers to cook with. I did a whole chicken a while ago, and served the chicken one night and shredded the rest. The carcass can be turned into chicken soup. And two nights later, we had chicken enchiladas and my freezer got a chicken pot pie with leftover shredded chicken. This is a really interesting option, but definitely requires some more forethought (and cooked chicken recipes!)
There are some other possibilities for using planned leftovers, the simplest of which is making an extra meal some nights to freeze and serve at another time.
Any other ideas?
