Continued from Part 1
Leftover Magic for Families
As for large, busy families, yes, you can certainly freeze the leftovers to have another time, but with a little bit of advanced planning, you can come up with a couple of days of menus in minutes.
Let’s look at what is happening in your house now. You prepare a roasted pork loin and rice for dinner one night. The family wants something else for dinner the following night, so the forlorn and soon forgotten pork loin gets pushed to the back of the refrigerator.
Normally, that’s where it will stay until you clean out the fridge, right? But not anymore. That is a total waste of time, money, and energy. With a bit of forward planning when you shop, and some creativity, you can spin your leftovers into something everyone will want to eat, not throw away.
Eating leftovers the way they were originally served is probably what’s turning family members off from wanting it again the next night. Therefore, don’t expect them to want it again exactly the same way.
Instead, chop that pork loin up into bite sized cubes, and take your leftover rice as well if you have any. In a large skillet or wok, stir fry the leftover rice with a bag of frozen veggies, an egg, and some of the chopped pork loin to make pork fried rice. Add a little soy sauce and you’ve got a whole new dinner for your hungry family.
This is just one way that leftovers can be turned into a new dish with a new flavor. The same can also be done using chicken, seafood, or beef. Stirfry is a great way to use a wide variety of ingredients as well, and best of all, you don’t just have to use rice. You could make the same dish with left-over plain boiled spaghetti, making a great lo mein noodle dish.
Let’s take a look at beef next.
If you have hamburgers leftover from dinner one night, crumble or chop them up until they resemble ground beef again. The meat can be combined with chili powder and taco sauce to make beef tacos.
Or, you could add some kidney beans, chopped peppers and tomatoes, and sauce to create a pot of chili. If you have the imagination, there are an unlimited number of possibilities of what you can do with meats and side dishes from a previous night’s dinner.
Using a little leftover magic can make one meal last for two, three, or even four more days. But, you don’t have to eat it all in the same week. Fix a new meal with the leftovers and freeze it until you are ready to have that particular meat again. On that day, dinner will already be made and all you’ll need to do is heat it up. You will have a great meal in minutes for you and the whole family.
Your family will be amazed at your ability to transform any meal into a new creation they will enjoy. Besides that, you will save money on your grocery bill. Your leftovers won’t end up in the trash can as spoiled food. Try these and similar ideas to expand your family’s palate, and your time and budget.
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