Stretching The Leftovers

Stretching The Leftovers

One of the ways that I like to save money on our grocery budget is by stretching our leftovers. When I make dinners, I make enough to feed my 3 person family for that night as well as leftovers for lunch the next day. We also have some contingency lunches, so there are days that I can utilize the leftovers for another meal. There are a couple ways to do this:

1) Restaurant Night: Save at least one serving from each dinner and freeze it. Eventually your freezer will fill up with many individual meals. You can have a fun "Restaurant Night" by going through your freezer and creating a menu of all the individual meals that you currently have. Then your family can pick which meal they would like to eat that night and all you have to do is heat it up. It is fun and convenient.

2) Second Meal: You can use your leftovers to create another meal entirely. Here are some examples:

• First night: Chili Second night: Chili Dogs or Cincinnati Chili (chili over noodles)
• First night: Tacos Second night: Nachos (left over taco filling over chips)
• First night: Mac and Cheese Second night: Beefy Mac or Mac and Weenies
• First night: Rice and Beans Second night: Rice and Bean Burritos (add meat, cheese, etc.)
• First night: Baked Chicken Second night: Chicken Stir Fry (add veggies)
• First night: BBQ Pork Chops Second night: Pulled BBQ Pork Sandwiches
• First night: Pot Roast Second night: Pot Pie (wrap meat and veggies in crust and bake)

If you use your imagination, the possibilities are endless!