That’s my motto most of the time. I’m on a big campaign to curb the amount of food that gets wasted around here. It most often happens because I prefer to have a hot lunch of leftovers at work rather than a sandwich or other typical lunch foods. Which is fine except I only work part time which means that more than half of the week I have to make enough leftovers for a second meal or suffer the consequences of the food going potentially uneaten. The whole thing is complicated by the fact that Ben’s views on lunch are the exact opposite of mine (although lately his view is shifting).
As a side note, my other big problem is my failure to plan meals ahead. I just can’t seem to get it done reliably. It’s a big problem because it means that if I’m feeling too tired or harried that we end up eating out (like we did on Monday) or ordering in. I like going out as much as the next person but it’s a treat I don’t like using it as a crutch.
Which all leads me to tonight’s dinner. Around 3 I started complaining to Erin that I had again forgotten to plan our dinner in advance. I complained a little more and then I thought and thought and thought about it. I ended up having to stop at the grocery store on the way home to pick up some reinforcements but I did manage to turn one and a half leftover pork chops into three servings and have it on the table in 20(ok, maybe 25) minutes. A quick stroganoff is one of my go tos for using up leftover meat. It makes for a quick and satisfying meal. Maybe one day I’ll write down a recipe but for now I’ll just tell you how it goes. Maybe you’ll try it one day when you’re scrambling for dinner ideas.
First I sliced a medium onion into half moons and browned them in a little olive oil over medium or medium high heat. Next I cranked the heat to high and added a package of button mushrooms sliced and seasoned with salt and pepper. While the mushrooms and onions were cooking I sliced the meat and tossed it into the pan to heat through. Then I added a few dashes of worcestershire and a good tablespoonful of dijon mustard and stirred that in. Next goes in about 1/4 cup of chicken broth. I let the mixture bubble for a minute or two until I’m happy with the amount of sauce that’s left in the pan. Turn of the heat, stir in a good dollop of sour cream and serve over egg noodles or rice.
I defy you to take a picture of this dish that leaves your mouth watering but all the same it was hot and homemade and pretty dang tasty if I do say so myself. What do you do with your leftovers?
We usually take them for lunch, or I leave them for my babysitters to eat on Monday and Wednesday. A lot of times I count on leftovers to have something to take to work, and then we eat it all the night before, so I end up with something boring like canned soup or tuna. My husband feels very strongly about not throwing food away, so he’ll eat something that’s on the verge of spoiling rather than toss it.
I’m a big leftovers for lunch fan too. I normally plan that in when I make dinners. My thing lately is the freezer. I make big batches of soup…taco meat…sloppy joes…so many things. We’ll have it for dinner then I throw it all immediately into the freezer. Scott’s not as big on leftovers as I am…but put a week in between those meals, toss in the fact that the leftover dinner from the freezer takes 15 minutes to put on the table…and I have a winner!
Plus…before veggies go bad, i’ve started chopping and freezing them. Then I have a whole boatload of “fresh” veggies to go in soups, fried rice, whatever.
i’m officially through day 9 of lunches brought from home. VERY proud. However, don’t think I can do it tomorrow. Must buy lunch…MUST!
as a sidenote…last night we wound up eating pancetta pea pasta. I know you aren’t a big pea fan, but this pancetta from Trader Joes is the perfect thing for a quick dinner (and pancetta is just so damn tasty). it’s already diced and can go straight from the freezer to the frying pan. LOVE it. I normally buy like 6 packs at a time and just have it stocked up in the freezer. Along with the pizza dough. Can’t get easier than that!
I am looking for some idea and stumble upon your posting :) decide to wish you Thanks. Eugene
i’m horrible with leftovers. it’s really sad how much food gets wasted in our house. i much prefer to have fresh, hot food. my hubby has been diligently working to eat all leftovers… i think the secret to not wasting food in my house is to not make such big portions.
I’m so anti-wasting food that I’ve stopped shopping all together. I haven’t been to the market/produce stand in almost 2 weeks and while I don’t have anything that I can just heat and eat, I still have plenty of food for dinner and leftovers lunch.
Also, why is it that brussel sprouts never really go bad? They could be the perfect fresh vegtable.
I grew up as the family cook and have a hard time cooking in quantities for less than 6 to 8 servings. Since there is only DH and myself, this is a problem if we don’t want the same dish for 3 or 4 meals in the same week. Because I forget to put stuff in the freezer – or else it’s a recipe that doesn’t really suit freezing – we try to eat leftovers for lunch or repurpose them into something “new” like you did with your stroganoff. For instance, we had butternut squash risotto yesterday. Leftover risotto is not that great, so this evening, I will form the leftovers into patties, coat with cornmeal and lightly pan-fry before topping with a fresh tomato sauce.
For single lunches, I like to keep extra cooked grain or starch on hand (rice, pasta, potatoes) so that I can top it with bits of leftover veggies and zap it with a little cheese for a mini casserole.
Another thing I did was get a crockpot cookbook with recipes intended for 1 to 2 people. This is helping me get better portions so that we have smaller quantities of leftovers.