Plan Leftovers to Save Your Sanity (and your dollars)

‘Tis the season to roast turkey! Fa la la la la la la la la! What to do with all that turkey? Fa la la la la la… halp?

And since it is the time of year when a lot of people begin to flail about what to do with leftovers, it seems ideal to talk about not only how to use them, but how to plan them.

That’s right, I said: Plan To Have Leftovers.

This is oftentimes called cook once, eat twice. And we’re not talking about reheating the same food. We’re planning ahead to save ourselves time and energy when cooking.

Sticking with a poultry theme, let’s take the delicious roast chicken, or possibly even a rotisserie chicken because you just do not have the time to roast it yourself. Fair. Very fair. You’re not likely to eat the whole chicken in one meal, at least, not by yourself. But you knew this in advance and made plans to use the rest of the chicken meat to shortcut cooking butter chicken.

Mmmmmm, butter chicken with rice…

Ahem. Where were we? Ah yes, planned leftovers. Maybe you don’t like butter chicken, though. (It’s okay, we can still be friends.) But you do like quesadillas. Shred that chicken to make them! Have some on hand too to whip up fried rice.

On the subject of fried rice, this is actually one of those foods you want to have cooked ahead of time. Because the rice does best if it’s already cooked and chilled, which prevents it from turning into a gummy mush in the skillet. Brilliant you! You had the leftover rice planned after takeout night or making Egg Roll in a Bowl.

Moving on to Egg Roll in a Bowl. I personally use sausage in mine, sauteed with some diced onions. I cook a whole pound of sausage and then pull out about 4 ounces to stow for later in the week. Later being naan pizza night. I use the already cooked and saved sausage on top of the pizza, saving myself added time cooking the same ingredient a second time.

This process works great for other plans too. When cooking your onions and mushrooms for your pasta, go ahead and save some and use it as the filling in your morning omelet, or better still in a creamy quiche, along with the remaining Feta from Greek Salad Night.

But Momma, isn’t this the same as repurposing leftovers?

They are similar, but they are not the same. There’s a place for repurposing. When you’ve made too much of something and need to find a way to use it so there’s no waste. Planning is different. It’s intentional. It’s you being in control of your kitchen, your cooking, and your spending. Rather than coming from a place of having to repurpose on the fly, Planned Leftovers is knowing in advance how to make your cooking flow better. It’s a change in mindset. And it’s more peaceful.

…unless your teenager snacks your planned leftovers. Not that I know anything about that. >_>

Teenagers or hungry roommates aside, this kind of planning ahead can save you time and money. You’re not cooking the same base twice, so you’re not out the energy costs of cooking it the second time. Not to mention, you don’t end up buying both the whole chicken to roast, and then a package of chicken breast for recipe #2. And you’ve already done the prep work, so now it’s one less step in tonight’s dinner making.

And let’s not forget the best planned leftovers of all: Tacos!

One of my favorite shortcuts is using the meat from Taco Tuesday in my Taco Salad on Wednesday. And any unused taco shells can be crumbled into the salad for that satisfying taco crunch. Two days of taco deliciousness! I’ve also used the leftover taco meat to make Taco Mac and Cheese, Taco-Stuffed Bell Peppers, and Taco-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Cojita. All delicious, and I only had to cook the protein portion once for Taco Night.

So the next time you sit down to meal plan, have a thought about what you can make to use in multiple meals. Be intentional. And be creative!

Eat well! Love, Momma

Oh, and if you’re still wondering what to do with all that turkey, check out my previous post about making Turkey Pot Pie.