"I typically try and plan out our meals for the week and then go to the grocery store. Sometimes work gets crazy so we end up eating out, but even if we don't, we inevidably have ingredient leftovers that will eventually go bad. Can you maybe plan out 5 different meals utilizing all of your ingredients? For example, we will make a pasta and only maybe use half a jar of sauce. We don't want to eat pasta 2 days so what to do with the leftover sauce? Or veggies, or anything. I would love to be able to make dinners for the week and not have portions of ingredients leftover that get wasted. Thanks!"
A:
First I would like to say that I regularly toss stuff that doesn't get used. I try to use as much as I can, but I'm still learning and I know it's par for the course if you are making your own meals. It doesn't bother me because I know that even with the waste, I'm still spending less $ per meal and eating better than I would if we went out. Plus I'm going to start composting soon, so the leftovers will provide fertilizer for my garden, but that's another matter.
Next, I would recommend planning your meals with the anticipation of leftovers. If I buy baby spinach for homemade pizza on Monday, I know we won't use it all. So I will plan to have sauteed spinach as a side on Tuesday or I'll toss it into a sauce for pasta on Wednesday. I think vegetables and produce are the items that go bad the quickest, so I try to use them within a few days of getting them, even if it takes more than one meal. OR, I intentionally make extra so that I have leftovers for work. For example, last night I made pasta with vegetarian meatballs. I could've just made enough for us for dinner, but I knew I could eat some for lunch (either today or later this week or I could even have frozen it for later) so I made the whole pack of pasta, and all the meatballs I could. If you have trouble using an item more than once because of lack of ideas, use google or a web search...that's what I often do. It's a great way to find new recipes you wouldn't otherwise look for. Great sites for recipes are eatingwell.com and wholefoods.com. You can put in an ingredient and diet specifications and get tons of recipe ideas. Enter "pasta sauce" or "tomato sauce" and you will probably get some good ideas. But here are a few that come to mind:
Next, I would recommend planning your meals with the anticipation of leftovers. If I buy baby spinach for homemade pizza on Monday, I know we won't use it all. So I will plan to have sauteed spinach as a side on Tuesday or I'll toss it into a sauce for pasta on Wednesday. I think vegetables and produce are the items that go bad the quickest, so I try to use them within a few days of getting them, even if it takes more than one meal. OR, I intentionally make extra so that I have leftovers for work. For example, last night I made pasta with vegetarian meatballs. I could've just made enough for us for dinner, but I knew I could eat some for lunch (either today or later this week or I could even have frozen it for later) so I made the whole pack of pasta, and all the meatballs I could. If you have trouble using an item more than once because of lack of ideas, use google or a web search...that's what I often do. It's a great way to find new recipes you wouldn't otherwise look for. Great sites for recipes are eatingwell.com and wholefoods.com. You can put in an ingredient and diet specifications and get tons of recipe ideas. Enter "pasta sauce" or "tomato sauce" and you will probably get some good ideas. But here are a few that come to mind:
- Pasta sauce over polenta
- A different type of pasta like baked
- Eggplant or chicken parmesan
- Eggplant or chicken parmesan or meatball subs, broiled in the oven so they are toasted and have bubbly cheese on top
If you can't find another recipe to use, don't feel like you have to use leftover ingredients immediately. Pasta sauce can keep for weeks if you seal it well. Use the fresh produce first. Meat and prepared dishes can easily be frozen for another time.
I'm also a big fan of meals made with leftovers. The easiest are casseroles, soups, stir fry and pasta. You can toss almost any leftover veggies or meat into any of these dishes. (Or you can put stuff on a homemade pizza or fold into an omelet.) If I have some veggies that are going bad, I'll make one of these items. That's one reason I always have pasta and rice on hand. I use them to make these dishes with whatever perishable items I have on hand. Couscous is also versatile and can be used to pull together or supplement a lot of meals. I've had some in my fridge that we used for probably 5 different meals over the course of a couple of weeks. I just tossed the last of it in the trash but didn't care because we ate so much of it.
It's pretty tricky for me give you a week's menu with specific recipes that you'll actually use, but here is a sample based on the idea that you made pasta last night:
Monday
Pasta with sauce from a jar.
Not sure if you did this, but you could beef up the sauce with fresh meat like ground beef or turkey and veggies like an onion, peppers, carrots, or spinach.
Tuesday
Chicken parmesan with mashed/baked potatoes and broccoli (fresh or frozen).
Pound the chicken flat, bread it and saute it with EVOO in a pan. Then place it on a cookie sheet and top with leftover pasta sauce and shredded mozzarella and broil for a couple of minutes.
Wendesday
Quiche with potatoes, broccoli and cheese. Simple spinach salad on the side.
Thursday
Homemade pizza with veggies and chicken (pesto or BBQ?).
Buy a pre-made crust or make your own. Layer with sauce or tomato paste, any fresh or sauteed veggies you have/like and leftover chicken breast. If the chicken is already cooked, pull apart with a fork and mix into a sauce like pesto or BBQ. If not cooked, cut chicken into cubes and saute with any sauce or seasoning.
Friday
Eat out or try soup and sandwich.
Prepare pre-made soup or make a quick soup using any leftovers. Potato soup? Broccoli and cheese soup? Carrot and red pepper? Chicken and veggies?
Make a panini with a George Forman or in a saute pan. Put cheese, any kind of meat, veggies, etc on bread which is lightly buttered, put sandwich together and cook on Forman until crisp and browned. You can keep it simple and just do cheese or cheese and lunchmeat or you can make it more elaborate (think Panera.)
On the weekend you can eat the leftover quiche with some fruit for a great brunch.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions. And if you try any of these suggestions, let me know how it goes.
I'm also a big fan of meals made with leftovers. The easiest are casseroles, soups, stir fry and pasta. You can toss almost any leftover veggies or meat into any of these dishes. (Or you can put stuff on a homemade pizza or fold into an omelet.) If I have some veggies that are going bad, I'll make one of these items. That's one reason I always have pasta and rice on hand. I use them to make these dishes with whatever perishable items I have on hand. Couscous is also versatile and can be used to pull together or supplement a lot of meals. I've had some in my fridge that we used for probably 5 different meals over the course of a couple of weeks. I just tossed the last of it in the trash but didn't care because we ate so much of it.
It's pretty tricky for me give you a week's menu with specific recipes that you'll actually use, but here is a sample based on the idea that you made pasta last night:
Monday
Pasta with sauce from a jar.
Not sure if you did this, but you could beef up the sauce with fresh meat like ground beef or turkey and veggies like an onion, peppers, carrots, or spinach.
Tuesday
Chicken parmesan with mashed/baked potatoes and broccoli (fresh or frozen).
Pound the chicken flat, bread it and saute it with EVOO in a pan. Then place it on a cookie sheet and top with leftover pasta sauce and shredded mozzarella and broil for a couple of minutes.
Wendesday
Quiche with potatoes, broccoli and cheese. Simple spinach salad on the side.
Thursday
Homemade pizza with veggies and chicken (pesto or BBQ?).
Buy a pre-made crust or make your own. Layer with sauce or tomato paste, any fresh or sauteed veggies you have/like and leftover chicken breast. If the chicken is already cooked, pull apart with a fork and mix into a sauce like pesto or BBQ. If not cooked, cut chicken into cubes and saute with any sauce or seasoning.
Friday
Eat out or try soup and sandwich.
Prepare pre-made soup or make a quick soup using any leftovers. Potato soup? Broccoli and cheese soup? Carrot and red pepper? Chicken and veggies?
Make a panini with a George Forman or in a saute pan. Put cheese, any kind of meat, veggies, etc on bread which is lightly buttered, put sandwich together and cook on Forman until crisp and browned. You can keep it simple and just do cheese or cheese and lunchmeat or you can make it more elaborate (think Panera.)
On the weekend you can eat the leftover quiche with some fruit for a great brunch.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions. And if you try any of these suggestions, let me know how it goes.
What I did: Make more grocery store trips per week. I'll hit up a grocery store once for a 'big' order, picking up staple items and food that stores well. I'll also stop on my way home twice more in a week for fresh veggies. The fun part of buying on 2 days worth of fresh vegetables is that they never go bad, and they're always fresh.
ReplyDeleteI personally do the same thing. That way I know I'll have the staples I need, and it allows me more flexibility throughout the week and creates less waste. My weekend grocery trips can be a little time-consuming (although I enjoy them), as I make the effort to choose the best products, the best price, and craft my meal plan for the week. But then during the week it only takes a few minutes to stop in and grab the perishable items. Thanks for sharing!
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