Using what you have

For as long as I have lived with my husband leftovers have been controversial. I often felt I was living in the book Green Eggs and Ham. He did not like them and he would not eat them. I would always respond with some version of “Try them, try them, and you may! Try them and you may, I say.” – Dr. Seuss (kinda fitting since my hubs and the good Dr. share the same birthday!) He inevitably won and I threw away a lot of perfectly fine food.

When you eat REAL food, the window of freshness is smaller and the price tag is a bit higher. Real produce isn't going to last a month in your fridge and still look fresh. You have to use that stuff quick or it will end up in the trash. I just HATE throwing $$$ in the trash. One of the ways that I save us money is by actually utilizing EVERY single item in the fridge and pantry including the dreaded leftovers!

Most of the time, I transform the items into completely different meals. This seems to be my husband’s preferred method. If I am being honest, on occasion I just reheat and serve.  You eat or you don’t. The weekends tend to feel like an episode of Chopped around here but I think that it’s kinda fun! J So, last Sunday afternoon we were being lazy and watching a movie in bed when He declared he was hungry. So we paused what we were watching, I headed to the kitchen and the timer began!

What I had in the fridge:

 a VERY small amount of porktenderloin and green sauce, ½ a grilled zucchini, ½ a yellow bell pepper, a green apple and a little quinoa. Not enough of anything for us both to have the same lunch. 

What I made: 

I very thinly sliced the leftover pork to make it stretch and laid it on a homemade whole wheat tortilla with a little Monterey Jack and diced yellow pepper for contrast in flavor and texture. I drizzled a tiny amount of green sauce over the whole thing, closed her up and cooked her in a dry nonstick pan until browned on the outside and melty on the inside.  Served it with ½ the apple sliced. For me I diced the 2nd ½ of the apple and added it to the quinoa along with the chopped grilled zucchini and the remainder of the yellow pepper. I mixed it with about a tablespoon of the vibrant green sauce to wake it all up. I Sprinkled it with a little feta for garnish. It would have been great to serve on a bed of mixed baby greens but I didn’t have any left so maybe next time.

Time it took: 

8 mins

It’s cool to see pieces from dinners and lunches throughout the week gel together in a whole new way.  Sometimes they are made into quick, simple and yummy meals like the ones above.  Other times they are transformed into something unrecognizable and delicious! Either way we are saving money by not eating out and not throwing away perfectly good food.

What tips do you have on saving money or using up leftovers?