Stretch Your Meals With Leftovers
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Let’s face it. As the cost of food continues to rise, stretching meals has become more important than ever. Since the great depression in the early 1930s, families have come up with creative ways to make the most out of ingredients to save money while still enjoying delicious home-cooked meals. Here are 10 ideas for stretching meals without sacrificing flavor or nutrition.
- Use leftovers in creative ways. Leftovers can be a great way to save time and money. Get creative and use leftovers to make soups, sandwiches, omelets, or even a casserole.
- Add beans and lentils to dishes. Beans and lentils are great sources of protein and fiber, and they are also very inexpensive. Try adding them to stews, salads, and other dishes to make them heartier and more filling.
- Bulk up your meals with vegetables. Vegetables are an economical way to add flavor, nutrition, and bulk to meals. Try adding them to casseroles, soups, and pasta dishes.
- Make casseroles and soups. Casseroles and soups are great for stretching meals because they can be made in large batches and frozen for later.
- Use cheaper cuts of meat. Cheaper cuts of meat, such as ground beef, chicken thighs, and pork shoulder, are often more flavorful and less expensive than pricier cuts.
- Make your own condiments. Making your own condiments, such as ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, can save money and is often healthier than store-bought versions.
- Substitute ingredients. Get creative and try substituting ingredients to make meals more affordable. For example, you could use ground turkey instead of ground beef, or try using cauliflower in place of potatoes.
- Freeze meals for later. Making larger batches of meals and freezing them for later is a great way to stretch meals.
- Make use of your pantry staples. Keep a well-stocked pantry of staples such as rice, beans, and canned vegetables. These ingredients are versatile and can be used to make a variety of dishes.
- Use smaller portions. Eating smaller portions is a good way to make meals go further. Try serving meals with smaller plates and bowls.
With a little creativity and planning, stretching meals doesn’t have to be a challenge. By following these 10 tips, you can save money, and time, while enjoying delicious tasty meals.
Here are more examples of how leftovers can be a great way to save time and money. Get creative and use leftovers to make soups, sandwiches, omelets, or casseroles.
- Use leftover cooked meat to make a hearty soup.
- Make a quesadilla using leftover chicken, cheese, and vegetables.
- Turn leftover rice into fried rice.
- Make a frittata with leftover vegetables and cheese.
- Use leftover mashed potatoes to make potato pancakes.
- Make a sandwich with leftover roasted vegetables, cheese, and greens.
- Turn leftover pasta into a salad.
- Use leftover steak to make tacos.
- Turn leftover roasted vegetables into a pizza topping.
- Use leftover cooked potatoes to make potato salad.
A subscriber described how her grandmother would commonly stretch meals by making six stuffed green peppers for dinner. She would set aside two of them to make her famous Spanish rice for the following day. To stretch the Spanish rice, she would make a lot extra to put in the freezer. When she had a bigger gathering, she would make tacos or a taco casserole and have her thawed Spanish rice as a side dish. Genius!
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