Efficient WAHM

Meal Planning-Plan for Leftovers

Posted on 22. Aug, 2009 by Mary Lutz in Archives, Time Management

photo credit: OiMax

The term “leftovers” can inspire thoughts of turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, and turkey casseroles that fill the days after Thanksgiving.  Leftovers do not have to be that boring, and the simple mention of the word doesn’t have to leave your family running for cover.

In fact, planning for “leftovers” ahead of time can make your meal planning for the week a lot easier.  If you are a busy mom, you know how hard it can be to come up with ideas for 3 meals a day, 7 days a week.  In this sub-method of meal planning, you can look at your week and create meals that play off of each other. Here are a few suggestions:

Spaghetti Sauce: On day 1, make a big pot of spaghetti and meat sauce. When the sauce is done, divide it into 3 portions.  For that night’s meal, use a portion of the sauce to serve classic spaghetti or a baked rotini dish (mix some cooked rotini pasta into that night’s sauce portion and place in a baking dish; top with mozzarella cheese and bake at 350 until cheese is melted).

On day 2, take a portion of the spaghetti sauce and thin it out with chicken broth; add some cooked rice and you have a tomato-rice soup for dinner.

On day 3, again, thin out the spaghetti sauce with a bit of chicken broth – but don’t make it too thin; then, add some chili powder, chopped onions and some kidney or chili beans. You can even do this in the morning and let it simmer in the crock-pot all day while you run your errands and chauffer the kids to their after-school activities.  You’ll have a great-tasting dinner ready for you when you get home.

Roasted Chicken: On day 1, roast a couple of chickens.  That night, you can serve a traditional roasted chicken with stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc.  When you are cleaning up that night’s meal, clean the meat off of both chickens and split into two more portions.

On day 2, use a portion of the chicken, some fresh veggies, a pizza crust and your favorite pizza toppings to make a healthy pizza. For a twist, substitute Alfredo sauce instead of traditional pizza sauce and create an Alfredo Pizza.

On day 3, you can combine the chicken with some sautéed veggies and chickpeas; serve over couscous for a Moroccan inspired meal.

Ground Beef: On day 1 brown 3 nights worth of ground beef (the amount will vary, depending on your family’s size); once the meat is cooked, separate it into 3 portions.  On day 1, add some taco seasoning to the meat and serve tacos.

On day 2, use the meat to make a hearty casserole, such as Shepherd’s Pie.  On day 3, warm the meat in a skillet along with some tomato sauce, a dash of soy sauce, a bit of brown sugar and paprika along with some chopped and sautéed onions and peppers and you have some easy and delicious Sloppy Joe sandwiches.

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Related posts:

1. Meal Planning-Cooking Day Tips
2. Meal Planning-Food Prep
3. Meal Planning Short Cuts
4. Meal Planning Strategy
5. Save Time with Meal Planning

Tags: leftovers, meal planning