Five Simple Techniques to Get your Family to Eat Leftovers and Actually Like Them!

The antithesis of frugal living is throwing away food.  As we're striving to save money, such waste is practically painful.  Also, we've all heard the merits of "cook once, eat twice," and we all know the savings in time and money that come with buying and cooking in larger portions.  But honestly, whose family wants to see an encore of last night's fare?  Unless it's pepperoni pizza, very few.  Here are some ways to make them love it the second time.  All options below are health-conscious and wallet-friendly.  Try a few of these clever disguises to have them welcoming those leftovers:

Wrap it:  Use tortillas or flat bread to make fun wraps
Chop the leftover meat and vegetables into bite-size pieces and saute in a pan.  Serve with warm flat bread or tortillas, lettuce, and a cool dressing.  Depending on the original seasonings, you can give your leftovers a Mediterraneans flair with a little rosemary, cumin, and mint, and serve with a simple dressing of plain yogurt with lemon juice (add a little tahini paste if you have some).  Or you could prepare a veritable fiesta by spiking the filling with chili powder, cayenne, and lime juice, and dressing with a mixture of light sour cream and salsa.  Feel free to bring the warm ingredients--the seasoned meat and vegetables--to the table right in the skillet just like at the restaurant, and keep the wraps on a warm plate covered with a tea towel.  Present the lettuce, dressing, and any other toppings (shredded cheddar, sprouts, feta crumbles) in little bowls, allowing for assembly right at the table...dinner and entertainment!


Toss it:  Enjoy a tangy salad in the warm months
This works especially well in the summer with leftover vegetables.  Include chicken or fish only if you have some.  Before wrapping the poor, unwanted vegetables in
plastic and letting them sadly wilt to oblivion, take any remaining steamed or grilled zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, carrots, sugar snaps, cauliflower, etc. and toss them with your favorite vinegar and a splash of light oil to marinate.  Try balsamic for a more Italian idea, or rice wine for an Asian twist.  For their encore, you can serve them cold over greens (with or without meat) or you can quickly saute them in a skillet before adding them to create a heartier salad.  Check your pantry for any other possible additions such as mushrooms, olives, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, chickpeas, crumbled ramen noodles, or wonton chips.  Freshly ground pepper finishes it off nicely.  


Bake it:  Italian-style bakes never fail
With leftover meat and vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and/or spinach you can make a baked pasta dish they'll never guess wasn't Plan A.  Boil any kind of pasta, and toss it with your leftovers cut into bite-sized pieces, a little skim ricotta, and pasta sauce or canned, diced tomatoes with herbs of your choice.  Oregano, basil, and thyme work well.  Add a little Parmesan on top and bake at a low temperature (300-325) until it's warm and bubbly and just a tiny bit brown around the edges.  Add a salad and you're good-to-go.


Put it in a pie:  Don't be afraid of pot pie
It can be so much better than the lunch ladies used to make, without much trouble.  They key to a good pot pie is the sauce, and if you're not familiar with the basic white sauce, or bechamel, try it, because there's no more thrifty or delicious way to transform a dish.  (Find a recipe here.)  Again, chop your meat and vegetables, and put them in a shallow baking dish.  As you're cooking with leftovers and avoiding waste, don't forget that half glass of white wine left in the bottom of the bottle!  Add that to your sauce right before pouring it over the meat and vegetables.  Don't make the poor peas swim in it; just a light-to-medium dressing will do.  Top with either a homemade pie crust or a store-bought refrigerated one, press it tightly to the edges of the dish, and bake until warm, bubbly, and browned.  An egg-wash on the crust will make for a prettier, browner result.  This is a winter staple in our home.  It's a definite way to eat cheap that is tasty and homey.

Put it in your pocket:  Not your pants, a pita
This is a really good idea if you have too many leftovers to throw out, but not enough for everyone's dinner, as it makes an excellent lunch.  Don't even put the leftovers in the fridge yet, prepare this re-do as you're storing them.  Take pitas, halve them and open them.  Layer in your leftover chicken, fish, pork, or beef, followed by vegetables and salad.  Feel free to add the three last olives floating in  the jar, or a few mushrooms, or a shake or two of Parmesan.  Dress very lightly with an oil and vinegar dressing--just to keep everything moist, but not to sog the bread.  Then, wrap the pitas tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight.  Send them to work or school along with a pickle spear or chips, or enjoy them at home around the table.


All these tricks work well with meat and vegetables--your average family dinner that is frugal and healthy but not always exciting.  These repeats can add a good bit of variety to your repertoire without adding much expense.  And these, by far, aren't the only ways you can give new life to last night's efforts.  Once you get going with re-cooking, you'll think of many more techniques that suit your family's tastes--a stir fry over rice, soup or stew, or even grilled kabobs.

Some key money-saving tips for stretching your grocery dollars with leftovers:  

• With meats, abandon the convenience cuts such as chops, boneless/skinless poultry, tenderloins and cutlets, for larger, less processed meats like whole roasters or fryers, pork shoulders, and whole loins and pot roasts.  
• The cheaper pieces such as flank steaks and chicken thighs work well, too, and you'll be saving money wing over chop.  
• While fresh vegetables are marvelous, consider frozen if you haven't before.  They're much more thrifty, and are often actually fresher, as the "fresh" produce at your supermarket may have traveled miles to reach you and may not even be in season.  You'll also waste much less, as the peeling, seeding, and chopping have already been done for you, and you only take out and thaw what you need.
• Keep aromatics on hand.  Any of the sautes above will be enhanced by a little chopped onion, diced celery, minced garlic or shallot. Buy the cheaper ones in 5-lb. bags.  The individual vegetables are smaller, so you'll use a whole one each time.  And the rest of the bag will keep well for quite some time in a cool dark place.
• Seasoning is key.  If you do not have a variety of spices on your rack, this thrifty girl understands why.  Man, are those tiny jars expensive!  But honestly, it's with the seasonings that you keep your meals interesting and varied.  They can also add health value.  Try one new one at a time, and learn what it can do for your dinners.  You can learn more online about a variety of seasonings and their benefits.