There are two ways of looking at my cooking methods--kind of like the "half full or half empty" glass, I choose to believe the half full, "Smart Cook" view!
I use Planned Leftovers alot. You know, cook once, eat twice. Though not a big fan of casseroley foods (ate too many as a kid!) they do have their place. Following are some easy examples, and I'm sure you can think of many more that would work for your family. The trick is to cook up more of the meat (or main dish) than you need for one meal. It takes NO extra time.
Day One: Grilled Chicken (Grill twice as much as you will need for one dinner) I like to marinate them in Italian Dressing first - YUM!)
Day Two: Using the leftover chicken breasts, make
- Fajitas (saute onions and peppers, heat up some beans and throw on some tortillas)
- Chicken sandwiches on buns (open a can of baked beans, chips)
- Chicken/veg Medley over rice (saute up whatever veggies you have on hand, onions a must, add sliced chicken right at the end to heat, and serve over rice.
- Chicken/veg Medley over drained Top Ramen Noodles
- Soup
Day One: Pot Roast in Crock Pot (Get a large roast)
Day Two:
- Shredded up pot roast/gravy sandwiches or over rice
- Use meat with barbeque sauce for BBQ Sandwiches
- Baked potato topping/ salad
Day One: Ham with some kind of potato
Day Two:
- Pasta salad with ham pieces
- Scalloped potatoes with ham
- Baked potato topping
- Ham sandwiches
- homemade pizza with ham topping
Other ideas:
- grill up extra hamburgers/hotdogs, store in ziplock. (Grilled hotdogs taste sooo much better, even reheated)
- Make a huge pot of spaghetti sauce, freeze into meal-size portions.
- Ask Katherine for her White Chicken Chili recipe and make a bunch of it. (Or, use the recipe on the back of Bush's Navy Bean cans)
You get the idea. I really only cook an original meat about 3 times a week, and use the cooked, leftover meat for reincarnated concoctions. By using the planned leftovers, everything usually tastes fresh, especially when you add a fresh salad or vegetable each time.
Lazy or Smart, it works for me!
Rachel Anne
