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Reusing Food
By Daphne | January 30, 2008
Tired of pinching pennies? Leftovers got you down?
Instead of eating the same thing over and over, use some of your leftovers to make something entirely new with the ingredients you already have.
Last night I made a 1quart casserole dish of chilaquiles. I had never made this before though I had it several times. Chilaquiles can be made with eggs for breakfast or with meats and strips of dried tortillas. Think Mexican lasagne. Instead of buying ingredients, I used the scraps of tortilla chips I already had along with some cheese and voila a new dish. Making this was especially helpful because the temperature dropped about 20 degrees in a couple of hours yesterday. So I had some added heat from my oven while I was baking this dish.
A brand new dish with old ingredients. Reusing leftovers doesn’t have to be a terrible thing. Instead of making something new: Go ahead and freeze some of the food in smaller portions for a later date.
Food seems to be the one area that people can’t get around even when the economy is tight. Now is the time to add some new dishes to your cooking repertoire.
If you are tightening your budget and forgo eating out as much as you once did, eating does not have to be boring. Even if you buy quality ingredients with an inexpensive bottle of wine it will cost less than an evening at a restaurant. Frugal doesn’t mean that you can’t have the occasional roast or steak but if you don’t want to eat that over and over until it is gone, plan ahead and think about what you can do with the leftovers.
If you have part of a steak left over from a meal, cut it into small pieces and put it over some jasmine rice, some noodles or stir fry mix. You could also use some slices for a sandwich or for fajitas.
You can make something similar to your favorite food at home for less. You may like the fast food chain’s burgers but are they as good as your favorite burger joint’s when you are looking for a real burger? No! So, learn to make a favorite at home. Chicken sandwich more your style? Buy some boneless skinless chicken, season it up and go. Many prepackaged seasonings are available in lower sodium packets so you just add it to the meat of your choice and cook. Do not just buy the prepackaged, pre-seasoned meats that are near your meat counter. Even though they are already prepared…. they cost a lot more and you still need to cook them. The rotisserie chickens that are sold in most groceries can last you a while and you can use that as your starting point by adding a side, then using the leftovers anyway you choose.
You can save money by cooking and eating well at home.
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Topics: January 2008 |
February 1st, 2008 at 10:29 pm
I love your blog, especially this entry. I am trying to eat in more too, but sometimes I find it so hard. That’s such a great idea about using leftovers to make something else that is tasty.
I’m in Chicago too and it’s so tempting with all the good restaurants around, especially since I am a bit of a foodie.