These Ways To Make Leftovers Go Farther are ideal for when you are on the last few days or weeks of your monthly grocery budget, or when you are choosing to follow our financial freedom plan and utilize a spending freeze. We’ve taught you multiple methods of saving money and how to become a minimalist to make that possible. We taught you how to cook inexpensive dinners from your pantry stock and how to make healthy, cheap lunches from your pantry. Now it’s time to look closer at your food budget and really stretch every bit of food you have as far as it will go. Check out all of our Spending Freeze Blog Posts.
Ways To Make Leftovers Go Farther
Add them to soups. Soups have always been known to be a great way to utilize leftovers. When you don’t have enough of any one item for a meal, you can easily combine a few things so you can stretch them farther. One of the best ways to make leftovers go farther is to add them to a broth with some fresh or frozen vegetables and your favorite seasoning blends. If you plan ahead, you can add bits of vegetables to a plastic freezer bag and have them easily on hand when time to cook.
Add them to casseroles. Rice, pasta and potatoes are all a great base for casseroles. They tend to be a great inexpensive method of stretching leftovers a bit farther. Add a meat, starch and vegetable together to create a casserole. You can include broth, cream soup, cheese or milk to provide a sauce and the much needed moisture to cook the starch. Chicken goes well with almost any sauce and vegetable combination. Chicken pot pie, chicken tetrazzini, lasagna, spaghetti bakes, tuna casserole and even beef stroganoff are all viable casseroles that can stretch a little leftover into another entire meal.
Add them to salads. Salad are an excellent choice for leftovers. Make creamy salads like tuna or chicken salad that contain the bits of meat you have leftover and some dressing and vegetables. A hearty salad full of lettuce, fresh vegetables and things like leftover corn, black beans, chili or grilled meats these will revitalize your menu budget. Our tips for how to afford organic foods will help you to manage having healthy vegetables on hand for these salads at all times.
Make a bowl. Similar to casseroles, but much easier, a rice bowl or pasta bowl is a great fast method of stretching leftovers. A bowl filled with fresh pasta or rice, a bit of sauce or butter and a bit of vegetables and meat is a complete meal that is hearty and stretches those smaller portions of leftovers into an entire meal in no time. Rice with vegetables, chicken and teriyaki sauce or soy sauce is a favorite. Potatoes or pasta as a base can also be a perfect choice for a hearty meal everyone will enjoy.
Whether you are paying off debt, working through a spending freeze or trying to learn how to lower your grocery budget with ease, these tips will help. Creating tasty menu items without spending outside your budget comfort zone just requires some imagination. Leftovers are the perfect way to stretch your budget and feed your family hearty meals everyone will love.
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