I’m officially waging war on the leftovers in our fridge! Look at this…….
That, my friends, is what I had to THROW AWAY the last time I cleaned out our fridge. I hate throwing away food, especially when it’s something that we’ve taken the time and energy to cook.
That was a couple of weeks ago. Since then we’ve done a decent job of keeping up with the leftovers. But they’ve grown out of control again. So my goal this week is to tame the leftovers. Here’s how we’re going to do it.
Monday
Breakfast:
Homemade Granola (Amy’s Lazy Granola Recipe)
Lunch:
Chicken Salad and Kashi Pita Crisps (made with leftover rotisserie chicken)
Veggies & Dip
Dinner :
Leftover BBQ Chicken
Pasta Salad with TONS of veggies (using up some of what’s in the produce drawer)
Tuesday
Breakfast:
Scrambled omelette (scrambled eggs with sweet peppers and mushrooms)
Toast
Lunch:
Leftover Southwest Chicken Wraps
Corn
Dinner:
Bean Soup
Homemade Corn Bread
Wednesday
Breakfast:
Pancakes & Fruit
Lunch:
Leftover Pizza
Dinner:
Leftover Bean Soup & Cornbread
Thursday
Breakfast:
Homemade Granola
Lunch:
Soup & Fruit
Dinner:
Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
Green Beans
Friday
Breakfast:
Leftover Pancakes
Lunch:
Loaded Baked Potatoes (making extra on Thursday)
Veggies & Dip
Dinner at our friends’ house
Saturday
Breakfast:
Cereal & Fruit
Lunch:
Quesadillas
Veggies & Dip
Dinner at church
As you can see, I’m being more intentional about planning breakfast and lunch each day. I think it makes us use up what we have when I do that. It keeps the mystery Tupperware from lurking in the back of the fridge, only to be dug out on trash night.
I’m considering something new for next week’s meal plan. Jason has been going with Emma to her Christmas musical practice on Sundays. It lasts from 11:00 to 1:30, meaning that this mama has 2 1/2 hours of the house to myself. I’m considering using that time each Sunday to whip up the meals for the week. Then I’ll stash them in my freezer and pull out what I need each day. I’ve never cooked for just one week like that, so I’m not sure how that will work. Maybe I’ll live on the edge and do two weeks at a time. Who knows? I just want to make dinnertime work with less work!
If you need some menu planning inspiration, stop by Menu Plan Monday over at I’m an Organizing Junkie.
You can do it!!! I’ve been prepping my dinners for the week on Sunday afternoons since January and it has been such a lifesaver! I actually keep most of them fresh in the fridge not the freezer! I post all about it each week… I’ve built up a bit of a freezer stash too by doubling the easy recipes as I go too! 🙂 You should check it out!!
Oh I’m THERE! Thanks for the encouragement. I’m going to have to check out your posts for some inspiration. I figured I could keep pretty much everything in the fridge and not have to freeze/thaw, but I wasn’t sure. Thanks so much!! 🙂
I have a leftovers problem too. So today I was making spaghetti and meatballs, I added yesterday’s sloppy joe meat into the sauce.. clever! 🙂
Ooohhh…. sneaky and smart. I love it!