Leftovers should be thought of carefully before being so hasty to throw them out.
Try to set aside one day of the week to use all your leftovers. I like Friday "as clean the refrigerator" day. After inspection of what needs to be dealt with, I can reinvent some meals with my leftovers and get rid of them before my next trip to the grocery store. Designating a day for just cleanups is also better than letting those foods get pushed to the back of the refrigerator where they will be forgotten, only to spoil.
Anyone can save so much extra money by taking those leftovers and reincorporating them in fresh new ways. You might try taking out your food processor and puree those leftover vegetables, meats, or gravies and adding them to your soups. You will thicken up your soup slightly and give your family added nutritional value with each bowl.
Besides pot pie and that easy recipe I shared with you here with the easy oil pie crust here, leftover chicken is also great in casseroles, crepes, stir fries, pureed in the food processor for chicken spreads for sandwiches, or to make chicken salads.
Another excellent idea for those leftovers is to chop everything up and add to an omelet.
The old standby of meatloaf is fantastic for using up leftovers. You can puree what's on hand or chop fine and make it a part of your regular ingredients.
After all, money is tight these days. And I'm nuts when it comes to saving whenever possible. How about you?
