Did you know that American families throw away about 25% of the food and beverages they buy annually? In fact the estimated cost of food and beverages thrown out by the average American family each year is around $1,300 to $2,200.
Try these ideas:
1. Using leftovers for lunches or snacks.
2. Keeping a soup container in the freezer.
3. Pot luck nights.
4. Have a buffet night.
When freezing leftovers, I like to do three things:
1. Freeze leftover vegetables in 1 container.
2. Freeze leftover meats in another container.
3. Freeze vegetable, meat and pasta juice in another container.
With these three containers of food, I can make a variety of foods:
Casseroles
Sauces
Stew
Soups
Mini meatloaf
Beef and noodles
Vegetable soup
Hash
Fried Rice
Quesadillas
Sandwiches
Pot Pies
Omelets
Make sure that you don’t leave food sitting out longer than two hours.
Get it into the fridge quickly to keep bacteria from multiplying.
The temperature of your fridge should be set below 40 degrees so food will stay safe.
When it’s time to reheat the leftovers, bring them back to their original temperature.
Food experts say you should eat the leftovers within three to four days.
Ideas for leftovers from recipes in this cookbook:
Pasta – Tuna Pasta Salad, Spaghetti Sandwich, Scrambled Eggs and Noodles, Hamburger Casserole, Beef Stroganoff, Spaghetti, Vegetable Chow Main, or Chicken Noodle Soup.
Bread – Rueben Sandwich, Bum’s Casserole, Pate Spread, Center Fired Meat, Cornbread Pie, Potted Meat Poppers, Spam- Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich, French Onion Soup, Banana Sandwich or Grilled Cheese
Cheese – Rueben Sandwich, Blue Cheese Salad Dressing, Penne Pasta with Tomatoes and Spinach, Couscous Salad, Mac and Cheese, Spam Mac and Cheese, Panzanella Salad, Potted Cheese Spread, Holiday Cheese Ball, Cornbread Pie, or Fried Polenta
Pizza – Frittata, Omelet, Quiche, Breakfast Pizza
Rice – Rice with Currants, Cold Rice Salad, Spam and Rice, Fried Rice, Vegetable Fried Rice, Baked Rice Pudding, Spam Sushi, Sushi Wrap, Broccoli and Rice Casserole, Cheese-Onion-Rice Bake, Coconut Rice, Cucumber Sushi, Risotto Cakes, Beans and Rice, Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
Eggs – Egg Salad, Spaghetti Pie, Easter Egg Bread, Banana Bread, Center Fired Meat, Pate Spread, Deviled Eggs with Potted Meat, Fried Rice, Second Story Breakfast Chicken Fried Spam
Chicken – Chili Verde, Chicken and Onion Kabobs, Warm Chicken and Cabbage Salad, Chicken and Broccoli, Mexican Chicken Salad, Chicken with Tomatoes and Garlic, Fried Rice, Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup, Chicken and Dumplings, Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Egg Rolls
Beef – Beef and Bean Burrito, Ramen Taco, Beef Stew, Beef Stroganoff, Hamburger Casserole, Irish Mac Sloppy Joes, Goulash, Nacho Cheese Soup, Old Man’s Chili or Oklahoma Green Stew
Pork – Carnitas, Baked Pork Chops, Mexican Pork, Gyoza, Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Bananas – Banana Bread, Banana Smoothie, Banana Sandwich, Fruit Sandwich, Grilled Peanut Margarine and Banana Sandwich, Peanut Margarine and Banana Wrap, Banana Custard Pudding
Tortilla Chips – Tortilla Soup, Mexican Eggs
Vegetables – Chicken Pot Pie Casserole, Macaroni Salad, Zucchini and Potato Frittata, Roasted Vegetable Slices on Bread, Meat and Taters Frittata, Cowpoke Salad, Couscous Salad
Potatoes – Twice Baked Potato, Potato Salad, Potato Gnocchi, Potato Galette, Home Fries, Roasted Potato Wedges, Crispy Potato Skins, Home Made Potato Chips, Zucchini and Potato Frittata, Sweet Potato Chips, Vegetable Rosti, Spanish Omelets, Potato Patties, Potted Meat Soup, Kale and Sweet Potato Salad, Frau Weis Potato Salad
Turkey – Turkey Sandwich, Turkey-Bacon and Swiss Rolls, Crescent Cabbage and Turkey Bundles, Meatloaf, Meatloaf Sandwich, Turkey Sliders with Honey Dijon Mayonnaise, Turkey Casserole, Six Layer Dinner, Sloppy Joes, Meatloaf Muffins, Nacho Cheese Soup
