tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post3556316687373954701..comments2024-03-28T09:27:28.962-07:00Comments on creative savv: My raging passion: managing leftoversLilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-83268573499709874012013-02-21T09:15:44.341-08:002013-02-21T09:15:44.341-08:00I share your passion! In addition to the strategi...I share your passion! In addition to the strategies you mentioned, I have a number of recipes for using up odd bits of ingredients (fruit, veggies, cheese, bread, rice, etc.) that might otherwise go to waste. These are all linked in my <a href="http://articles.earthlingshandbook.org/2012/03/07/thrifty-tips/" rel="nofollow">Thrifty Tips</a> page, although I'm beginning to think they really deserve their own article....Becca @ The Earthlings Handbookhttp://articles.earthlingshandbook.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-38098544730323834462013-01-13T06:53:37.473-08:002013-01-13T06:53:37.473-08:00Hi anexacting,
That's a great way to manage le...Hi anexacting,<br />That's a great way to manage leftovers, too! And it sure does make fixing dinner very easy, on the nights that you're eating the leftovers.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-89151869221763669992013-01-13T04:53:27.197-08:002013-01-13T04:53:27.197-08:00There are just two of us at our house. We use a me...There are just two of us at our house. We use a meal plan and have developed a very high tolerance for leftovers. So we might make a crockpot stew and have it for 3 days in a row. We'll break the pattern by having a no-leftovers meal after that (such as stir fry or pasta). As long as we've made it ourselves, we don't get too tired of anything!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-20102986134252946412013-01-12T08:31:18.652-08:002013-01-12T08:31:18.652-08:00Hi Economies,
I really don't enjoy fixing lunc...Hi Economies,<br />I really don't enjoy fixing lunch just for myself. In fact, if it is just me at home, I don't. I have a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of toast or piece of fruit and that's it. <br /><br />But while my kids were home on break (and it was a long break, they had a month off), I prepared somethings ahead of time. I would cook up a large pot of rice, and another of black beans. Lunch would be make-your-own burritos. Then on other weeks, I made and froze a bunch of mini pizza rounds, thaw some pizza sauce, and lunch would be make-your-own pizzas. No one seemed to tire of these, and occasionally we'd make something different. But having prepared foods, ready to assemble was a big help for lunches for us.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-54035197326016542522013-01-10T22:37:57.831-08:002013-01-10T22:37:57.831-08:00We eat most of our leftovers for lunch the next da...We eat most of our leftovers for lunch the next day. It's got to the point that it's annoying if there aren't any because then I have to make something specific for my lunch the next day! At the moment because it's summer I usually eat them cold but in winter I heat them up in the microwave. <br /><br />Our freezer is a bit of a black hole at the moment because I put a whole lot of stuff in there before Christmas and can't remember what else is in there. It's due for a clean-out this weekend, I think!Economies of Kalehttp://www.economiesofkale.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-42422430235527125202013-01-10T20:05:05.200-08:002013-01-10T20:05:05.200-08:00Glad I wasn't the only one who had trouble adj...Glad I wasn't the only one who had trouble adjusting cooking quantities!Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-11713463626094256012013-01-10T20:03:40.768-08:002013-01-10T20:03:40.768-08:00I have the same mental estimate in mind. If I'...I have the same mental estimate in mind. If I'm freezing milk that has about 3 days left till expiry, then I figure we'll need to drink or use it within 3 days of thawing. <br /><br />If it's a large package of something that I don't think we could go through in time (like a gallon jug of milk), then I'll divide up what I have into smaller containers, so that I'm only thawing what we will go through in about a day, once thawed. <br /><br />From what I understand, freezing just suspends the time frame, until the food is thawed again. Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-73804696159115875692013-01-10T18:41:15.621-08:002013-01-10T18:41:15.621-08:00Does anyone else worry about freezing something be...Does anyone else worry about freezing something before it goes bad and its self life when it is unfrozen to eat or cook. I always figure if something only had a day or two left before it went bad, that's all I have when it comes out of the freezer even if I make it into something else.Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-18973261220711553422013-01-10T18:36:07.142-08:002013-01-10T18:36:07.142-08:00Time after time, I thought I was fixing enough to ...Time after time, I thought I was fixing enough to have leftovers for the next day. However, I never had anything left by the next morning. My husband, who grew up with brothers, helped me adjust to this. I grew up with all sisters, and while we were good eaters, we didn't eat like boys. I just learned to have a lot of snacks around like cereal. Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-72442598620860186202013-01-10T13:02:21.358-08:002013-01-10T13:02:21.358-08:00The good news is, it really seems to works. With o...The good news is, it really seems to works. With our kids, eventually they learned that what I made was what there was to eat! I did try to be sensitive with one or two things that they just could not stand to eat.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-57947741879868021202013-01-10T10:31:15.455-08:002013-01-10T10:31:15.455-08:00We still occasionally do that with our kids! :)We still occasionally do that with our kids! :)Krisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-48070676579646647492013-01-10T08:14:41.193-08:002013-01-10T08:14:41.193-08:00Hi Shara,
It sounds like you've got your lefto...Hi Shara,<br />It sounds like you've got your leftovers all under control! <br /><br />Your last paragraph about some family members not wanting to eat what was prepared, then hungry later, resounded with me. When my kids were younger, we occasionally had meals where one of them would declare they weren't hungry (and I knew it was just that they would rather have their favorite instead), then would later say they were starving. I'd pull their plate out of the fridge and tell them that I had made dinner, and here it is. Most of the time, they would rather reluctantly take their plate to the table and try a few bites! Funny memories!Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-61900475412534121112013-01-10T08:07:42.976-08:002013-01-10T08:07:42.976-08:00Thank you, Belinda!
When it was just the two of us...Thank you, Belinda!<br />When it was just the two of us, my husband and I, I would make a casserole or pot of soup, and we'd just have it several nights in a row, until it was gone. Most recipes make from 4-8 servings, much more than 2 of us could eat in one meal. And being an inexperienced cook, I didn't try to halve recipes, so this worked well for us. Now, my leftovers are usually 1/2 to 1 portion. So , for us, those are best just frozen.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-35219523624534301562013-01-10T07:18:12.453-08:002013-01-10T07:18:12.453-08:00I like to use a mixture of most of those methods. ...I like to use a mixture of most of those methods. These are the things that work for me.<br /><br />1. I keep an ice cream bucket (the kind with the snap on lid) in the refrigerator and add leftover bits for soup. I keep a ziplock bag in the freezer for leftover bits for stock. <br /><br />2. Hubby takes leftovers for lunch.<br /><br />3. I do what I call cook once and eat twice. Planned leftovers if you will that I turn into another dish. (For example I can never cook just the right amount of rice, so I cook a large batch and plan to use the leftovers in soup, stir fry, casserole or whatever.)<br /><br />4. I did the teenage boy thing...lol...he's moved out now. (Kind of found that amusing, but so accurate.)<br /><br />5. I somewhat freeze leftovers, but normally it is in portions for other meals. (Like turkey for casseroles or things like that.) Most of the time the only leftovers I freeze are deliberately planned.<br /><br />I don't do the force them to eat it all plan just because I don't believe in forcing people to eat. However, I do reserve the right (if someone doesn't eat and then pleads starvation) to say that I did indeed cook and there are leftovers in the kitchen...lolAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-42405376413130290832013-01-10T07:00:16.371-08:002013-01-10T07:00:16.371-08:00This is a well written article with sound advice o...This is a well written article with sound advice on managing your leftovers, Lili. Great job! I like having leftovers, so I don't have to cook the next day. We often eat the food until it is gone or my family is tired of it. Belindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17486895127003368291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-6326958472564001292013-01-10T06:02:37.569-08:002013-01-10T06:02:37.569-08:00Hi live and learn,
Sounds very effective, indeed. ...Hi live and learn,<br />Sounds very effective, indeed. Perhaps not so cost effective, however. Your savings in little waste might be offset by the cost of raising those boys. Good thing there are tremendous emotional advantages to having kids! :) A couple of teenage boys can really plow through leftovers in a hurry, if there are any leftovers! While they were going through growth spurts, did you ever find it hard to plan for their booming appetites? I remember with my son, thinking I'd made plenty for dinner, only to find not nearly enough, night after night.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-68394387012817575102013-01-10T05:55:15.435-08:002013-01-10T05:55:15.435-08:00Hi Kris,
I think the best part of Thanksgiving wee...Hi Kris,<br />I think the best part of Thanksgiving weekend is not having to cook on Friday or Saturday!<br />So if your family gobbled (pun intended, sorry) that whole chicken, it's only testimony to your fabulous cooking skills! But good thing you had some back=up in the freezer for the next night. Pockets sound tasty.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-89933006905180947032013-01-10T05:44:26.806-08:002013-01-10T05:44:26.806-08:00My favorite and highly effective way to use up lef...My favorite and highly effective way to use up leftovers is to have two teenage boys around the house. However, I realize that this method is not available to everyone, but it certainly works.Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-78430528668320565402013-01-10T05:36:28.352-08:002013-01-10T05:36:28.352-08:00I love leftovers! In fact, I roasted a chicken th...I love leftovers! In fact, I roasted a chicken the other night (it was a BIG one!) and darned if my family didn't gobble almost all of it down--I had been counting on the leftovers for making chicken pockets for dinner the next night! (but I got my frozen leftovers out and was still able to make it happen). <br /><br />If leftovers are something that will be used pretty quickly (breakfast or lunch the next day) we leave them in the fridge but typically I try to get them in the freezer ASAP as I have a tendency to forget about them till they are sporting penicillin spores ... sigh ...Krisnoreply@blogger.com