It's about food waste or more specifically not wasting food ...
It's about repurposing our leftovers into another dish,
It's about using every part of fruits and vegetables,
It's about using up the really small amounts of food ...
It's about using up food scraps, peels and stems ...
In this challenge we're going to be mindful of every bit of food that comes in and through our kitchens and we're going to find a use for it ... all of it!
This challenge is for food only. Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about ...
The leftover beef stew that I talked about in this post being turned into a meat pot pie.
Another example would be to turn stale bread into breadcrumbs.
The banana peels that I mentioned in this post being turned into fertilizer for my houseplants.
I made a meatloaf for supper last night and there are leftovers. One option is to use the leftovers in meatloaf sandwiches for lunches this upcoming week. Another option is to use it in a 'leftovers' buffet style meal the first part of the week.
I had a jar of fermented onions in the refrigerator that had just a few remaining in it. I added them to the meatloaf just mentioned and the meatballs (pictured above).
What leftover, scrap or small amount of food did you repurpose or use in another meal this past week?
The possibilities are endless, and I can't wait to learn, glean and be inspired by what you do.
mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27
Sharing 44 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building
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I crumble meatloaf into pasta sauce or gravy for biscuits and gravy. Several leftovers go into soup or tossed in with eggs for fritta
ReplyDeleteChef Owings, I had never thought about crumbling up meatloaf and adding it into pasta or gravy. Good Idea!
DeleteThis was a week of using every little bit. I baked two loaves of no knead sandwich bread from Mary's Nest and after it was sliced I made croutons out of the 4 heels of the bread. We needed to pick up a few things at the store and I happened upon a great sale on turkey legs and thighs. Wanting to get the most out of them I deboned the thighs which yielded a little over 2 1/2 pounds of meat. That went into the meat grinder. Each pound was packaged up into 1 pound packages and frozen. The little over half pound was made into breakfast sausage patties. I was out of hot pepper so I used some powdered horseradish for the heat. The legs and thigh bones were put into the Instant pot with some scraps of carrots, celery and onion, and in an hour and a half I had 3 quarts of broth and a pound of cooked turkey. The broth was jarred and frozen. The cooked meat tas removed from the bones and shredded. One cup of the meat was used to make chicken spaghetti casserole. I was out of cheddar cheese so used mozzarella. I made half the recipe because there are only the two of us, but half the recipe yielded enough for dinner that night with a salad and enough for another dinner later on. That went into the freezer. The rest of the shredded turkey was frozen to be made into pulled turkey barbecue which will yield us another 3 dinners. The bones, because they were soft from being pressure cooked were crushed and set to dry and will be used in the garden. The skin from the turkey was made into "cracklins" used as a salad topping instead of bacon. Four meat loaves got made this week and all the veggie leftovers were incorporated into them along with a few handfuls of oatmeal and the remains of some barbeque sauce and ketchup for the topping. Carrot tops were sauteed and placed in the freezer for future carrot top soup. Hubs loves scones with breakfast on Sundays. I baked two batches and used the rind from the orange that he ate the day before for flavoring and added the last of a bag of dried cranberries and what was left of a bag of walnuts into the scone batter. Voila -- cranberry orange scones. Left over canned coconut mik and a some leftover chicken broth got made into cream of chicken soup. It's been a busy week all the way around as I am finishing a birthday gift for my niece using up the scraps from the apron I made her by making soup cozies, a hot mat, and a jar opener. Waste not want not. (smile). Cookie
ReplyDeleteCookie, I needed to rest just from reading your comment! I've wondered about Mary's no knead sandwich bread, I'm assuming it's good?
DeleteI would have never thought about turning turkey skin into cracklins! I need to go back and take notes on your comment! Thanks for sharing!
Love this! Thank you for the inspiration. I definitely need to use the bits and bobs, esp these days.
ReplyDeleteWe had chili last night, and I have almost a cup leftover. I think that I will use it for nachos for lunch which should feed three of us. I have about 4-6 ounces of breakfast sausage leftover from the weekend and I think I will fry a few potatoes and onions along with the sausage and eggs for a breakfast casserole. Now what can I do with the leftover cornbread?
Sometimes we crumble leftover cornbread, add it to a skillet with a little butter to brown it slightly, and cook scrambled eggs with it in the pan. You can add peppers, cheese, meat, etc. This is a twist on a Mexican breakfast dish we like called "Migas", which uses corn tortilla chips instead of the cornbread. There are recipes online for the cornbread version called "Country Boy Migas" (though it's really simple enough not to need a recipe). Otherwise, cornbread is good warmed over with butter and topped with honey or maple syrup.
DeleteYou can split and butter the cornbread and toast it in a skillet.
DeleteKathy, it tastes decadent, but break up that cornbread into crumbs, mix in a beaten egg or two, a splash of milk or cream, pour that into a greased baking dish, drizzle with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and pop onto a 350 degree oven for 2-30 minutes. I call it Cornbread Pudding. --Elise
DeleteKathy, that breakfast casserole sounds delicious!
DeleteThere are only 2 of us at our house these days so typically, I will make a leftover "lunch" meal container as soon as I serve our dinner. Chicken and/or ground beef leftovers get saved to make tacos or quesadillas later in the week. I used to keep a soup container for veggies and need to do that again along with a "make this into" broth container.
ReplyDeleteKarla, I love the diversity of quesadillas. I love your 'make this into' broth container idea! I do the same thing, but I don't think I ever called it anything other than broth scraps!
DeleteI made six bread ends from our homemade bread that I had saved in a bag in the freezer into a quart of croutons for my salads. I never had success with croutons until I started making them in the air fryer.
ReplyDeleteAnd more...
DeleteWe have a lot of baking mixes on hand and some out of date.
New Years weekend I got out a pound cake mix and saw that it called for TEN tablespoons of butter. On the side was an alternative recipe using sour cream which I have in abundance and need to use so we had sour cream pound cake and used no butter.
Yesterday I pulled out an out of date devil's food Cake mix and made cupcakes for this week. I stirred a tablespoon of butter into cookie frosting leftover and made a different taste for the cupcakes.
I made a pot of soup with our ham bone and saved broth. First I removed the clean white ham fat from the broth and saved it for other cooking . Then I cleaned out the produce drawer and used veggies that were on their last.
Breakfast one morning was waffles leftover from our kids visit.
We ate every bit of leftovers from the holidays or put them in the freezer for later.
Lana, I'm going to have to research how to make croutons in an air fryer, you have my curiosity up! I have an air fryer and am looking for ways to get more use out of it.
DeleteYour comment, like Cookies, is going to have to have notes taken on it. So many good ideas! Thank you for sharing!
Croutons are 6-7 minutes at 390 for my air fryer. I shake twice . They keep for weeks because they are thoroughly dry and they are super crispy and delicious.
DeleteLana, thank you! I have some old bread that will do perfectly to try my hand at making some croutons!
DeleteI used the last bit of Taco meat in our scrambled eggs along with a few spoonfuls of salsa. There were really good. Sometimes I add the leftover taco meat to rice with salsa and cheese, heat it up and eat on a burrito shell. Cant wait to get more ideas from everyone. Thanks Pasty for these post. I learn so much.
ReplyDeleteCindy Jane, I'm learning lots too, like your egg, taco meat and salsa dish! That sounds yummy!
DeleteMmmmmm . . . leftover meatloaf. Grilled meatloaf sandwiches for lunch with a little A1 or BBQ sauce, sandwiched in between american cheese. It takes me right back to my childhood with my father standing at the stove. And, buttered and grilled corn bread, a business colleague introduced me to that with grape jelly. It was during a coffee break when we were on the road in New Jersey, and I always think of that when I have leftover corn bread to use up. My big "use it up" this past weekend involved bananas that were well past ripe. Made up some banana bread, added in the little bit of sour cream left in the container (about 2 tbsp maybe?; my recipe tends to be on the dry side and this helps moisten it up), and threw in about 1/2 c. of chocolate chips left over from holiday baking. It made 3 small loaves -- one for me, one for my daughter, and the 3rd in the freezer.
ReplyDeleteLori, grilled meatloaf ... now, that sounds delicious! I'm taking notes on your comment too!
DeleteOh, I love meatloaf. As Lori said, the leftovers are a favorite sandwich. I've also dipped leftover slices in an egg bath (one egg + a little milk, beaten well), then in seasoned flour and fried like chicken fried steak. On Saturday I made a pot of Bits & Bobs soup using some Italian sausage, celery, carrots, white beans and spinach from the freezer in pork "broth" leftover from pork ribs. We'll finish that soup tonight with toasted, stale bread croutons. Soup is a winter favorite and ideal for using up the bits of things. We have some leftover no bean chili--about a cup--that will become a chili & cheese potato crust less pie. Three leftover hot dogs will get cut up and added to a can of pork & beans for a small meal of beanies wienies over bread. I keep precooked meats in the freezer in single portions, too, so a frozen chicken breast can be thawed and cut up for chicken alfredo. I never throw out bones before making broth. All roasted meat liquid is strained into a measuring cup and goes in the fridge; the next day I remove the fat from the top and it's concentrated broth. I've recently made apple scrap jelly and orange pulp jam (I'd add more sugar next time). The kitchen really IS my place for stretching $$$ as far as possible.
ReplyDeleteWhen our sons were teens, I fed the four of us and our two elderly neighbors for six years on what he brought in a bag from the food bank and $50 in groceries per week. I did a lot of gardening then, too, and egg shells and coffee grounds with dried potato and banana peels regularly went into the soil. Citrus peels went into white vinegar to soak for spray bottle cleaner. Seeds from tomatoes were dried on paper towels and buried lightly under soil in pots for new plants. I did a LOT back then. Nothing was wasted. Trying to refresh some of those skills and habits this year. --Elise
Elise, such good ideas, I've got lots of notes to take from everyone's comments!
DeleteI made chicken and noodles for our meal tonight using one large chicken breast. The leftovers will be turned into chicken noodle soup Wedesday evening. I will add broth and some veggies. No need for additional meat or noodles.
ReplyDeleteHave any of you been watching The Productive Homemaker on youtube? I found her this weekend and can't stop watching!
Wendi, I love just about any way you can fix chicken and noodles!! I'll have to check out the Productive Homemaker, for some reason that sounds familiar.
DeleteI just found her. I am absolutely amazed at a young woman with so much knowledge and common sense.
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