Stretch your Leftovers

Any way you slice or dice it, there are lots of ways to turn your leftovers into culinary delights. Try these creative ways to cut the waste in your kitchen!

Bread: The heels of loaf bread can be easily used to make croutons, be toasted for French onion soup. Use the leftover buns for garlic bread to serve with another night’s meal.

Meat: You’ve got a half a steak left over from dinner; by itself, it won’t make a meat. Instead, chop it up and use it in a steak and egg omelet for breakfast or as a soup/stew starter for another night’s dinner. Or put it in a plastic container, top it with frozen mixed veggies and freeze for a lunch you can reheat at work.

Vegetables: Don’t toss your left over veggies! Either put freeze in a Ziploc, or keep a container in the freezer for veggie orphans. When the container has enough assorted vegetables, make a veggie and rice soup, or use the vegetables for stir-fry.

Milk: Not enough left for a glass in the bottom of the jug? Don’t pour it down the sink. Put it in a zip-seal bag and freeze it for sauces and cream soups. When you’re ready to use it, melt it right in your pan from a frozen state—no need to thaw.

Eggs: Even if you don’t use all your eggs before the expiration date, they stay fresh for quite a while. Crack them in groups of three, beat and freeze in a plastic bag to use later. Most cake and brownie recipes require three eggs so you can thaw the eggs in the plastic bag under cold running water in a matter of minutes. Or, thaw and scramble for breakfast.