Cook once, eat twice.

[HeavenLeigh]

I have been trying to do this more since money is tight at the moment. Unless it's a killer maincourse and fab sides we're not ones to eat left overs all that often. I'm trying to get a system going tho..........doing different things with left overs to make a meal that doesn't "taste" left over.

The only trick I know now is........
I bake a ham in coke (very tender and juicy), make a pot of fresh grean beans with new potatoes and fatback :lick: my fave meal! and a few other sides like kraut and dogs, cornbread, etc.....
The next day I boil 1/2 bag of egg noodles (add spices to the water like garlic powder, salt, what-have-ya)......drain the noodles and add left over ham but cut into cubes, greenbeans (I drain the majority of the juices off but some add a nice taste) Mix 1 can of cream of chicken soup with some water and dried minced onion, Mrs. Dash, garlic powder, and some red pepper flakes for a bolt. Mix it all up. Add more water if it's too dry. Tear light bread, day old bread, crutons, garlic bread, whatever your taste desires (I just use light bread) and spread ontop. Pop it in the microwave uncovered for 5 minutes and it is DELISH :lick: YUMMERS!

Now, I need more ideas like this. I think Tommy is getting tired of ham casserole..........but I still love it :lick:
Anyone wanna post their left over magic meals?

[Deana]

I try to stretch meat if I can. I think a well stocked pantry helps too - it's so easy to grab a few canned items and cheese and then create something. Add a salad or steam some veggies, and you're good to go. We also always have frozen veggies on had (I think they taste way better than canned)
here are a few things I like to do to stretch a meal:

roast a chicken (or buy a rotissere chick from the grocery) and eat from that one night (with sides) and then the next day make chicken salad or chicken soup (awesome)

Pork roast one night, slice up the leftovers the next and stir fry with veggies and put over rice

grill a big flank steak - eat it one night with sides, next night over salad greens

We will cut up just about any leftover and make a quesidilla out of it. I've used pork, shrimp, beef, chicken, veggies... just keep some tortillas and refried beans (we use fat free) on hand along with some cheese. Sometimes I'll make a salad or open an good can of soup and there's dinner.

Lately we've also been tossing any and all leftovers into scrambled eggs too. I always have english muffins at home and usually some fruit, so we will do sort of a breakfast for dinner.

[meliz]

I'll second the eggs-for-dinner idea. For years I shied away from eggs thanks to that whole cholesterol scare, but now I think that's silly. Unless you have high cholestoral, you're fine with eggs once or twice a week, I think. Plus you can take out some of the yolks and reduce the cholestoral... but back to the topic at hand... they are so versatile! We have omelets for dinner all the time-- sometimes veggie, sometimes greek, sometimes with smoked meat left from hub's lunch makings... we add whatever we have on hand, and they are always good. And this is a very economical meal. Toss in a salad, and presto.

Another fave is tuna melts. Also cheap, also quick and easy, and if you go easy on mayo, really good for you too.

We do the same thing with the store bought roast chickens, D. They make the BEST soup, because of all the herbs and stuff roasted into them, Yuuummm. And very often they have these on sale-- less expensive than buying an uncooked chicken sometimes.

To be honest we don't eat alot of meat at all... partly cause I am not a huge fan and do not enjoy/cannot cook it ... but as an added bonus, low-meat diets are cheap too. A non-meaty lasangne full of in-season veggies is delish, and much cheaper than the meaty version.

I am the queen of making big batches of whatever too. Soup, chile etc and freezing it. Once it's frozen and ready to go, it's quick, easy, cheap and I think most things actually get better overtime/