Safe, delicious and easy ways to use your leftovers so you can eat healthy on a budget and prevent food waste.
Eating Healthy on a Budget
As a mom of six kids living on a tight budget, I am constantly searching for ways to save money on food. One thing that has helped tremendously over the years, is reusing and repurposing our leftover food. This simple effort has drastically decreased the amount of food we throw, reduced the number of trips we make to the grocery store and ultimately saved us a lot of money! An added bonus: reducing food waste keeps our planet earth healthier.
If you are looking for more tips on how to eat healthy on a budget I have written a whole series of posts about it. I recommend starting with my overview post on 5 Steps for Eating Healthy on a Budget, then going through each of these five, in-depth, posts I have written for each step:
- Choosing Budget-Friendly, Nutrient-Dense Foods
- Planning a Menu on a Budget
- Finding Good Deals on Healthy Foods
- Making Food Last Longer
- Using up Leftovers (this post)
Easy Ways to Use Your Leftovers
These simple tips below will help you use up your leftovers safely and with ease. Then, before you know it, you will be wasting less food, heading to the grocery store (or out to eat) less often, and saving hundreds of dollars.
Storing Leftovers Correctly
The most important thing you can do on your journey to use your leftovers, is to start by storing them correctly. First, this keeps food fresh and tasting better and second, this prevents bacteria growth so you don’t get sick. If you follow the steps below, then your food will last longer!
1. Cool Leftovers Rapidly
First, food should be cooled as quick as possibly after cooking. This removes the food from the temperature zone where bacteria thrive (40 to 140 degrees F), ultimately preventing them from going bad.
To quickly cool hot foods, remove them from their heat source as well as the hot pan they were cooked in and divide them into smaller containers. To further speed up the cooling process, place these smaller containers on ice packs or on shallow pans filled with a little ice water.
2. Store leftovers in Clear Air Tight Containers
Next, consider storing your leftovers in clear, airtight containers. Have you ever stored leftovers in an empty yogurt container, forgot that you did that, then 2 weeks later discovered them when you went to eat yogurt? I have! So gross and disappointing!
Storing food in clear containers allows you to see what is in them every time you open the fridge or freezer. This helps you to remember to use them up.
Using clear containers that are also air tight keeps bacteria out of the food and prevents other smells and flavors from getting in. This keeps them fresh longer and tasting their best.
3. Prep Lunches Using Leftovers
Another easy way to use leftovers is to prep your lunches with them. Right after eating dinner, I love dividing our leftovers into lunch containers for my husband and I to use the next day. In the morning, my husband will take his on the way to work, and I’ll get my out to rewarm it for lunch at home. If you have lots of leftovers, you can create multiple lunch containers and freeze the extras for future use.
We really like these containers for prepping our lunches because they are freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe. These containers cost a little more, but are clear and made out of glass if you prefer that option (they are also dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe).
3. Refrigerate or Freeze Leftovers within 2 Hours
Just as importantly, make sure you refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours. If food has been sitting out longer than 2 hours at room temperature (within 40 to 140 degree F) it can start to grow harmful bacteria and should be thrown away.
To get our leftovers in the fridge within two hours after making them, this is what we do: We start by removing the food we made from the heat source and allow them to cool on the table or counter while we eat. Right after dinner, we divide the leftovers into smaller storage containers while we are cleaning up. If they are still very hot at this point, we will place the containers on ice packs to cool them more rapidly. While we are cleaning we will test them periodically to see if they are cool enough to place in the fridge. Once they are, we pop them in the fridge and/or freezer for future use.
There has definitely been times when we have stepped away from the kitchen while the leftovers are cooling and forgot completely about them. I hate when this happens! So disappointing! To prevent this, you can set a timer on your phone to remember to put the leftovers in the fridge.
4. Reheat Leftovers Safely and Effectively
Once you’re ready to eat your leftovers, it’s important to reheat them safely and effectively. The first thing to remember when reheating leftovers is to heat them until they reach 165 degree F. This kills any bacteria that may have formed, keeping you safe from food born illnesses. You can check the temperature by using any kind of cooking thermometer. This one works great and is very affordable.
To make reheated foods taste the best, a rule of thumb is to reheat them in the same way they were originally cooked. For example, reheat a casserole in the oven or soup on the stove top. Since this is not always a doable or desirable option, toaster ovens, microwaves and air fryers work great too. The chart below tells you which reheating method will be the best option based on what you are reheating.
| Microwave | Toaster Oven | Air Fryer |
| -hot cereals | -baked goods | -fries |
| -soups | -roasted vegetables | -roasted vegetables |
| -stews | -meats | -meats |
| -casseroles | -seafoods | -seafoods |
| -steamed vegetables | -pizza | -pizza |
| -rice, quinoa or other grains | -grilled sandwiches | -grilled sandwiches |
| -pastas | -casseroles with cheese toppings |
How to Reheat in the Microwave
- Use a microwave safe dish
- Spread the food out in an even layer
- Add a splash of water to soups, casseroles or grains (to prevent drying)
- Cover with a microwave safe lid or dish (to hold moisture in)
- Reheat in 30 to 60 second intervals and stir or rotate in between (to warm evenly)
Tips fo Reheating in the Toaster Oven
- Spread food in an even layer
- Reheat at no hotter than 350 degrees F
- Cover foods that might burn on top with aluminum foil
Best Way to Reheat in the Air Fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes before cooking
- Spread food in a single layer
- Cook at 350 degrees F for 3 to 5 minutes
Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers
Sometimes knowing how to use those single-ingredient leftovers is the hardest part. Have no fear though, I have found six recipes that almost every “singe-ingredient” leftover can be incorporated into.
Casseroles
First, let’s talk about one of the easiest ways to use up leftover ingredients . . . casseroles!
Leftover meats, seafoods, vegetables, potatoes, grains, pastas and sauces can easily be incorporated into casserole recipes. You can swap them out for the comparable ingredients in your favorite casserole recipe, simply add them for extra nutrition (I’m looking at you leftover vegetables) or make up your own casserole recipe.
To make your own well-balanced casserole recipe, the following formula works great:
Carbohydrate Food + Protein Food + Vegetables + Sauce + Seasonings
Carbohydrate foods can be rice, potatoes, pastas, breads, quinoa or any other grain. Protein foods can be any kid of meat, seafoods, tofu or beans. Vegetables can be just about any vegetable you want. I love using kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, peas and sweet potatoes in my casseroles. The sauce is what binds it all together and keeps it moist. It can be a marinara, pesto or cream based sauce. For seasonings, I always add a little salt and pepper and often add crushed red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. I also love topping my casseroles with cheese. The sky is the limit with how you want to flavor your casserole. Once assembled bake your casserole in the oven at 350 till it is warmed to 165 degrees F.
Soups
Similarly, many of the same leftover ingredients can be used to make delicious soups. The main difference is adding some kind of broth base to give it a “soup-like” consistency.
Carbohydrate Food + Protein Food + Vegetables + Broth + Seasonings
Smoothies
For a completely different option, try adding leftover fruits, vegetables, yogurt, or juice to a smoothie. Got leftover fruit, juice, yogurt, or vegetables? Those all work great for smoothies!
Whenever we open a can of pineapple, I always save the juice in a freezer safe bag to use for a smoothie later on. This works great for any fruit canned in juice.
When apples, pears, and bananas get bruised or too ripe to eat, they work excellent in smoothies. I love keeping a bag in my fridge that I add bananas to whenever they get super ripe. Then when I go to make smoothie they are frozen and ready to go.
You can freeze just about any produce item to make it last longer then easily incorporate it into a smoothie recipe later on. Those strawberry leaves that you cut off….full of nutrition and work great in a smoothie. The leafy ends of celery you cut off…..full of nutrition and work great in a smoothie. Get creative with the edible parts of produce you normally throw away.
A good formula for making a delicious smoothie recipe is as follows:
2 cups fruits & vegetables + 1 cups liquid + 1/2 cup yogurt
I also love adding extras like chia seeds, hemp hearts or nut butters when I’m making a smoothie that I want to be more filling.
Sandwiches & Wraps
Another simple way to repurpose leftovers is by turning them into sandwiches and wraps. Leftover bread, tortillas, meats, seafoods, fruits, vegetables, and spreads make the best leftover sandwiches and wraps! Some of my favorite spreads and dressings to use are pesto, tzatziki, hummus, balsamic glaze, greek dressing or oil and vinegar.
The formula below works great for creating tasty and well-balanced sandwiches and wraps:
Bread/Tortilla + Protein Food + Vegetables + Spread/Dressing
Sauces
In addition to sandwiches and wraps, leftover vegetables can also be blended into flavorful sauces. They taste so great blended into sauces like marinara! As a bonus, they add lots of fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemical as well. I especially love using those parts of vegetables we often throw away in sauces like the leafy ends of celery, carrot peels, and broccoli stems. Leftover sauces also can be incorporated into new sauces as well. Yes, you heard that right. You can save those small amounts of leftover marinara or pesto from dinner in your freezer, then add them to a new sauce recipe you make in the future.
Broths/Stocks
Finally, don’t forget about those vegetable scraps and leftover meat bones! They can be used to make homemade broth or stock. Broths are actually pretty easy to make, and taste so much better than store bought broths. If you have leftover vegetables scraps or meat bones they are pretty much all you need to make a broth.
To make a vegetable broth follow the formula below:
Vegetable Scraps/Leftovers + Enough water to cover them + Seasonings
Place your vegetable scraps in a pot with your desired seasonings, cover them fully with water, bring the water to a boil, then cover the pot with a lid and simmer on low for an hour. After an hour, you can strain the vegetables and discard them and the broth is ready to use or freeze for later use.
To make a bone broth follow the formula below:
Leftover Meat Bones + Vegetable Scraps + Enough Water to Cover Them + Seasonings
I like to make our bone broth in the instant pot. Simply place everything in the pot and cook at high pressure for 2 hours, let the steam release naturally then drain and discard the bones and vegetables. You can use it right away or freeze it for future use.
How Long are Leftovers Good For?
Leftovers stay fresh in your fridge for 3 to 4 days. Remember to store them in an airtight container to keep them tasting their best.
Leftovers stay fresh in your freezer for 3 to 4 months. They are often still safe to eat after 4 months, but tend to dry up and become less tasty. Remember to store them an airtight container as well to help minimize this.
What Tips Do You Have?
Do you have any tips or ideas for using up leftovers? I’d love to hear about them in the comment section.
Good luck using up those leftovers and saving money on your food budget! You’ve got this!
