Loving Leftovers

[caption id="attachment_16851" align="alignnone" width="401"]Hand holding leftover food boxes Hand holding leftover food boxes[/caption] By Eva Sorrentino, MS, RD, LD This month is National Nutrition Month. The focus of this month is to “Go Further with Food.” One way to do this is to reduce food waste and use food to its full potential. Here are a few tips to get the most bang for your food buck:
  • Plan Ahead: plan 3-5 days’ worth of meals and buy just what you need
  • Create a List: a list helps you shop for just want you need and helps avoid unnecessary purchases
  • Clip and Save: Keep an eye out for sales and store coupons
  • Prioritize: Plan to use more perishable items first and keep frozen and shelf-stable items for later in the week
  • Buy seasonally: Foods in season are often cheaper and are at their peak nutrition
  • Try frozen produce: frozen veggies are usually picked at their peak of ripeness and flash frozen to retain nutrients and are often a lot cheaper and last longer
  • Substitute: Experiment and try using a cheaper or more available food to replace a recipe ingredient, for example use a different cut of meat
  • Meal Prep: cook in batches to save time and electricity
  • Reuse: produce past its prime can be used to make smoothies or try using mashed bananas in place of butter or oil in baked goods
  • Stretch meats in dishes by substituting beans, legumes, or mushrooms
  • Don’t overstock your fridge or pantry
  • Plan a leftover night once a week
  • Make croutons or thicken soups with stale bread
Simple Omelet 3 eggs ¼ to ½ cup Leftover cooked veggies, chicken, ham, beef, and cheese
  1. Spray or lightly grease a large skillet and heat over medium heat.
  2. Crack 3 eggs into a glass measuring cup and beat with a fork or whisk until scrambled. Pour eggs into heated skillet, swirling the pan to coat the bottom. Cover and let cook until eggs are firm, about 2 minutes.
  3. Top with 1/4 to ½ cup filling. Fold egg in half over fillings, and serve warm.
Kitchen Sink Cookies ¼ cup softened butter 1/3 cup mashed banana 1 egg 1tsp vanilla 1 cup flour ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 1 ½ cups oats Add-ins: dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, potato chips, pretzels, chopped candy bars, dried cereal, candies
  1. Combine wet ingredients
  2. Stir in dry ingredients
  3. Add in mix-ins
  4. Scoop into rounded balls and place on greased cookie sheets
  5. Bake 8-10 minutes in a 375 degree oven