Waste Not, Want Not - Upcycled Meals

One of the best ways to save time while eating well is to cook a big batch of something, and then use the leftovers the next day. Sometimes that’s good enough, but sometimes you want to revamp meals to make them more exciting.

Then, it’s all about the different possible ways to cook something again. That seems obvious enough — it’s coming up with those alternatives that can be difficult. A tip to get the creative juices flowing is to vary the staple in the meal.

For example, we might be used to having our meats and veggies with pasta, rice, bread…but how about in a tortilla? You can make quesadillas with leftover salad or meat, to re-purpose your roast, etc… You can also use peppers as a shell instead, and do practically the same thing. Another example: instead of having pasta three days in a row, you can use leftover pasta sauce to make your own pizza bread

Pasta sauce also works in a minestrone soup, and that’s another tip: vary the presentation of the food. It’s a different angle on a similar idea, but sometimes a different view is all it takes! For example, mashed potatoes can be made into bubble and squeak, and how do you feel about a spaghetti patty?

Remixing foods saves you money and time while serving as a creative outlet. You can even involve your child in the process, tapping on their often-surprising ways of looking at the world! There’ll be more to come, with ideas for specific ingredients, as well as examples of meals that keep well.

Why not get more ideas and read our article on what to do with old rice?

Thankyou to our volunteer Jodi Chiang for this article