Day #2
Leftovers On Purpose and Free Recipes: Chicken Leftovers into Dinner
“Leftovers in their less visible form are called memories. Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and the cupboard of the heart” ~ Thomas Fuller
My friend Gerry and I were having a deep meaningful talk about Thanksgivings past. No, we weren’t reflecting on all the things we were grateful for, we were remembering our food traditions. (My mouth starts watering just thinking about turkey gravy.)
She told me that one year she was just tired of putting on the whole show, so she decided they would eat in a restaurant. The food was yummy, and they had a great time relaxing and letting someone else cook and clean up. It wasn’t until the next day that Gerry saw the fatal flaw in her plan: No leftovers. How were they going to construct on Friday those turkey-and-cranberry sandwiches with dressing and gravy that were almost as much a tradition as anything that happened on Thursday?
An ode to the leftover!
What is a LOOP meal?
A LOOP meal is a great way to reinvent leftovers. You cook one day, have Left Overs On Purpose, and then use those leftovers to create a great second meal later in the week.
Share with me in the comments your favorite way to use Left Overs On Purpose.
We usually roast about one chicken a week and have about three or four meals from the le
ftovers. (I can hear you moms of six LOLing as you read this…) Our supermarket has whole chickens on sale about every other week, so this is a great deal for us.
In addition to the suggestions I’ve given you in the download, here are some quick and easy ways to use leftover chicken:
- Top your salad with it
- Make Chicken Salad
- Add it to veggie soup
- Use it to top a baked potato with broccoli
- Use it on pita pizzas
- Put it on Grown Up Grilled Cheese
Finally – we have some amazing bloggers who are taking the challenge in whole new directions – I would HIGHLY encourage you to go to their blogs for some inspiration:
Amy at Homemaker in Training offers you a Master Class in meal planning and getting your shopping list together. Trust me, you want to reach her black belt level of planning.
And if you’ve discovered you are well beyond the newlywed stage and you still haven’t figured out this cooking thing, you’re not alone. Go check out Julie D. great blog about Learning to Cook After 40 and you won’t feel so alone.
Meatloaf = Meatloaf Sandwich.
That’s really about it! I’ve never roasted a chicken, but it’s on my culinary to-do list. Do you have a recipe you particularly recommend?
I love using leftovers but am not the world’s best: http://www.reallifedeals.com/?p=24291 🙂
http://thedistracteddomestic.blogspot.com/2012/01/lets-get-loopy.html
My loop meal, in far too much detail!
I like doing the LOOP thing with roasted chicken and also ground turkey. (Brown a big batch of ground turkey one day, then use it for various meals that week: meat sauce for pasta, tacos, etc.)
Rachel Ray has a great recipe for left over pasta, her Pasta Frittata. I often make this with a salad later in the week after a pasta night.
If I debone the chicken to use the meat, I usually take the bones and make stock from it, adding celery, carrot, onion, and spices to add more flavor to the water. I discard all the solids and use the broth in making soup.
I used it last night chopped up in creamy mushroom pasta.
The only food I have done this with is Chicken, make it into chicken fajitas and soup. I need to learn a few more!
LOVE to throw it on our homemade pizza for a fun addition