Repurposing Meal Leftovers with Makeovers

It is getting to the end of the "Eat from the Pantry Challenge" that several of my bloggy friends have been doing this month. It has been fun reading about their creativity successes and flops.  In my reading of blogs this week, I read a post answering a question from one of their readers in regards to leftovers and the fact that their family didn't like eating leftovers.(I can't remember who it was or I would link it!) Well it got me thinking and being thankful that I have a family who doesn't mind eating leftovers. My hubby takes meal leftovers in his lunch every day, my kids love to eat from my leftover buffet and every once in a while I end up sharing those leftovers with others.

To keep my family from complaining during the times of excess leftovers and to use them up before they turn into science projects. I have been giving them a "makeover", instead of just heating them up and eating them the same way again. I can't believe how much doing this has cut down on amount of complaining from my crew and hearing "I would rather have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich than to have leftovers!"

Here is a list of leftover makeovers I have done:

1. Roasted Chicken and Gravy or Creamy Chicken can become several different things. I shred the chicken and add it to the gravy and make "Stewed Chicken Sandwiches". OR I combine chicken and leftover veggies to it and make Chicken Veggie Stew/Soup or Chicken Pot Pie or Chicken Noodle Soup.

2. Boiled or Baked Potatoes become Seasoned pan fries.

3. Roast, carrots and potatoes meal becames Beef Veggie Stew. Or I take the leftover roast and add barbecue sauce to it for sandwiches. The leftover potatoes I cut up and make cubed hashbrowns. If I end up with just roast and no veggie leftovers, I make up some gravy and make one of our favorite pantry meals of beef gravy served over noodles.

4. Chicken Rice Casserole leftovers make a good base for homemade Chicken Rice Soup.

5. Roasted Pork Loin gets barbecue sauce add to it for BQ Pork sandwiches. OR I make up some chicken gravy and heat up the pork in the gravy for Creamy Pork over Noodles.

6. Spaghetti Sauce gets used for Pizza Sauce on homemade pizzas.


7. Mashed Potatoes get put in a skillet with a pad of margarine and seasoned with seasoned salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder for some seasoned potato cakes.

8. Taco meat(beef or chicken) gets made into taco salad, or put on top of a plate of nacho chips, or gets used in making quesadillas or Taco Soup.

9. Extra noodles(spaghetti, egg, elbow macaroni, etc) gets made into a pasta salad.

10. Burgers make into Salisbury Steak OR break them up and make hamburger gravy or use in spaghetti, chili, or goulash.

What are some "leftover makeovers" you make for your family?

This post is linked to:

• Frugal Friday at Life as Mom!