in the kitchen with bella

frugal feasting: stretching leftovers

Everyone’s feeling the pinch these days, trying to stretch their money a little further as gas and food prices climb. I’ve been trying to only go to the store once a week and to plan meals and to use up all the leftovers because I hate, hate, hate it when I have to throw away food that has gone bad in the fridge. Last night’s dinner and today’s lunch were both creative and tasty ways to stretch the leftover dribs and drabs into two more meals. And we didn’t sacrifice taste, either.

I’ve written before about how one of our favorite practices is to grill or roast a whole chicken and then use the leftover meat for enchiladas. One batch of enchiladas is usually good for a dinner and a couple of lunches. This week, for example, we had enchiladas on Sunday and then Dom and I both had them for lunch on Monday. On Wednesday night I was beat and didn’t feel like cooking. I looked at the leftovers and they didn’t look like much. There were the three enchiladas, a small container (about half a cup) of taco meat, a small container of refried beans and a pile of tortillas. Not enough taco meat or enchiladas to make a complete meal of either one, but combined and creatively supplements, it was enough for a feast. We each had some enchiladas and then we rounded out the meal with burritos. Dom was dubious when I told him of my plan, but the half cup of taco meat yielded two burritos each when combined with a spoonful of refried beans, some cheese, salsa, tomatoes, avocados and the shredded remains that I salvaged from an ancient head of romaine.

And then today Dom worked from home so I had to scavenge lunch for both of us too. So out came the pitiful remains of the beans, avocado, tomato and cheese. I spread the remaining quarter bag of tortilla chips on a baking sheet, sprinkled on the cheese and beans and a bunch of pickled jalapenos and stuck it in the oven. Once the cheese was melted, I added the tomatoes and avocado. The best nachos I’ve ever had!

Trying to stick to a grocery budget definitely makes me more creative. I have to admit it was much harder when I was pregnant and always short on energy. Now that I’m getting regular sleep it just seems like a fun challenge.