One of my favorite ways to save time during the week is by relying on leftovers as much as possible, especially for lunches. If you are going to spend the time cooking, you may as well try to get more than one meal out of your food, right? I thought I would share some of my favorite recipes lately that allow for leftovers. Keep in mind that I am only feeding a family of two, so the amount of leftovers you have will depend on how many people are eating the meal (and how much they typically eat).
Crock Pot Meals:
Crock-Pot Turkey-Veggie Lasagna
Honey Garlic Chicken and Veggies
One-Dish Meals:
Chicken and Bacon Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes in Garlic Cream Sauce
Healthy Beef and Cashew Stir Fry
Rosemary Chicken with Zucchini
Breakfast:
Bacon and Sweet Potato Frittata
Grain-free Pancakes (I usually double this recipe and get 3 servings out of it)
Other:
Homemade pizza
Kabobs with chicken and or steak and veggies, with brown rice
Gluten-free Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs
I’ve also been stocking up my freezer with extra leftovers lately, which is always a help when I don’t have time to meal prep at all on the weekends!
[Tweet “Save time by trying out these meal ideas that make great leftovers! @runningoutowine “]
Do you plan to use leftovers for meals later in the week?
What are some of your favorite meals for leftovers?
I don’t often have leftovers but when we do, it’s wonderful if my son will eat them! He doesn’t always want the same thing two days in a row so if I make something with extra, I freeze it for another week.
Freezing things works great too! I especially like to do that with lasagna- I end up with so much and would get so sick of it if I ate it every day.
You’re the best with leftovers, I need to take the advice of using my slow cooker more!
It’s really a great way to easily make a big meal!
Alex and I don’t really do.. leftovers, lol. We consume just about everything! I would love to start using my slow cooker, that is for certain.
I find that at least in the slow cooker there are plenty of servings! Otherwise its tough to know whether or not we will end up with leftovers. We are less likely to end up with leftovers during marathon training:)
I’m so bad at making enough for leftovers! I think it will be easier once my bf and I are on our own but right now any leftovers get consumed by the brother-in-law lol
I think 3 would be a tricky number of people to cook for! I know we eat at least 3 servings between the 2 of us, so if I make 4 servings then there is enough for lunch the next day:)
I love making a whole roasted chicken and then using the leftovers for salads and rice bowls throughout the week! Soups are my favorite for leftovers this time of year also. Great round-up, Lisa, and thanks for including my recipe!
I always forget about roast chicken, but that is a great idea! I need to make homemade soup as well. Great suggestions!
I love crockpot meals. They are so easy. Set it and forget it. By the time you come home from work you have a hot meal ready and waiting for you.
I find it tough to use the crockpot during the week because most recipes call for 6-8 hours of cooking and I am usually gone for closer to 10 hours. But I love using it on the weekends!
I am ALL ABOUT leftovers! My favorite is making a crockpot dish Sunday night and having it for lunches/dinners during the week. This week I’ve been eating a crockpot chicken taco chili for lunches and I love not having to worry about lunch prep!
I do the same thing with the crockpot on Sundays! It definitely makes things easier throughout the week.
I am a huge fan of leftovers and count on making more so that I can prep easy, healthy lunches throughout the week. I make a crock pot chicken parmesan and have been having it this week and its been delicious even later in the week. I love cooking up chicken breasts and veggies and then throwing them into salads or pairing with a roasted sweet potato later in the week.
I definitely use leftovers for lunches, although more often I use them for multiple dinners in a row because I don’t like microwaving things in the office. I tend to stick to salads and frittatas I don’t mind eating cold 🙂
It’s great to not have to worry about dinner a few nights a week, for sure!
Oh, I’d die without leftovers. And whenever I make a big meal like lasagna or shepherd’s pie, I always make two of them and put one in the freezer!
That’s really smart! It’s so nice to have extra food stored in the freezer.
I love leftovers! I can get two, maybe even three, meals out of leftovers, which makes shopping so much easier. I don’t have to plan for all the dinners of the week.
It’s so nice to get several meals out of leftovers- definitely saves time and energy throughout the week!
I try to make enough for leftovers throughout the week, however, I’ve been super lazy and going out to eat far too much. I think marathon training does that to some. Counterproductive. Now that my marathon is over, I will be spending more time on the weekends doing food prep. Kind of a New Year’s resolution of sorts. Eat at home more. Not just for cost purposes but, also, I really want to know what’s going into my food. It’s scary out there!!!! What type of pizza crust do you use? Do you make your own?
I got much lazier during marathon training too! But now that I have more time I am doing much more meal prep on the weekends.
I buy a pre-made crust at trader joes…We tried made it from scratch a few times but it was just too messy:)
These look tasty. I’m a big fan of leftovers. Sometimes I plan to make just enough extra for a second meal or lunch the next day, but much more than that and we get tired of them. The slow cooker is my favorite right now. It’s soup season!
I get tired of them too if I make too much so I usually freeze a few servings it we have lots of extras:)
I’m always so happy when there are leftovers for lunch the day after a great dinner 🙂
Me too! Gives me something to look forward to all morning:)
Thank you for including my recipe, Lisa! I love wine too!!!!!!!
You are welcome! I made your recipe last night and it was delicious- I am actually planning to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow:)