TM on Leftovers & Carry Over Ingredients (COIs)

I am blessed that HandyMan will eat almost anything and doesn’t mind leftovers at all.  Often at the end of a meal, I will plate up the leftover in lunch size containers that can be easily grabbed out of the fridge on his way to work.  Sometimes though, I’ve planned the excess for a second meal all together.  I like to call these Carry-over ingredients.

When there are enough leftovers for a full second meal, I try add something new to the meal so that it will look a little different the second time around.  If we had lasagna with green beans the first time, I’ll make salad and bread sticks the second time.  If we had soup and fresh bread the first time, it will be soup and sandwiches the second time.

With my carry-over ingredients (tagged as COI's), the idea is to cook extra to save cooking time later.  So, if I'm grilling chicken for fajitas, I may grill extra meat to be used in quesadillas or taco salad later in the week.  If I cook white rice to go with stir-fry, I’ll make a double batch and add cilantro and tomato to the leftover rice to have a Spanish rice side later in the week.

By mixing and matching with your main dish or protein items, you can cook once but use the cooked items on your menu in a number of different ways, saving you time on meal preparations later down the road.   Look for the "Carry-over Ingredient" icon and the "Time Saver" icon in my posts for tips on how to get the most for your meal preparation efforts!

What are your favorite ways to save time and energy when cooking?