Instead of leftovers, try make overs!

I try my best not to waste food but with just my hubby and me in the house, I feel like we do waste quite a bit of food. The fact that my hubby is a notoriously picky eat doesn't help matters either. Lately I've been trying to use leftovers in creative ways to avoid waste. Here's a few of my efforts.



The leftover: Sausage patties (I had four)

The makeover: Crustless breakfast quiche

How I did it: Spray a pie plate with cooking spray. Cut fried sausage patties into bite sized pieces and scatter across bottom of pie plate. In a bowl, scramble four eggs with a splash of fat free half and half and about a quarter cup of salsa. Pour egg mixture over sausage. Sprinkle about a fourth cup of shredded cheese over the top. (I used a 2% milk cheddar but any kind would work). Bake at 325 for about 20 minutes or until set.

Tip: When the quiche cooled, I sliced it into quarters and stored in a plastic bowl. For breakfast, I zapped a piece in the microwave for about 30 seconds and ate it between two slices of toasted whole wheat bread. It was a fast, hot and tasty breakfast!



The leftover: Pinto beans

The makeover: Bean burrito

How I did it: I warmed up a tortilla in the microwave for about 20 seconds. I spooned a few tablespoons of cooled pinto beans onto the tortilla, then wrapped it up with salsa and shredded cheddar. I wrapped the burrito in a damp paper towel to keep it soft and then wrapped Reynolds wrap around that. For lunch the next day, I simply removed the foil and zapped it in the microwave paper towel and all for about 45 seconds.



The leftover: Grilled steak

The makeover: Beef n' noodles

How I did it: I had about 6 oz of leftover grilled steak. I cut it into bite sized pieces. I sprayed a nonstick skillet with a little oil and sauteed a small jar of mushrooms and the steak with a splash of Worcestershire sauce until the mushrooms had browned and the steak was warmed through. Then I added a can of reduced fat cream of mushroom soup and reduced the heat to let the soup warm through. In the meantime, I cooked two servings of egg noodles. I drained the noodles, added them to my mushroom/beef/soup base and stirred it all together. I topped it off with some salt, pepper and a dollop of sour cream.



The leftover: Homemade spaghetti sauce

The makeover: Lasagna

How I did it: Hubby makes homemade spaghetti sauce with tomato juice, tomato paste, tomato sauce, ground beef and his own special combination of herbs and spices. (Yes, he is the Colonel of spaghetti sauce!). We usually have more sauce than we need and end up tossing out a fairly large bowl of it. I layered sauce, no cook lasagna noodles, ricotta, mozzarella and cheddar in a loaf pan for a baby lasagna. It made two hearty portions. No sauce was wasted and it satisfied a craving for lasagna without the temptation of a huge pan.