Leftover Hater: Yeah, That’s Right, I’m Talkin To You

Angie says-

The thing about two people writing one blog is that sometimes, I'll log in, all ready to post my awesome tips for saving you money and there, sitting in the Edit Posts list is a Draft that Molly is working on about the same darn thing. What can I say? Great minds think alike. I got all jazzed up to write about food waste and then saw that draft. So, I'll just stick to the topic of leftovers, which some people dread. Personally, I love leftovers so I have a hard time sympathizing with leftover haters. I think that most food is better the next day, plus I'm lazy, so to me leftovers are a beacon of light in my fridge at the end of a long day when I'm too tired and/or lazy to cook. But, for all of you leftover haters this post is for you:

My friend is one of you leftover haters, so I thought I’d do a bit on leftovers since they’re such a money saver.
First, if you eat lunch out everyday and spent only $5 you’d be spending about $1300 a year for lunch. That’s a lotta steak and I like steak. So taking your lunch is a wise thing to do.
Second, Each American household throws away 470 pounds of food a year! Seriously. What a waste! It’s a waste of landfill space and a waste of money.

The following article is from The Simple Dollar and offers some good tips.
My first thought when I think of leftovers is “Eww… they save money, but… ewww….” so the first thing I did was make a list of the things that bothered me about leftovers:
1. I just had this stuff yesterday. I don’t particularly want to have the same thing I had for dinner again the next day for lunch every single day.
2. It’s messy. I don’t usually cook sandwiches, if you know what I’m saying. I like sauces and things that aren’t … neat. Thus, transporting them back and forth to work can be a mess if I’m not careful.
3. It takes effort in the morning when I’m already busy. Usually, I’m rushing around feeding my son breakfast with one hand and shaving with the other in the morning. I don’t have time to deal with leftovers.
4. Reheated food sucks. It often becomes homogeneous and bland on the second heating.
That’s a pretty negative list for someone who is trying to convert fully to the brown bag club. So, I tackled these issues one at a time.
1. I take leftovers not the next day but the day after that. This gives me a gap of four meals between a repeated meal, which means that I won’t be grumbling about having what I just had for supper the night before.
2. I use a series of meal-ready Tupperware containers. On the top of each container, I write a weekday on it. When I put the meal into Tupperware, I find the one marked for the day I intend to eat it, fill it up with a solid meal sized portion, and put it in the fridge.
3. I prepare the meals at night. Each night after dinner, I put the meals into the appropriately dated Tupperware containers and put them on the fridge, then I take my lunch bag, put the Tupperware container marked for the next day in it (along with a jar of milk and a fruit) and stick that in the fridge. The next morning, I just grab my lunch bag and run.
4. I include a “spice bag.” Whenever I use spices to prepare a meal, I put a little bit extra into a “spice bag,” a tiny Ziploc bag. I seal this up good and toss it on top of the Tupperware container before I seal it. Then, when I go to heat the meal up, I pop off the lid, dump the contents of the spice bag on top, stir them in a bit, and heat them up. Boom, suddenly the meal has recaptured some serious flavor!
These four tactics have made the cost-saving measure of taking leftovers to work much more palatable and have made me appreciate home-cooked meals all the more. Now, I can just microwave a great meal at work and spend my lunch break doing more fulfilling things than standing in line for some greasy fast food - and also enjoy the jingle of money in my pocket.


That's a pretty good article and I think it sums up what's behind a lot of leftover hating. I know that a lot of people don’t reheat their food properly, making it bland and or tough. Every day at work I see people microwaving meals in a fashion that would make your leftovers pretty gross. If you’re reheating chicken in the microwave soak a paper towel in water to cover it while it reheats. This is actually a good tip for most meat that you reheat, it doesn’t become dry. Also, if you’re making beef that can be cooked separately, such as burgers or steak, cook the extra that you’re making for the next day a bit more rare than you usually would. That way the microwave doesn’t overcook it, while you’re reheating the next day. One more thing: don’t forget to cover your food while microwaving it, or you’ll earn the wrath of your co-workers for spattering the microwave with your burrito.
Speaking of burritos, they make fantastic next day meals. The key to reheating is to turn the plate frequently so that the center gets hot.

One of my favorite shows on the Food Network is Quick Fix Meals. I don't always like some of her tips but what I do love is that she shows you how to buy one cut of meat that can be for two separate meals that taste totally different.

We'll post again later on eliminating food and money waste. If you have any tips, let us know.