Boston

So the plan was to have lots of leftovers, but alas, the meals have been smaller than I expected. So no leftovers as of yet. Maybe tonight there will be as we are planning on going to an Afgan restaurant. I will keep you all posted.

Last Night In Town - Pancakes and Eggs

Hi so no pictures today at least not yet (still have to make the boyfriend's plate). It's the last night before I go on a two and half week trip, so I went for the basics. Pancakes and eggs.

I followed the directions on my buckwheat pancake mix with the last half cup of mix being gingerbread pancake mix from one of the local restaurants.

As for the eggs, I made them how I like garlic salt, red pepper flakes and a dash of hot sauce and over medium (slightly runny but mostly firm).

On the upside, with a big trip coming up, there will be lots of leftovers and plenty of new recipes to come. I'll keep you all posted on what goodies I pick up.

BBQ chicken Pizza

So today I used up the last of my frozen pizza dough and shake and bake to make BBQ Chicken Pizza. It was good...

1 lb pizza dough (generally one ball)
1 lb chicken breast
5 Tsp BBQ Sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 packet shake and bake chicken mix
1 smallish white onion sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup Kraft fat free mozzarella cheese
Basil

Marinate chicken breast in 2 Tbsp BBQ sauce for 5 minutes. Shake and bake chicken and cook as directed on the packet.

While the chicken cooks, form pizza dough into a crust shape, thick or thin to your taste. Place on pizza sheet and make any shape corrections you feel you need. Bake for about 5-10 minutes or until the top is hard but still gives under your finger.

Coat the crust with the remaining BBQ sauce. Layer the onions and spread the garlic on top.

When the chicken is done slice it into thin pieces and arrange on the crust. Cover the top with the cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Cut into eight slices and enjoy!

Food Name BBQChickenPizza
Protein 26
Carbs 31.7
Fat 4.5
Calories 279.9

Those are per slice.

Cold Weather Soup

So today I went about to make egg drop soup. I didn't have any real protein in the house today to cook but had a can of chicken noodle soup and a ton of random ingredients. It turned out closer to Italian wedding soup, but still delicious.

• 1 can of chicken noodle soup from concentrate, the can with four 1/2 cup servings in it
• 1/2 cup leftover tomato bisque soup
• 1/2 a small white onion sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup frozen corn
• 8 oz. frozen peas
• 1 cup quinoa dried
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 bottle of medium dark beer
• 6 red potatoes, baked (I do this in the microwave with the potato button after I poke them but most modern cookbooks give a good cooking time)
• 1 bag of Uncle Ben's microwavable brown rice
• 1/4 oz goat cheese

In a large pan, combine the chicken noodle soup with an equal amount of water and heat on high. Add leftover tomato bisque soup, onions and garlic.

Crack each egg into a small bowl. Stir gently try not to let too much air in. Then pour through a fork into the soup pan. Stir immediately.

Add quinoa, which can be hard to find try the bulk section of your store. The quinoa is worth it though as it is a source of complete proteins. Add thyme, oregano, peas, corn, and goat cheese.

Let cook until boiling. Add beer. Cook at a boil for 5 min stirring constantly. You want to cook off the alcohol.

Add the potatoes hot and chopped. Add the rice hot. Let boil for 5 more minutes and enjoy.

Makes about 20 servings

Food Name Cold Weather Soup
Unit/Size Serving
Protein 5.9
Carbs 27
Fat 2.7
Calories 156.4

This soup is perfect on a cold day.

Chocolate Granola

So today I tried to make granola bars. In theory it should be easy. I missed a sticking ingredient though. That's what I call the type of ingredient that makes everything stay together. So I needed up with homemade granola. Something the kid in me loves. Here's the deal.

2 cups oatmeal
1/2 flax seed
1/2 cup almonds measured whole
1/2 cup pecans measured whole
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup dried blueberries
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar or splenda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup honey
2 Tbsp peanut butter, I like the natural kind
1/2 chocolate chips
2 Tbsp melted butter

On a baking sheet with sides covered with tin foil, spread out the oatmeal and flax seeds. Toast at 400 degrees for no more than 10min. Make sure it doesn't burn.

While toasting chop almonds and pecans into small pieces. The size depends on your own preference. Mix in the sunflower seeds, blueberries, sugars, cocoa powder and chocolate chips.

When oatmeal is done, mix it with the nuts. Add the honey and peanut butter mixing them in individually. Add the melted butter one tablespoon at a time.

Spread mixture in a glass baking pan lined with greased (I use pan) wax paper. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes depending on your oven.

Let cool and enjoy.

Makes 15 servings

Food Name Chocolate Granola Homemade
Unit/Size Serving
Protein 4.2
Carbs 37.7
Fat 9.4
Calories 246.9

I like to mix it with fat-free Greek yogurt which is high in protein and have a tasty dessert. However mixing with milk will be a breakfast worth getting out of bed for!

PS I'm thinking you could substitute chocolate or vanilla protein powder for the cocoa powder to up the protein. For fat it is slightly higher than I like for a snack, but it comes from the nuts and the peanut butter. You could try reduced fat peanut butter or margarine instead of the butter to lower the fat.

My Thai Noodles

My Thai Noodles use the dregs from the mixed nut jar to make a tasty nut sauce.

100g Mixed Nuts
3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
A package of whatever noodles you have in the house, fully cooked(I like long thin ones or chow mien)
1 lb Chicken breast sliced into 1/2" thick pieces
2 tsp teriyaki sauce
1 tsp of hosin sauce
2 Tbsp low sodium soy suace
10 oz fresh spinach
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/3 onion, chopped
A pinch of brown sugar
Hot Sauce to taste

In a food processor or blender, grind nuts to a cakie powder. Add 2 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar and blend.

In a sealed container, marinade the chicken in the teriyaki, hosin and 1 Tbsp of soy sauce. Let sit for 5min stirring once.

In a wok add cooked noodles, chicken, the nut mix, spinach, 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and the remaining marinade. Stir constantly.

When chicken is mostly cooked about 10min add garlic, onion, and brown sugar. Finish cooking the chicken about 5min.

Serves six people.

Pro Carb Fat Cal
35.1 g 29.3 g 21.5 g 447.9 Cal

It's delicious but high in fat. Totally a special occasion meal, but considering how long it takes to get to the end of a peanut jar, I'm down with it. Try it and tell me what you think!

PS If you don't have a food processor or blender, try using peanut butter instead. Also I used the teriyaki and hosin sauces because I had them in the fridge, soy sauce is the most important.

The Basics

Hi, so I, the self-proclaimed Queen of Leftovers, have started this blog as a way to share recipes made from leftovers.

I've been working to get healthy. One thing I've heard multiple times is that the meals you get when you go out to eat are too big. Some people say the best way to deal with this is not to eat out period. Well that doesn't work for my lifestyle nor my boyfriend's.

The other side of the coin says to put half or more of the meal in a take out box and take it home. The food you eat when you are out is then your splurge for the week or month or whatever timescale you choose. Well if the food I ate at the restaurant is my splurge, what am I supposed to do with the left overs I just brought home?

Money is tight these days all around, I can't rationalize throwing food out. So I've starting working on recipes to use the leftovers and still be healthy. By adding ingredients I have in the house, I can extend a plate of leftovers to a family meal.

I will post them here as I come up with them along with any other meals that use odds and ends from around the house. For instance, I'm thinking about saving the crumbs from the bottom of my cheerios box and using them as bread crumbs. Why should I throw them out and spend money on something else that may work just as well?

I'll let you all know the results. Also please share with me any recipes you have tried and liked. I'll try them and post them.