My family rarely eats out because I love to cook and in all humbleness I am a terrific cook and cant stand paying for a meal that I can cook better. Anyway, last night we were running late because my eldest son needed a knee brace from a soccer injury and by the time we got out of the ER it was dinnertime. We headed over to what we call “Chop, Chop Japanese”, where they cook right in front of you. Instead of eating until I was overfull, I saved 1/3 of my meal, my son’s bowl of white rice, and poured a small bowl of the dipping sauce in the to-go container. This picture is what I transformed those leftovers into.
When you eat out, the servings you get are usually too much to eat in one sitting. If you are trained to clean your plate, or even if you don’t like letting food go to waste, instead of overindulging think about what just a little bit of leftovers can do. A third of a steak serving can turn into beef stir-fry; that pasta can transform into a primavera pasta dish.
Do you want to perform magic in your kitchen where you turn leftovers into not only a tasty meal for six, but also a healthy one at that? You can if you follow a few tricks. Here they are:
1. When your food is served immediately push a portion to the side of your plate to take home.
2. Think flavor or protein. What do I mean by that? If there is a tasty sauce, or a flavorful dish, or a piece of chicken, pork or beef leftover, save it for the base of tomorrow’s dinner.
3. Vegetables are your secret ingredients. I added 3 cups of vegetables to the leftover stir fry I had: broccoli, carrots and peapods were steamed first and then added to a frying pan with the leftovers. I didn’t even have to add spices because the sauce and leftovers were so flavorful.
4. Think stir-fry. which is ¼ protein (chicken, beef, pork, fish) + ½ vegetables + ¼ grain (rice or pasta). Steam the vegetables briefly; heat up oil and chopped onion in a frying pan; add the steamed vegetables and any leafy greens; add the leftovers cut up into bite size pieces; stir, heat and serve.
Happy eating and share your favorite creation!
When you eat out, the servings you get are usually too much to eat in one sitting. If you are trained to clean your plate, or even if you don’t like letting food go to waste, instead of overindulging think about what just a little bit of leftovers can do. A third of a steak serving can turn into beef stir-fry; that pasta can transform into a primavera pasta dish.
Do you want to perform magic in your kitchen where you turn leftovers into not only a tasty meal for six, but also a healthy one at that? You can if you follow a few tricks. Here they are:
1. When your food is served immediately push a portion to the side of your plate to take home.
2. Think flavor or protein. What do I mean by that? If there is a tasty sauce, or a flavorful dish, or a piece of chicken, pork or beef leftover, save it for the base of tomorrow’s dinner.
3. Vegetables are your secret ingredients. I added 3 cups of vegetables to the leftover stir fry I had: broccoli, carrots and peapods were steamed first and then added to a frying pan with the leftovers. I didn’t even have to add spices because the sauce and leftovers were so flavorful.
4. Think stir-fry. which is ¼ protein (chicken, beef, pork, fish) + ½ vegetables + ¼ grain (rice or pasta). Steam the vegetables briefly; heat up oil and chopped onion in a frying pan; add the steamed vegetables and any leafy greens; add the leftovers cut up into bite size pieces; stir, heat and serve.
Happy eating and share your favorite creation!
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