Most of us want to save money, yet we often waste food. Here are some great ways to make the most of leftovers.
Keep your food dollars out of the bin!
Resurrect veges
Use your leftover cooked vegetables and stale bread to make vege burger patties. Crumb bread and mash together with veges like potato, carrots and broccoli with some onion, garlic, spices and herbs. Pan-fry. Pop it on a burger with lettuce, cheese and sauce for a delicious meal.
- Takeaway burger $10 per person
- DIY burger $3.90 per person
- Save $6.10
Turn leftovers into pizza
Pop leftover veges, meat, salsa, herbs and dips onto wholemeal pita bread and freeze for when you’ve got a craving. It’ll save you from ordering the fast food version, and if you get the kids involved, you can serve it cold in their lunchbox.
- 1 x delivery pizza $16
- 5 x pita bread $1.80
- Save $14.20
Make fruity beauties
Blend floury watermelon, mushy strawberries, squishy pears (cut off any bruised or spoiled parts) and any other fruit that needs rescuing with some fruit juice. Freeze with a paddle pop stick.
- Ice-blocks $3
- Using old fruit Free
- SAVE $3
Think frittata
Just about any leftover meat or vegetables can be put in a pan with whisked eggs and milk for a workday lunch, or serve with a leafy salad for a light Sunday lunch.
- Buying lunch $10
- Save $10
Reader tips
- “Save all leftover vegetables from each meal. Put them in a bag in the freezer and make vege soup when the bag is full.” – Angela
- “Don’t throw away leftovers – make a small ‘ready meal’ in a microwaveable/freezable container which can be taken to work the next day for lunch. These can be frozen, so you have a constant supply. Saves a fortune on buying lunches!” – Elizabeth
- “I like to make my own crackers by slicing old French bread really thinly and spraying it with oil. Then I bake it in the oven until crisp, and let cool. They’re nice with a bit of herb or garlic salt sprinkled on them, too.” – Stacy
- “I buy bacon and ham on special and pop it in the freezer, sometimes pre-chopping the meat for adding straight into frittatas, stews or pasta. They add so much flavour. The frozen meat keeps for up to one month.” – Nicky
- “Freeze bulk items. Take advantage of bread, milk and cheese on special. They can all be frozen until needed. With cheese, divide large blocks in smaller chunks before freezing.” – Tania
www.healthyfood.com
