Dying Produce? Nearly Out of Date Leftovers? Use them NOW!

Do you have produce in the frig that is nearly dead? Maybe you have leftovers that have one more day before they need to be tossed. Go through your frig each day and find these things. Use them up NOW! They are already paid for and will only fill up the landfills if they go unused.

We have used this tactic this week. It has modified our menu plan somewhat but no drastically. We actually had dessert one evening because the strawberries that I bought a week or so ago were starting to mold. Not all of them, mind you. Just a few on top and in the middle. I threw the bad ones out (or to our chickens and they just loved them) and served the rest with whipped cream.

We grilled hamburgers today for lunch and the leftover burgers are going in the crockpot on Sunday with some gravy to make hamburger steaks. I'll add a few side dishes and Sunday lunch will be a snap.

Think of all the ways you may be able to use up some of those dying, decaying, nearly rotten things in your frig. We all have them so save a little money this week and use them up. Your budget and the trash guy will thank you.

Using Up Leftovers: Biscuit Pudding

This morning my wonderful husband fixed breakfast of bacon, grits, eggs and biscuits. I've had some kind of stomach virus for the past few days and really didn't feel up to eating much. We had three biscuits leftover. A great way to save money and to lessen what we discard in the trash it to use up the leftovers.

Tonight, my husband and son wanted something sweet to eat and I immediately thought of those 3 biscuits. Here is my Nanny's recipe for biscuit pudding. The original recipe called for it to be cooked in the oven at 350 degrees until custardy. I cook mine in the microwave now. It's much faster and tastes the same.

Biscuit Pudding

3 eggs, separated
3 biscuits, crumbled
1 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup Splenda which is what we use) plus 2 Tbsp for meringue
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups milk

Mix milk, egg yolks, sugar and extract. (I use a wire whisk.) Stir in crumbled biscuits. Cook in preheated oven (350 degrees) until custardy. When done, ddd egg white meringue and brown under broiler.

If cooked in the microwave, I add the whites to the pudding separately from the yolks but in the pudding. I then microwave on high for approximately 10 minutes. I stir it every 3 minutes or so.

More on Our Weekly Meal Plan

I forgot to mention yesterday why our weekly meal plan doesn't include breakfasts and lunches. Our son is in preschool and his breakfast and lunch are included in the price of his day at school. He usually eats both meals there. My husband and I usually just grab something quick and easy (cereal, frozen waffles, eggs and toast). I teach school so I do eat there occasionally as well.

Lunches for my husband and I are made up of leftovers from the night before. We both fix a plate after supper for the next day's lunch. This cuts down on leftovers that just grow green things later in the week (I always say I have such a green thumb when it comes to the frig). It also cuts out those daily trips to the unhealthy fast food joints. That's just too pricey for us.

I also buy a bag of frozen burritos and some lunch meat when we need it. This gives us something to grab for lunch if we want something different from last night's leftovers or if there weren't enough leftovers to make two extra meals.

Next year, when my little one starts kindergarten I will have to come up with some better ideas for handling breakfast. His breakfast and lunch will just be too expensive to buy at school everyday. I'll save the lunchroom for days that we couldn't get everything together or if I think it would be best for him to have a hot meal. The main reason that I am choosing not to allow him to eat in the school lunchroom is because I have worked at that particular school and know that the food from the lunchroom is not very good. The preschool where he is now has a wonderful kitchen staff and they prepare the food fresh and try to keep it that way. That isn't the case at the K-8 school.

I'd love to hear how other working moms fit breakfast into their mornings. Any shortcuts or tips?