Leftovers are always an inevitable part of our eating, whether we like it or not. Some days, we cook too much and other days we might not have the appetite to finish the food on our plates. And of course, there’s always the Thai in the fridge from last Thursday night.
Over the course of the week, your refrigerator fills up with containers of half-eaten meals and leftover foods. At Martie, we love a good “fridge clean out night” where you cook up everything, and we mean EVERYTHING. But of course, there are times when you don’t have enough to make a full meal. While composting your scraps is a great option, let’s get inspired and turn your leftovers into the best-evers!
Did You Know?
If you have heard the latest stats, over 40 percent of food waste is from the United States. And a lot of this comes from the household. 😬
We’ve put together six top hacks to tackle your leftovers in a much more creative way and avoid tossing them into the bin. Don’t miss it. Here we gooooo:
Transform Peels into DIY Cleaner
Have a lot of fruit and vegetable peels? You can actually make your own household cleaner by letting produce scraps ferment in sugar water for a couple of months. This eco-friendly cleaner costs next to nothing is super simple to make and avoids using all those nasty chemicals. Who knew that having trash would make for a cleaner home? Next time you peel an orange, you know what you have to do with those peels.
When in doubt, freeze!
If you love your leftover food (again, we’ve already covered that EVERYONE does, right?), but don’t want to eat it every single day for the next week…freeze it! Portion the meal according to your family’s meal sizes and store them well. We love using reusable, and machine-washable silicone Stasher Bags! You’ll thank yourself when you have a busy day and no time to fix a meal. But always label and put a date on your container so that you don’t have a mystery box lying in your freezer that requires an act of bravery. Been there.
Reinvent new meals
Get creative in the kitchen. Your leftover veggies can easily be turned into something new. Use those meatballs from last night’s dinner to make a soup, or toss those extra chopped veggies on top of your pizza. You can also reinvent grains and meats into fried rice for your next meal. Never underestimate the power of throwing something into scrambled eggs! No reason that tonight’s dinner can’t turn into tomorrow’s breakfast!
Detox and Refresh with Leftover fruits
Want to detox and refresh? Just cut up your extra cucumbers, citrus fruits, and berries and add them to your water! The internet is filled with tons of “Do it Yourself” tips on making delicious fruit-infused water to purify your body. Don’t stress if you don’t have a ton, a little goes a long way! Making flavored water is not only delicious but also zero waste.
Homemade mix jelly
This hack definitely hits the sweet spot! Use your extra fruit scraps to make your very own mixed berry jelly. Simply combine your fruit leftovers with some sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and mash the fruit with the back of your fork. Spread it on a piece of buttered toast and enjoy.
Yummy Smoothie anyone?
What steps do you take to turn your leftovers into best-evers? Share them with us on Instagram and Facebook.
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