|
Post by krazykatlady on Mar 18, 2015 18:45:33 GMT
I hate meal planning so I often check the daily "what's for dinner" thread for ideas. Many of you mention eating leftovers from the night before. I've gotta say that would never fly in my house. I will occasionally eat leftovers for lunch the next day but I don't think I could bring myself to eat the same meal for dinner two nights in a row or even in the same week. And I know for a fact my husband would have a hissy fit.
He hates leftovers so I will freeze them and bring them out a couple of weeks later. So, are we an anomaly?
|
|
|
Post by jeremysgirl on Mar 18, 2015 18:48:54 GMT
My DH loves when we have a few different foods left for leftovers for lunch the next day. But he only likes certain foods. I am not a leftover person so unless it's soup or chili, I'm out. I just feel like leftover meat gets tough when you reheat it.
|
|
|
Post by myshelly on Mar 18, 2015 18:49:05 GMT
My husband had leftovers for dinner last night.
If there are leftover we eat them.
Or sometimes I will purposely cook in a large batch to eat it all week.
For example, if I make chili I make a huge batch. We eat a bowl of chili the first night. Then maybe chili cheese nachos Then chili cheese dogs Then potatoes with chili
Until it's gone.
Anything that lets me cook less and save money is a huge yes in this house.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 20, 2024 11:07:47 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2015 18:56:34 GMT
There are lots of leftovers I don't care for, so I've learned to make things that will keep for a few days and that my family is happy eating for lunch or dinner.
About once a week we have leftovers/fend for yourself night. There are usually several different things in the fridge to choose from, and everyone grabs what they wants, reheats as they desire, etc.
|
|
|
Post by gar on Mar 18, 2015 18:56:52 GMT
We don't do leftovers in the way many here seem to either. I will often cook a larger portion to freeze half for another time and sometimes I will use up chicken from a weekend roast but served in a completely different form (i.e. risotto) but rarely will we actually eat leftovers as they are, the next day. Now I think about it, I can't remember there really being any leftovers other than the ways I mentioned above. I think our eating habits, our routine meals, here are actually fairly different to the meals I often see talekd about here.
|
|
|
Post by krazykatlady on Mar 18, 2015 19:01:20 GMT
My husband had leftovers for dinner last night. If there are leftover we eat them. Or sometimes I will purposely cook in a large batch to eat it all week. For example, if I make chili I make a huge batch. We eat a bowl of chili the first night. Then maybe chili cheese nachos Then chili cheese dogs Then potatoes with chili Until it's gone. Anything that lets me cook less and save money is a huge yes in this house. I agree that cooking less and saving money are pluses but aren't you tired of chili by the end of the week?
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 20, 2024 11:07:47 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2015 19:03:10 GMT
My DH is terrible at eating leftovers. I tend to eat them or lunch the next day. Unless he REALLY loved dinner, and that's usually only when I make my home made spagetti sauce, he won't touch em.
|
|
|
Post by Linda on Mar 18, 2015 19:03:26 GMT
leftovers from a big meal like Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Easter - sure...if I'm going to spend that much time and effort cooking, then I'm taking the next two nights off and we'll pull the leftovers out for dinner. There are always plenty of sides leftover as well.
leftovers from everyday meals? Simon usually takes for lunch - sometimes DH will also. Occasionally there's enough for me for lunch as well. I don't usually have a ton of leftovers from everyday dinners though - enough for 1-2 lunches at most.
Planned-overs? I'll cook up a ham or a turkey for Sunday dinner and plan meals with the leftover meat - some for that week and some I'll bag in meal-size portions and freeze for another week.
Anyone in my house who threw a hissy fit over dinner would be apologising and volunteering to cook the next dinner and it would be clear that hissy fits aren't acceptable. We allow and encourage constructive criticism...ie "I think I would like this better with more x or less y". We also allow comments along the lines of "This isn't my favourite" or "I would prefer this to be a now-and-then meal not in regular rotation" but we don't allow negative comments on dinner.
I am grateful that both DH and Simon will eat just about anything put in front of them...I just wish the girls would
|
|
calgal08
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,519
Jun 27, 2014 15:43:46 GMT
|
Post by calgal08 on Mar 18, 2015 19:04:16 GMT
Pretty much the only leftovers we eat is rice. I make a double batch of steamed rice and we'll eat it over 2 nights. Apart from that, we're not a leftover family either.
I make a weekly menu and like to vary what we have each night - beef, chicken, vegetarian, fish...
I do sometimes cook a huge amount of something with the sole purpose of freezing it (meatballs/lasagna/enchilada casserole), but I don't think of that as leftovers ;-)
|
|
scrapaddie
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,090
Jul 8, 2014 20:17:31 GMT
|
Post by scrapaddie on Mar 18, 2015 19:04:39 GMT
I live alone so I know that when I cook (a rare occasion) it better be something that I'm going to be willing to eat for many meals.
In fact, I just had lunch using taco meat to make a taco salad.....
|
|
|
Post by Linda on Mar 18, 2015 19:05:26 GMT
We don't do leftovers in the way many here seem to either. I will often cook a larger portion to freeze half for another time and sometimes I will use up chicken from a weekend roast but served in a completely different form (i.e. risotto) but rarely will we actually eat leftovers as they are, the next day. Now I think about it, I can't remember there really being any leftovers other than the ways I mentioned above. I think our eating habits, our routine meals, here are actually fairly different to the meals I often see talekd about here. I would be interested hearing about your eating habits and routine meals - do you think it's a cultural difference (Uk vs US) or just that you personally have a different routine that the norm here?
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 20, 2024 11:07:47 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2015 19:06:54 GMT
We eat leftovers for lunch most days, if there are any. With a teenage boy in the house, leftovers are getting scarce.
I try to re-make the meal into something else. Leftover chicken or pork gets used in stir-fry, for example. Roast beef gets chopped up, added to gravy and is served over biscuits or noodles. Today we had Reuben sandwiches with yesterday's corned beef leftovers.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 20, 2024 11:07:47 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2015 19:09:39 GMT
DH eats leftovers for lunch all the time. When I cook, I know which meals will create at least one extra serving. I got him a HotLogic lunch box which has a heating element in it and re-heats his lunch slowly all morning so that by lunch time, his meal is hot again without that microwave rubber taste.
Sometimes, if I make a lot of chicken and there's quite a bit leftover, the chicken may find its way into a meal later in the week, usually as part of tacos.
There are very few things that I will eat as a leftover and even then, only as a lunch or part of a lunch. That's progress for me. I used to never eat leftovers.
|
|
|
Post by myshelly on Mar 18, 2015 19:10:23 GMT
My husband had leftovers for dinner last night. If there are leftover we eat them. Or sometimes I will purposely cook in a large batch to eat it all week. For example, if I make chili I make a huge batch. We eat a bowl of chili the first night. Then maybe chili cheese nachos Then chili cheese dogs Then potatoes with chili Until it's gone. Anything that lets me cook less and save money is a huge yes in this house. I agree that cooking less and saving money are pluses but aren't you tired of chili by the end of the week? Not really.
|
|
keithurbanlovinpea
Pearl Clutcher
Flowing with the go...
Posts: 4,253
Jun 29, 2014 3:29:30 GMT
|
Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Mar 18, 2015 19:10:25 GMT
I don't cook something like chicken or chili and spread it into several meals but I do cook extra. My DH eats leftovers for lunch almost everyday and I take some on occasion. He loves my cooking and leftovers but he also lived on deli sandwiches and frozen pizza before he met me. I will also purposely double something like meatballs, spaghetti sauce, soup, et al and freeze for another day's quick meal6
|
|
|
Post by littlemama on Mar 18, 2015 19:11:11 GMT
Certain things are fine as leftovers - sometimes for lunches, sometimes for dinner. Our leftovers from last night are some chicken and beef I made for tacos. Today, we can eat them as nachos, quesadillas or tacos again with the same or different toppings. I do freeze some leftovers that would survive being frozen so we don't have to eat them again, and sometimes we don't eat them the very next night, but the one after that.
We don't eat the same leftovers more than once- so if there is anything left tonight after dinner, it will be tossed.
|
|
|
Post by compwalla on Mar 18, 2015 19:19:10 GMT
I hate meal planning so I often check the daily "what's for dinner" thread for ideas. Many of you mention eating leftovers from the night before. I've gotta say that would never fly in my house. I will occasionally eat leftovers for lunch the next day but I don't think I could bring myself to eat the same meal for dinner two nights in a row or even in the same week. And I know for a fact my husband would have a hissy fit. He hates leftovers so I will freeze them and bring them out a couple of weeks later. So, are we an anomaly? My mother hates leftovers and when I was growing up anything we didn't eat she threw away. Thankfully she was pretty good about cooking just enough most of the time. I can't bring myself to waste food like that. I cook two or three nights in a row and then we have a DIY night where you raid the fridge and pantry and make whatever you want. Sometimes it's leftovers reheated but more often it's leftovers made into something else. Leftover piece of chicken gets cut up and put in a salad with green apple, carrot, feta, and honey mustard dressing. Leftover chili gets heated and served on a baked potato. Leftover pork roast gets sliced and added to stir-fry. Leftover hamburger patty gets sliced and served in a pita pocket or it's made into a couple of tacos. There are no hissy fits. Menu planning and cooking is a big job that never ends and if anyone in my house has a problem with how I do it they are free to take over the job.
|
|
loco coco
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,662
Jun 26, 2014 16:15:45 GMT
|
Post by loco coco on Mar 18, 2015 19:20:15 GMT
i could eat leftovers for days, my DH wont touch it the next day so I never make big meals
|
|
|
Post by gar on Mar 18, 2015 19:28:15 GMT
We don't do leftovers in the way many here seem to either. I will often cook a larger portion to freeze half for another time and sometimes I will use up chicken from a weekend roast but served in a completely different form (i.e. risotto) but rarely will we actually eat leftovers as they are, the next day. Now I think about it, I can't remember there really being any leftovers other than the ways I mentioned above. I think our eating habits, our routine meals, here are actually fairly different to the meals I often see talekd about here. I would be interested hearing about your eating habits and routine meals - do you think it's a cultural difference (Uk vs US) or just that you personally have a different routine that the norm here? I think it's mainly a cultural difference but I do eat in a pretty traditional way probably. My 'go to' basic meal is meat, potatoes/rice/pasta and 3 different veg. I know there's been discussions here where that was seen as a bit unusual. Some of the meals talked about here I barely recognise and obviously we sometimes differ on the names for the same things
|
|
|
Post by littlemama on Mar 18, 2015 19:39:11 GMT
I would be interested hearing about your eating habits and routine meals - do you think it's a cultural difference (Uk vs US) or just that you personally have a different routine that the norm here? I think it's mainly a cultural difference but I do eat in a pretty traditional way probably. My 'go to' basic meal is meat, potatoes/rice/pasta and 3 different veg. I know there's been discussions here where that was seen as a bit unusual. Some of the meals talked about here I barely recognise and obviously we sometimes differ on the names for the same things I have noticed that you often have 3 different vegetables on these threads, which I would not say we do here very often. We usually have one vegetable with dinner unless it's a holiday, and then we have 2 for variety. Sometimes a salad as well. I would say my usual basic meal is usually the same as yours, but with only one vegetable (and that I don't recognize some of the things posted on here either that are posted by other Americans!). With the vegetables, do you have a lot leftover, or do you repeat the same ones a few nights? We usually have some left even with just one veg on the table, I can't imagine with 3.
|
|
Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
|
Post by Mystie on Mar 18, 2015 19:42:18 GMT
I looooove leftovers. Since it's just me and my DH, we often have leftovers, since most recipes for soups and casseroles and whatnot serve four people. I usually have leftovers for lunch, but we certainly have them for supper on occasion, too. Usually not the night right after, though. Two nights in a row of the same meal is usually not what my husband wants, although I certainly don't mind it. There is something so lovely about just going to the fridge and having something delicious that's already cooked.
|
|
|
Post by gar on Mar 18, 2015 19:45:33 GMT
I think it's mainly a cultural difference but I do eat in a pretty traditional way probably. My 'go to' basic meal is meat, potatoes/rice/pasta and 3 different veg. I know there's been discussions here where that was seen as a bit unusual. Some of the meals talked about here I barely recognise and obviously we sometimes differ on the names for the same things I have noticed that you often have 3 different vegetables on these threads, which I would not say we do here very often. We usually have one vegetable with dinner unless it's a holiday, and then we have 2 for variety. Sometimes a salad as well. I would say my usual basic meal is usually the same as yours, but with only one vegetable (and that I don't recognize some of the things posted on here either that are posted by other Americans!). With the vegetables, do you have a lot leftover, or do you repeat the same ones a few nights? We usually have some left even with just one veg on the table, I can't imagine with 3.
I don't have leftover veg, no. In my fridge there's, on average, 6 or 7 different veg plus a couple of types in the freezer and I will do different combinations, often steamed but sometimes roasted or something else. I just prepare and cook the amount the two of us will eat each night.
|
|
|
Post by padresfan619 on Mar 18, 2015 19:51:19 GMT
There are only certain things I care for as leftovers like lasagna, chicken corn chowder, enchiladas, etc) so I will purposely make enough for leftovers with those meals. Otherwise I just make enough of whatever is for dinner that night for one night. Like when I buy salmon I portion it out and freeze it into serving sizes because I do not care for fish as leftovers.
Growing up Friday night was always leftover night. My mom would pull out what ever was left in the fridge from the week before. And it was always the stuff I didn't care for on the first round like meatloaf or turkey soup that would be leftover.
|
|
|
Post by lucyg on Mar 18, 2015 19:51:51 GMT
I like leftovers. I don't mind eating the same thing for days when it's something I like. I used to actually cook only once in a while, and would subsist on leftovers, takeout, and very simple meals the rest of the time. But since my son and grandson moved in, I've returned to almost daily cooking. Like many of the others, I often repurpose previous meals into new ones, like leftover roast that is used in a totally different dish. Or I freeze enough for an entire second dinner. Or I eat the leftovers myself for lunch the next day. Or we have a leftovers night (maybe once a week) where we just pick through the fridge for whatever looks good. I can't think of a time, other than maybe with leftover Thanksgiving turkey, that I've ever just slapped the same dinner on the table the next night. But I also can't imagine anyone living in my house complaining about leftovers. They're pretty much grateful just to be fed at all. ETA and freezing your leftovers and bringing them out again a couple of weeks later is a time-honored method for disguising the fact that you're serving leftovers. Carry on.
|
|
|
Post by Linda on Mar 18, 2015 19:53:42 GMT
I would be interested hearing about your eating habits and routine meals - do you think it's a cultural difference (Uk vs US) or just that you personally have a different routine that the norm here? I think it's mainly a cultural difference but I do eat in a pretty traditional way probably. My 'go to' basic meal is meat, potatoes/rice/pasta and 3 different veg. I know there's been discussions here where that was seen as a bit unusual. Some of the meals talked about here I barely recognise and obviously we sometimes differ on the names for the same things that's what my dad would have considered a proper meal -meat, potatoes (he didn't eat rice/pasta) and 3 veg (one of which was almost always peas)
|
|
|
Post by elaine on Mar 18, 2015 19:54:11 GMT
Tonight we are going to have Corned Beef Hash made with leftovers from last night. I have two teen-aged boys, so, more often than not, our problem is that I haven't made enough main course rather than having leftovers, and one boy is afraid of eating salad.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 20, 2024 11:07:47 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2015 19:54:56 GMT
I don't usually have any leftovers. I only prepare and cook the amount we are going to eat for dinner that evening. You get used to how much to prepare over time. The only leftovers that I might have is similar to gar say chicken from the Sunday roast that I'd probably make a chicken pie or a chicken curry with on the Monday. I do occasionally say make two lasagne or two cottage pies, eat one that day and freeze the other for some time later. I agree with gar though about the different meals. I'm surprised sometimes at what is mentioned on the " what's for dinner" thread. Some of the meals on there I wouldn't consider it to be a main meal of the day and other food on there I wouldn't imagine eating at lunchtime.
|
|
conchita
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,141
Jul 1, 2014 11:25:58 GMT
|
Post by conchita on Mar 18, 2015 19:56:46 GMT
Typically my guys do not like leftovers. But there are exceptions depending on what meal it is. Lasagna, enchiladas, Mexican Rice, yes, they'll eat it but only for lunch.
|
|
|
Post by lucyg on Mar 18, 2015 20:02:48 GMT
If it's something like half a pan of lasagna or enchiladas leftover that you can't turn into a different meal and it's too much for me to just eat for lunch, I'll stick it in the fridge for a couple of days to give them a break, and then serve it again. Don't care if it's not their first choice of what to eat for dinner. It's what's for dinner.
|
|
BarbaraUK
Drama Llama
Surrounded by my yarn stash on the NE coast of England...............!! Refupea 1702
Posts: 5,961
Location: England UK
Jun 27, 2014 12:47:11 GMT
|
Post by BarbaraUK on Mar 18, 2015 20:04:17 GMT
I think it's mainly a cultural difference but I do eat in a pretty traditional way probably. My 'go to' basic meal is meat, potatoes/rice/pasta and 3 different veg. I know there's been discussions here where that was seen as a bit unusual. Some of the meals talked about here I barely recognise and obviously we sometimes differ on the names for the same things I have noticed that you often have 3 different vegetables on these threads, which I would not say we do here very often. We usually have one vegetable with dinner unless it's a holiday, and then we have 2 for variety. Sometimes a salad as well. I would say my usual basic meal is usually the same as yours, but with only one vegetable (and that I don't recognize some of the things posted on here either that are posted by other Americans!). With the vegetables, do you have a lot leftover, or do you repeat the same ones a few nights? We usually have some left even with just one veg on the table, I can't imagine with 3.
We do the three veg but I just cook enough of the three veg to cover what I want to do with the meal and the number of people eating it and don't have leftovers so don't repeat the same veg night after night. We eat salad as a main, very rarely as a side dish - and even then we eat more salad in Summer when the salad stuff is properly in season and the weather is warmer! I have noticed that the portions served in the US are much bigger than the ones we would normally serve in the UK though.
|
|