Do you love leftovers? I do, because they're easy, and they're cheap! They're our family favourites!

I'm planning on cooking this week so that I have a bunch of leftovers in the coming days that I can do something with.

But here's a tip: don't throw anything out. No matter how small. I keep all those leftover veggies, and leftover meat, and even leftover gravy, and freeze them in small tupperware containers or ziploc bags. That way I always have something I can use to make a soup, or a meat pie! It's great.

We have a lot of beef in our freezer, so I'm going to start with a roast, and then make a leftover dish with it, and then make a soup from that. So one roast can do us for three meals. Maybe it won't with you if you have a huge family, but try to buy one that is big enough!

The problem with meals like roasts and whole chickens is that you eat the meat separately. They're tasty, but you tend to eat more meat than when it's in a casserole or a soup and it's mixed in with other stuff. So the more you can mix it in, the better the leftovers are! You may only have two slices of beef left, but that's enough for a beef barley soup for a family of four, and then you just serve it with a big salad and some rolls and you're all set!

So here's my menu plan for the week:

Monday: Beef Roast. I've got the fresh potatoes and fresh carrots to go with it! I just wish I was as good with gravy as my mother-in-law is.

Tuesday: Chicken Stir Fry. Again, I have some veggies I need to use up, and this is the best way to do it! Plus, in a stir fry, two chicken breasts will work for our whole family because I just add mostly vegetables.

Wednesday: Pork roast. I want some pork leftovers, too! They're great for Asian soups with noodles later on.

Thursday: Beef Barley soup and salad and rolls. I'm going to try doing the rolls in my bread maker, because I haven't used it in a while and I really do like homemade bread. I seem to use it in spurts, and then it will sit under the counter for ages. So it's time to get it out again!

Friday: Asian Pork Soup. This is definitely our family favourite! If you want to make an Asian soup base, just use:

one litre of chicken stock
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
and then throw in a bit of fish sauce or oyster sauce if you have it.

Add to that things like:

Ramen noodles. You can buy them plain in packages really inexpensively!
Cans of those mini-corns. The kids love these!
Sliced mushrooms
Leftover chicken, beef or pork

Then serve on the side:

Lime wedges
Bean sprouts

It's really yummy. I like it with a bit of ginger on top and some hot sauce, but I usually add that to my own bowl because the kids don't like spicy!

Saturday: Beef Leftovers. I'll figure this one out when I get there! I have a bunch of recipes I use, but they all go over rice and they're all yummy. So I'll see what I feel like!

Sunday we're out of town, so I won't do that day. But that's what we're having this week! I hope you can use up your leftovers, too!

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Labels: cooking, Menu Plan Monday