How to avoid food waste with leftovers

Leftovers are budget savers and a perfect way to create new meals. Leftovers can be lunch for the next day or even dinner. There are so many ways you can avoid food waste and it just a matter of knowing how to preserve food and how to create new dishes.

Be smart about food storage

The safest way to store food is in glass containers or freezer bags. Glass containers are safe to use, reusable and they allow you to see what’s inside. Freezer bags are safe to use as long as you buy the right ones and read the manufacturer’s instructions. They allow you to also see what’s inside. But the best part with freezer bags is that they are space savers.

You can label and date your freezer bags. They are great for meal planning and perfect for most foods.

Get creative with your leftovers

One way to be creative with leftovers is to create new dishes. For example, leftovers from a roasted chicken or pot roast can turn into salads, sandwiches, soup, and pasta dishes.

• Got leftover chicken? Create a chicken salad with leafy vegetables or even a chicken sandwich. It also goes well with pasta. Cook the pasta first, stir fry your shredded or sliced chicken with peppers and onion and mixed with cooked pasta.
• How about Beef? You can do the same with beef. You can even create stew or legume with your leftovers as long as you have enough, of course.
• Cooked and uncooked vegetables will give you tons of options, soup, stews and even with pasta.

recipe inspirations

Check out some of these recipes that use leftover cooked food or a resourceful way to use up vegetables:

• How to make the best Chayote au Gratin – Use leftover roasted ham
• Pan-Seared Tuna Steak Salad with Noubess Hot and Spicy Pineapple and Herbs Sauce – Use leftover Tuna Steak and make this salad.
• Spicy Dandelion Greens with Sausage, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Vidalia Onion – Use leftover roasted chicken instead of sausages
• Turkey Sandwich made with Haitian Bread – Use leftover roasted turkey.