Use Your Leftovers To Create Delicious, Healthy Meals
Do you ever find that you have a lot of leftovers after meals for special occasions?
Leftovers are GREAT because it means that you might not have to cook again for a few days. However, sometimes you might not want to eat exactly the same on repeat, or you might not have enough for a full meal.
When I was growing up, my Yiayia and Papou taught me to never waste food, so I'm always coming up with different ways to make dishes with leftovers — here are some of my favourite ideas for creating meals that are healthy AND delicious!
My best healthy leftover recipes
Next time you find yourself with a fridge full of leftovers, don’t throw them away! Try one of my top ways to use leftovers and create a quick, healthy meal.
Skewers
Skewers are one of my top dishes to make for sharing, AND they are the perfect way to use up any leftovers you have.
Got extra steak, roasted meat, chicken, tofu or prawns? These are perfect for skewers. Have you made too much roasted veg for dinner? Add your favourite protein to build skewers, whip up a tasty salad, and you have an easy meal ready.
Skewers are so easy to make, and you can choose to serve them with a side salad or just on their own as a healthy leftovers meal!
Homemade pizza
The great thing about pizza is that you can put almost anything on it! Start by making some pizza dough, and top it with anything you like — savoury or sweet.
Homemade pizza is so much healthier than takeaway! It has less unhealthy fat and you know exactly what ingredients are in it. My pizza dough recipe is made from just Greek yoghurt and wholemeal flour.
If you are feeling adventurous, you could try making a cauliflower pizza base. One reason why pizza is so good is that you can modify to suit anyone by using gluten-free flour. For a vegetarian pizza, simply use toppings like roasted pumpkin, basil, pine nuts and feta cheese.
Tacos
Tacos are another delicious meal you can use just about any kind of leftovers in! You can even get wholegrain tortillas if you’re looking to increase your fibre intake.
One great thing about them is that if you have leftover salad and roasted vegetables, you can use them both up! Grilled fish tacos are perfect for any type of fish, plus you can use raw shredded cabbage too.
You can use just about any kind of protein in tacos, including fish, chicken or tofu as a vegetarian option.
If you want to boost the protein content of your tacos and make them extra filling, try including homemade refried beans. For the avocado lovers, try this homemade guacamole to top off any taco!
Tacos are such a flexible meal option that you can enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner, depending on what ingredients you put in them.
Wraps or flatbread
If you have leftover vegetables from dinner, one of the simplest meals you could make is a wrap! I use a wrap or a flatbread, add the vegetables and some fresh mozzarella (or your favourite cheese) and wrap it up!
You can toast flatbread in a sandwich press. Or for a fresh option, a wrap makes an easy-to-eat lunch!
Omelette
I love to make roasted vegetables for dinner, and there are often leftovers! One way to use up roasted vegetables the next day is to make an omelette for breakfast.
If you have a busy day, you can take some eggs, and the leftover vegetables in a container with you to make an egg omelette in a mug when you're at work. It's an easy, healthy breakfast if you're on the go!
Leftover pasta
When I cook pasta, I always make EXTRA because there are so many ways to use the leftovers. Pasta isn’t just a dinner food — you can add it to soups, make a Mediterranean pasta salad or even make a pasta bake with lots of vegetables.
There are heaps of different varieties of pasta that you can try too — spinach pasta, legume pasta, or just ordinary wholemeal pasta.
Making homemade healthy pasta sauces is a delicious, healthy way to use up leftover pasta — and an incentive to cook it more often! Plus if you have leftover pasta sauce, you can use it on baked potatoes, or as a healthy dip for crackers or raw vegetables.
Use leftovers to meal prep healthy food!
Using up leftovers is one of the easiest ways to get started with meal prep.
Planning to have leftovers is a great way to make sure you have healthy meals that don’t require much effort the next day!
I eat Mediterranean-style meals, with lots of shared dishes and plenty of variety. My family always seem to make too much food when we come together! Having lots of ways to use up the leftovers means we don’t waste any healthy food.
Are there any meals that you always make too much of? How do you use it up? Share your tips for using leftovers in the comments!
* Disclaimer: This blog post is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional. The above information should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or medical condition. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, sleep methods, daily activity, or fitness routine. Sweat assumes no responsibility for any personal injury or damage sustained by any recommendations, opinions, or advice given in this article.
<#= c.user.username #><#= moment(c.created_at * 1000).fromNow() #>
<#= c.html_body #> <# if (c.images) { #>
<# } #>