Keeping Track of Leftovers

I love to cook. I really do. But I'm horrible at keeping track of leftovers. And even worse at using them up. Ziploc bags of extra sausage or cheese gets shoved to the back of the fridge. Tupperware containers populate the far reaches of the bottom shelf, out of sight. When they're finally discovered, their contents are almost unrecognizable. And they stink! Ughhh!

However, with this new year comes a new goal of mine - using leftovers. It's frugal and wise. I hate throwing money in the trash. That's exactly what I'm doing when I throw out old, stinky leftovers I've forgotten about. It's so wasteful. And as the proverb says, Waste not, want not. The more we throw away, the more we must spend later. The more we have to spend on food, the less we have for other things.

To help me with my new goal, I created a chart to track leftovers in the fridge. And where am I keeping the chart? On the fridge, of course. Where I can see it every time I open the door. Many times a day.

I made three columns, one for the date, one for the item and one for the amount of servings leftover.


Then I fill the columns in. The amounts are generally estimates.


As I think about what to cook for lunch or supper, I can glance at the leftover tracker and see what ingredients are available and need to be used up. As they're used, I mark them off the list.


I used the leftover sausage and chopped veggies to make calzones, which Charles loved. And the pizza was eaten for supper by a hungry husband. Tomorrow night we'll have leftover soup - yum!

I'm also going to make a freezer inventory list so I can keep track of frozen leftovers. I've already got two Ziploc bags of Christmas turkey and one of Christmas ham to use in future meals.

Hopefully, these tracking tools will help me be more frugal in the coming year. Visit We Are THAT Family's site for more tips.

Saying Goodbye to a Decade

This is the last week of the first decade of the 21st century! How quickly these years have flown by. And how much my life has changed.

The Good

I became a mom. Twice. My life has never been the same. I continue to learn new things about my self as I watch my children grow. I also appreciate my own parents more. I remember reading that having children was like having your heart walk outside your body. Exactly.

I got to travel to New York City. Charles took me there for our tenth wedding anniversary last year. It was an unforgettable trip, full of sweet memories. And sore feet! We walked miles that week. My favorite places were the Statue of Liberty, Central Park and St. Paul's Chapel. I'd go back tomorrow if I could.

I started homeschooling. Never in my wildest dreams had I ever pictured myself teaching my own children. I was a huge proponent of Christian education. I taught in three Christian schools over the years. My field was social studies and I taught junior high and high school, not elementary. But God changed my heart and I've embarked on one of the most fulfilling, rewarding journeys of my life.

The Bad

Perhaps one of the most profound events of this decade was the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. I will never forget the horror and grief I felt as I watched those towers fall, knowing there were thousands of people still inside. I cried for days, not just for those people lost that day, but for the loss of security and peace I had always known.

Family members and friends have passed away. People who were always supposed to be there aren't. I'll miss them, but I have the glorious hope of seeing them again. I guess that's not all bad, is it?

I've seen some family members and former students make messes out of their lives, though they knew better. It breaks my heart to watch them and know the end result. You reap what you sow. Always. No one is ever going to beat that system. And while I want to shake some sense into them, I pray for them instead. God can put those messed-up lives back together if they'll let Him.

This post could go on and on about the changes of this past decade. God has been so faithful to me and my family through them all.

What about you? How has your life changed during this decade?

Menu Plan for Last Week of the Decade

Last week was hectic and plans got changed, but hopefully next week will be a little slower. Can you believe it's not only the last week of the year, but the last of this decade? Wow! If time flies when you're having fun, I must be having a blast because time is speeding by!

Sunday
Sausage and veggie calzones

Monday
Ham and bean soup, bread

Tuesday
Homemade chicken nuggets, fries, fruit

Wednesday
Pasta bake, garlic bread

Thursday
New Year's Eve fellowship at church
I'm bringing Oreo truffles and sausage cheese balls

Friday
Pork roast, potatoes, green beans

Saturday
Potato soup

For more tasty menu plans, head over to Organizing Junkie.

Sausage and Veggie Calzones

I was looking in the fridge and found some veggies that were close to being unusable. Have you ever done that? Forgotten what you've had on hand, then realized you needed to use something up pronto? The first thing I did with the veggies was make a stir-fry. I also used leftover turkey from Christmas Eve dinner. Easy enough. But I still had veggies left over, and I really, really hate to throw them out. Veggies aren't cheap, ya know?

So I chopped them up and made calzones. I added cheese and sausage (leftover from Christmas morning brunch). And they turned out FANTASTIC! Hubby declared them "blog-worthy" and asked that they become a regular menu item.

Here's what you'll need:

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed but not allowed to rise (you can substitute your favorite pizza dough or bread dough recipe here)
1 teas. minced garlic
Approximately 2 cups chopped veggies (I used broccoli, carrots, red pepper, mushrooms and onions)

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup cooked sausage
salt and pepper to taste

Pour some olive oil in a saute pan and add minced garlic. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add your veggies and cook for 5-7 minutes or until softened. You don't want them to be soggy, though.


Add the sausage and spices and mix thoroughly. Divide the bread or pizza dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball. Stretch each ball into a 5 or 6 inch circle. Sprinkle one side of the circle with cheese, then spoon some filling over the cheese. Fold the other side of the dough over the filling and seal. Brush the tops of the calzones with Italian salad dressing. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.


I have to admit, these turned out much better than I thought they would. The veggies were flavorful and the cheese added just enough tang. The sausage rounded these out nicely. The great thing about this recipe is that you can leave the sausage out altogether or use a different combination of veggies. Look in your fridge and see what you can use to create a filling, tasty calzone.

I'm going to try to freeze these, too. I'll let you know how that turns out.

UPDATE: Okay, I made some of these to freeze. And they were awesome! I wrapped each one in aluminum foil, then placed in a freezer bag. To use, I placed the foil-wrapped calzones on a baking sheet and heated at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. It was perfect. Your oven might bake a little hotter and require less time. But they were fabulous after being frozen. Yum!

Merry Christmas!

Today was a lovely day. We spent time with family, enjoyed the presents we received and ate some delicious food. But most importantly, we took time to reflect on the reason for the season, Jesus. The Princess summed it up when she said, "We give gifts each year to remember that God gave us the gift of His Son!" She gets it. I'm happy.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

If your kids are anything like mine, they love, love, love chicken nuggets. It's a staple in the average American family's diet these days. I bought frozen nuggets when my kids were little so I'd have a quick and easy lunch on hand. But I started noticing how little chicken and how much filler was used. The list of ingredients was long. The sodium content was extremely high in these things. And even though Tyson claims their chicken nuggets were minimally processed, you could tell by the shapes that they were chopped, mixed and pressed extensively. Maybe my definition of minimally processed and Tyson's definition differ. A lot.

So if you really want some minimally processed chicken nuggets, make them yourself. Plan ahead and give yourself some time. Buy the chicken on sale and make several batches at once. These freeze very well, so double or triple the recipe and freeze some for later.

Here's what you need for one batch:

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup ranch dressing
2 TBSP milk
1 cup bread crumbs
1 teas seasoning salt

That's it. Five ingredients. Start by cutting up your chicken into nuggets.


In a large bowl, whisk together the ranch dressing and milk. Dump your chicken nuggets into the bowl and stir to coat. Let sit for 10 minutes so the dressing can soak in. I don't know what is up with this blurry picture, but you get the idea.


Place the bread crumbs and seasoning salt in a resealable Ziploc bag and shake around to mix. Put about half the nuggets into the bag and shake. Get your kids involved. Remember those old commercials with Loretta Lynn and her grandkids - "It's Shake and Bake, and I helped!" Repeat until all nuggets are coated.


Line baking sheets with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Place the nuggets on the sheets and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. If you want, turn the nuggets over halfway through baking time. If your nuggets are bigger than bite-sized, it might take a little longer to bake through.


If you plan to freeze the nuggets, allow them to cool completely. Place in the freezer on baking sheets. When frozen, remove from the baking sheets and put in a freezer bag or container. To reheat, bake at 400 for 5-10 minutes or until sizzling.

If you want your chicken nuggets to be lower in fat, use reduced fat milk and ranch dressing. Your kids will never know the difference. They will, however, notice how much meat they're eating instead of fillers. And you'll be happy, knowing that your nuggets only have five ingredients and are truly "minimally processed."

This post is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed with Grace. Pop over there for some more yummy recipes.

Breakfast pizza

Pizza is one of my favorite foods. And breakfast pizza is no different. Now, I do not care for eggs. I will not eat them in a house. I will not eat them with a mouse. Fried, scrambled, sunnyside up....I just don't like them.

Most breakfast casseroles are so eggy that they don't appeal to me at all. But oddly enough on this pizza, I can eat them. Maybe because there are only 5 eggs instead of the dozen in most recipes. Maybe the other flavors overwhelm and disguise the egginess. I won't question it, I'll just keep enjoying it. Hope you enjoy it too.

You'll need:
1 pkg crescent rolls
1/2 lb sausage, browned and drained - do this the night before and the rest will be a snap in the morning
1 cup frozen O'Brien hash browns, thawed
1-2 cups shredded cheese
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Unroll crescent rolls and press into the bottom of the pan, sealing perforations.


Layer the sausage and hash browns. I usually thaw the hash browns by running them under warm water in a colander. Then I press out the excess water and let them drain while I'm unrolling the crescents. If you don't like O'Brien potatoes, you can use shredded has browns instead. I prefer the O'Brien for a little color and flavor.


Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top. I normally use sharp cheddar, but any kind will do. Taco cheese or a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella is also very tasty.


In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and spices until well blended. Pour over the entire pan. It will soak in rather quickly. Then sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over all.


Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes until eggs are set and cheese is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.


Now doesn't that look yummy? It's the perfect addition to a breakfast or brunch table. It's one of my favorite breakfast foods to serve overnight guests. In fact, my dad expects this one now when my parents come to visit. And I don't mind fulfilling his expectations since it's so easy.

You can experiement with kinds of cheese or add bacon. Make it your own. Embrace the eggs in this one. They won't overwhelm you.

For more delicious recipes, visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed with Grace.