Eating last night’s dinner might not sound terribly appetising… but with a bit of imagination, soggy vegetables can be turned into a delicious, nutrient dense and speedy lunch, saving you prep time and money, whilst feeding your body with some good stuff.
Using leftovers of course, also helps to avoid food waste and in recognition of the Love Food Hate Food Waste Action Week Campaign @lfhw_uk running 6-12 March, here’s a few tips to help you avoid food waste.
Pimp up your leftovers
Turn your leftovers into a new dish by adding a few extras. Today I turned cold butternut squash into a lovely lunch by throwing in some rocket, a chickpea salad made with odds and ends from the bottom of our vegetable box, before topping it off with some tangy feta cheese, to tantalise the taste buds. Here’s a few examples of other foods you can give a new lease of life to:
Boiled potatoes – potato salad with capers, spring onions & parsley
Salmon – flaked salmon, herb and spinach omelette
Three bean chilli –bean and rocket burrito with a dollop of salsa and Greek yoghurt
Pasta – tuna pasta salad with fresh tomatoes, onions and herbs
Soggy fruit
Fruit that’s not at it’s best can be incorporated into a tasty smoothie, breakfast, muffin or salad. Cut out the brown bits from a bruised pear for a different take on a Waldorf salad or throw it into a zingy green smoothie for breakfast, teamed up with avocado, lemon juice, green leaves, seeds and coconut water to kickstart your day.
Team with pre prepared plant foods
Ready cooked lentils and grains are a super quick way of providing the base for a leftover meal. Team up @merchantgourmet quinoa with a leftover green salad and chicken breast plus an apple cider vinegar dressing or go for their French puy and green lentils with last night’s roasted vegetables & a handful of chopped walnuts for a hearty lunch.
Swap your sandwiches for leftover health benefits
If you normally grab a ham sandwich, swapping to the likes of leftover roast salmon and vegetables could be a way of boosting your protein and fibre intake, whilst cutting your carbs at the same time, bringing benefits for blood sugar balance and weight loss. You might also go some way to fending off pesky mid-afternoon cravings.
#FoodWasteActionWeek #realsimple #leanin15 #inmykitchen #evidencebasednutrition #healthylifestyle #nutritiontips #leftovers #LoveFoodHateWaste #SaveFoodn #WasteLess
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