I now appreciate leftovers not only for their ease, but for their economic benefit as well.
The pork roast that we used to make last night’s pulled pork sandwiches cost around $7. It fed both me and Ryan for dinner and I have two portions tucked away for my lunch this week. That’s only $1.75 per pulled pork sandwich (not counting the bread). Who knew pulled pork could be so financially friendly?
For lunch this afternoon I enjoyed a super cheap and super tasty pulled pork sandwich alongside leftover steamed broccoli.
Heeey, Porky!
Pulled Pork for the Poor
Dessert included a cup of Greek yogurt sweetened with the little jar of honey I keep stashed in my drawer at work.
Yog
It was a delicious meal that made both me and my wallet smile.
Feel free to share your favorite cheap meal ideas below!
Of Possible Interest
- 10 Morning Workout Motivators (Featuring a tip from me! 🙂 ) (WomansDay.com)
- 5 Best Workout Hairstyles (FitSugar.com)
- Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nut Butter (HeathersDish.com)
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I love leftovers! It really makes such a huge difference with spending if you bring your lunch to work rather than eat out, and if you plan well it’s not hard to do!
My hubby hates leftoevers and refuses to take them to work (he prefers to buy everyday..argh!). I like to reconstitude leftovers into something new. Like using chili on a tortilla wrap or something. nom!
I love leftovers too 🙂 Spaghetti or chicken fajitas/chicken quesadillas are favorites around here!
My favorite leftovers are those from a big hash for breakfast that I can eat for lunch and dinner the next day! Shredded potatoes, lots of vegetables, cheese and turkey sausage! Mmmm
Leftovers are awesome! I love chickpea salads, too – 1/2 tin of chickpeas, 1/2 red onion and tomato with hummus or dressing can be really cheap.
As I was making my lunch for today last night, I realized I didn’t really have any lunch-friendly protein sources…until I discovered a can of lentils! I threw some brown rice in my rice cooker, then sauteed some canned lentils with frozen spinach, olive oil, garlic, onions and chicken broth. I then mixed equal parts lentil mixture with the cooked brown rice, and brought a dollop of plain greek yogurt to stir in for some creaminess. It was AMAZING, super healthy and insanely cheap!
I love soups/stews/chowders for many reasons. The ingredients are generally somewhat cheap to begin with (depending on what you use…I suppose chicken soup is much cheaper than lobster bisque!) and you can ALSO just throw whatever you have leftover from other meals in there. It’s a great way to use up that extra half onion or few stalks of celery before they go bad. I like that it makes a LOT of food too that can easily be frozen and reheated. YAY SOUPS!!!!
I am totally with you on leftovers! I love when I have enough from dinner leftover to bring to lunch the next day! Not only does it save money but I don’t even have to think about what to pack! I love saving money. 🙂
you are the queen of leftovers!! u def push me to make bigger batches so i will have them too! i used to HATE HATE HATE them! thanks for those links!
Definitely agree with the loving leftovers! I like using leftover chicken on salads, sandwiches, with some cottage cheese (may sound weird, but delicious!), beans tossed in a salad with some salsa, or a can of tuna mixed with cottage cheese and some dill relish; and of course pb and j’s are always nice when you’re really pressed for time!
So I know this isn’t really “healthy” but I LOVE Velveeta shells and cheese with bacon and a can of tuna mixed in. My boyfriend and I always eat it alongside some broccoli. Roughly $1.70 per person. Score!
I wish I could get myself to take my dinner leftovers for lunch but I really do not like eating most “dinner foods” for lunch. We typically use dinner leftovers for dinner the next night. It saves a lot of time since we don’t have to cook dinner 2x.
I love leftovers! There are a lot of times where I will intentionally make extras with our dinner so I can have leftovers the next day. My husband hates leftovers for some reason, but that’s okay. I am happy to eat them all. 🙂
We love leftovers, too! =D
My grandmother always called them “planned overs” though….hahaha
I love leftovers, especially rice dishes! I can usually get 3-4 meals from one rice cooker recipe! Lately, I’ve been hooked on curried cauliflower. I am pretty sure it’s my favorite veggie recipe ever!
Love leftovers! Thank god Hubby loves it as much 😀
I really like pulled pork, too! Having it on sandwiches with a little BBQ sauce is one of my favorite meals.
Hope you have a great evening!
-Dana
Leftovers are always great!
My best cheap meal…. getting pasta on sale for 99 cents a box, mixing it with tons of vegetables (broccoli slaw, onions, garlic, mushrooms, peppers etc…) and some marinara sauce. I can add some meat on the side if desired, or sometimes I’ll add some beans to the mix.
Economical as it gives me plenty of meals, tons of vitamins and minerals from all the veggies and it’s fast. Bonus if some of the vegetables are on sale or buy one get one free, and extra bonus if the marinara sauce is on sale too!
I love leftovers, they’re the ONLY way to survive my present budget 🙂
I think casserole are the cheapest meals there are! They last for days and are freezable, and they pair well with salads. And I loved your tip on Woman’s Day. How exciting!
That’s a great price on the pulled pork! I too love left overs, and budget friendly meals!
Cheap meal – eggs on toast. We eat that 1-2x per week!
me too! I read through the comments hoping someone would say the same thing!
I just ate my lively leftovers and am still licking my lips 🙂
I love leftovers! It’s great when I can get 2 full meals out of it, since then I don’t have to cook every night. It’s also nice when I can send some with my husband for lunch 🙂
Leftovers is great for the wallet!
I used to turn my nose up at leftovers, but you’re right – entering life after college gave me whooole new appreciation (and sense of creativity) when it comes to yesterday’s food 🙂
I use to HATE leftovers! But I have totally changed that attitude. It is so much cheaper (especially since I am cooking for one) and a way to eat healthy quick. Who needs unhealthy fast food when you have leftovers? I like to cook up bigger batches of grains (rice/pasta/oats), roasted veggies, tofu/tempeh, chopped veggies, etc. It’s almost a fun game to see how many different ways I can use leftovers. Or maybe just fun to me…haha
I’ve always loved leftovers!
What does Ryan take for lunch? Leftovers, too I hope 😛
oh boy, i never thought of the economical benefits.
I LOVE leftovers! They save time and money!
We eat almost all of our meals at home (we go out on average twice a month) which also helps us save a bundle. I can make us enough chicken for a week with what it costs to get two chicken entrees at most restaurants!
We are making Pulled Pork Sandwiches for a dinner/auction coming up! 😀
xoxo
Kathleen
we’re totally into leftovers too, julie! my husband freezes portions so he can just pull them out over the next few weeks or so for his lunches. it’s great 🙂
I love leftovers as well! I could probably create meals out of them for days and days aaaand days. ha
Yayyyyy loving all of the tips from the comments! I am big on leftovers and stretching a dollar 🙂
ahhh julie i’m giving up sweets as well! this is my first go at it….we’ll see how it turns out. i’m super nervous as i eat dessert EVERY single night, BUT that is the point, right?! give up something that matters? good luck!!! i look forward to reading you tips and tricks as you go through it 🙂
I noticed the keyboard in your background. My pictures always show my keyboard too lol. I eat way too many meals at work lol
I hate leftovers! I don’t know what exactly it is about them….wait I do! It’s the texture. Almost nothing retains the exact same texture as it did when it was fresh. The only things I can stand “left over” is things that I make specifically to eat that way. As in, I don’t eat them fresh at all. Like my favorite black bean casserole, which I actually had for dinner last night!
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