Save Time, Money and the Environment...Re-make

What the heck is a re-make you may be asking yourself? Well it’s a term I’ve come up with that quite accurately describes a way to live.

Here’s the easiest way to explain it. Take anything you may already have and then creatively find a way to turn it into something you want. We do this all the time without even realizing it. If you really think about it everything in life is a re-make, from the person we want to become, right down to the shelter we live in.  How many times since you were a teenager have you re-invented yourself…even just a little? How many times have you freshened up your house with a new coat of paint or moved a few things from one room into another? In essence you were re-making what you have into what you want?  

Often we feel the need to change things up a little (I think human beings have an inherent need for change!) but don’t have the budget to accomplish what you envision in your mind. Do you give up on the idea all together or do you rummage around your house to find things you already have to try and accomplish at least a reasonable facsimile of what you had envisioned. Of course you do!

 Most of my furniture has so many layers of paint that I feel sorry for whatever poor soul gets it when I’m done. They will soon realize its like and archaeological dig through my different decorating styles if they ever had the desire to strip off all the paint. Here's a great link for some tips...http://www.allyou.com/budget-home/crafts/refinish-furniture-00411000068276/ I’m sure they’d soon give up on the idea and just add another layer of their own! The same thing goes for clothes, when something is no longer the height of fashion most of us can’t afford to just pitch it and buy something new, we usually try to find a way to get at least another season or two out of it, usually by re-accessorizing. We all want to show the world a glimpse of who we are through our homes, our gardens, our sense of style and of course our food. But let’s face it there are so many places our money needs to go that often our wants take second place. So what’s a girl to do? My answer to you my friend is to RE-MAKE!!!!

Re-make food?  Absolutely, it’s my favorite thing to Re-make and here’s why. Food is not only a necessity for us to live but it’s also expensive and very perishable; there is nothing I hate more than throwing food out. Every time I do it I envision myself scraping money into the garbage can. A ridiculous notion I know, no one would ever willingly throw money into the can but for some reason we feel it’s okay to throw away perfectly good food…or maybe food that would have still been perfectly good a few days ago! Why is that I wonder, is it because we are a society of excess and we feel “there’s more where that came from”. Or, is it because we’ve never learned to utilize the odds and sods leftover from previous meals? I’m hoping it’s the latter.

I don’t know about you but I can’t stand leftovers, I just can’t bring myself to eat them. Who the heck wants to eat the same meal over and over again!  Not to mention more often than not there isn’t enough left for one more entire meal so many of the leftovers will sit in the fridge to rot, only to be tossed in the can a few days later when their pungent aroma reminds you of their presence every time you open the fridge. Instead Re-make!  This is just as it sounds, I simply remake what I have leftover into a completely different meal. No one’s the wiser and I’ve found this to be the best way to save $$$ on my groceries because I’m no longer throwing out a good 1/3 of my groceries every month. 33% sounds a little high I know but they recently did a study in the UK ( the first of its kind) and even the researchers were shocked to find out the average UK household throws away a good 1/3 of their groceries. To put it in perspective that would be like going to the grocery store, buying 3 bags of groceries and immediately dropping one of them in the can before you’ve even had a chance to bring them in the house! How ludicrous does that sound? I don’t care who you are and how much money you have, no sensible person would ever do that, yet that is exactly what we do!!!!

Each and every one us throw away approximately our body weight in food every year! Even those of us that insist that we are not wasteful were discovered to still be throwing out approximately 90kg a year! Being that wasteful not only affects our pocket books but causes serious harm to our economy and the environment. The UK pays 10 billion pounds each year for food it doesn’t even eat. Additionally it costs the government another 1 billion pounds to collect and send all that wasted food to the landfills. The very same landfills that generate copious amounts of methane gas which as we all know is a major contributing factor to global warming. Don’t even get me started on all the damage done to the environment just to get that food to your local grocery store! Not to mention all the excess packaging used to make the food shippable. There is also the poor farming practices many of the large commercial farms have so they can turn out these gargantuan quantities of food, and of course we then hop in our cars to go buy it from our huge well lit, air conditioned big box stores. (I’ll step down from my soap box now.)

Here is a direct quote from the study that will really grab you:

“The case for acting is convincing. Every ton of food waste we avoid saves about 4.5 tons of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gasses being emitted into the atmosphere. If we stopped wasting all the food that could have been eaten, we could prevent the equivalent of at least 18 million tones of CO2 emissions each year- The equivalent of taking one in five cars off our roads.  Addressing the problem of food waste must be a priority.” 

What’s being wasted the most you may be wondering? Well according to the study “45% by weight of all purchased salad, 31% of all bakery items and 26% of fruit is thrown away.” Pre-packaged and convenience foods aren’t off the hook either we throw millions and millions of dollars worth of those away too!

One of the most shocking findings to me in the study was that we are all equal opportunity wasters. I was sure the older generation that had lived through food shortages and wartime rationing would be far less wasteful, but the study proved me wrong! It must be because meals are far too easy to get on the table now with the availability of convenience foods so there is no longer any respect for the time and effort required to get that food on the table. Another shocking but positive outcome of the study was that “Once we become aware of what we are wasting, most of us are prepared to do something about it.”  

So I’ve devised an ingenious way to use all the bits and pieces you have hanging around your fridge, plus I have to admit it’ll make your meal prep really fast and easy because most of the hard work has already been done. These are just a few common examples that I make very regularly, but if you just use your imagination I know you can come up with a million of your own. Just survey what you have left over and try to think of another dish that contains many of the same ingredients.

Spaghetti and Meatballs---------------is now-----------------Italian Roasted Chicken

In a saucepan heat the leftover sauce and add some chipotle powder, oregano and paprika to it. Serve it on top of roasted chicken and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped flat leaf parsley.  Serve on a bed of rice that’s been tossed with a drizzle of olive oil, oregano and paprika, now add some peas and you’re done.

Beef Gravy ------------------is now ------------------------ Beef stroganoff

Heat up the leftover gravy in a saucepan and add some onions, parsley, mushrooms, red and green peppers, garlic and chopped parsley, now stir in some milk and a little heavy cream. Continue cooking until you’ve reached you desired consistency. Now stir in some cooked ground bison and serve over broad egg noodles with a dollop of sour cream on top. Sprinkle with green onions and you have a delicious beef stroganoff!

Mashed potatoes and Roasted Chicken------------- is now----------------------- Chicken Corn Chowder

Mashed potatoes allow you to make a thick rich cream soup without the need to add so much cream and fat. Saute some bacon and diced onion (drain most of the fat),  add some finely minced red pepper, sprinkle mixture with about 1/8c of flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in 2c milk, 2c chicken stock, 1/2c heavy cream, 1c corn and some diced cooked chicken, simmer until thickened. Now whisk in your left over mashed potatoes.

Grilled Chicken--------------is now-------------------Quesadillas

Cut chicken into thin strips. Place a soft taco shell in a non-stick pan that has a little olive oil drizzled in it. Sprinkle shredded cheese, chicken slices, diced tomatoes and peppers, diced onion and chopped cilantro (you can even add some black beans and frozen corn if you’d like). Sprinkle with a bit more cheese and place another soft taco shell on top. Cook over medium heat until cheese starts to melt and taco shell turns golden brown, then flip over and continue cooking until the other side is golden brown. Remove from pan and cut into wedges. Serve with sour cream, salsa or guacamole (or all three).

Ground beef from tacos-------------is now----------------------Chili   (also toss in the left over salsa sauce and re-fried beans)

 Simply dice up some peppers, onion, mushrooms and 1 large can of diced tomatoes, ½ can of tomato paste, 2c of cooked beans (can be any kind or a mix) now add 1tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1tsp chili powder , salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes I’ll add 1c of frozen corn. I just toss it in at the very last minute; it stays crisp and sweet…delicious. My kids love this, especially if we use taco chips to scoop it up.

Chili---------------is now-----------------------Taco Salad

Make a salad of romaine lettuce with tomatoes and red onion. Now crush a handful of taco chips on top, put a scoop of warm chili on top of that, and then a scoop of sour cream. Sprinkle a little shredded cheddar and a handful of sliced green onions. Now place taco chips around the edge of your plate (it looks pretty!) Enjoy we love this salad.

Ground beef from tacos or chicken from fajitas------------------is now-------------------- Southwestern Bake

Toss everything you have left from your Mexican Fiesta (salsa, meat, guac) into a pot add 2 diced tomatoes, half a diced green pepper, half a diced red pepper. Now add 1tsp paprika, 1tsp cumin, red pepper flakes (optional) and salt and pepper to taste. Next add ½ cup of each: corn, black beans, black eyed susan beans and green onions. Stir all ingredients together and add 1/2c milk and ½ cup sour cream. Pour sauce on top of any kind of cooked pasta (I like the tiny bow ties) and mix well. Top with shredded marble cheddar, chopped green onions and minced cilantro. Place in the oven until cheese is just melted.

Mac ‘n’ Cheese--------------------is now---------------------Minestrone Soup

Make a tomato based vegetable soup, add some beans, chopped spinach and you’re left over Mac ‘n’ Cheese. It’s so good you won’t believe it. The cheese really adds richness to this soup. See full recipe on page________.

Sounds appetizing doesn’t it? I’m telling you leftovers will never be seen in the same dismal light again, all of a sudden they’ll be a welcome addition to your fridge. You’ll even find yourself purposely making too much of something just so you can utilize the remainder later in the week. I guarantee it will change your cooking habits for life! Oh, and did I mention it will leave you with a whole lot more money to spend on a few of your wants! Can we say shoes, shoes and more shoes!!!!

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