Have a Potluck!

Moving out of the dorms or an apartment can be very stressful. There is so much to pack and so little time to do it. One thing you do not want to have to worry about is what to do with all that leftover or half-opened foods. A great way to get rid of those extras is to have a potluck with friends! A potluck is a gathering of friends, where each person brings a dish to be shared with everyone.

There are so many different ways you can incorporate leftover foods into new, delicious dishes. Look through your refrigerator, cabinets, and/or pantry and make a list of everything you have that you need to get rid of. Take note of the main meat ingredients you have, such as chicken, steak, or hamburger meat. These will be the main ingredients of the meal you choose to cook. Below are some ideas for what to do with leftover foods!
Chicken
1. Make chicken quesadillas.
Need:

~Chicken, soft tortillas, cheese, sour cream, lettuce

2. Throw it on top of a caesar salad.
Need:

~Lettuce or spinach, chicken, shredded parmesan cheese, croutons, caesar dressing

Hamburger (ground beef)
1. Mix taco salad.
Need:

~Ground beef (browned in a pan), shredded cheese, taco seasoning, Tostitos chips, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream

2. Stir into chili.
Need:

~Ground beef,can of kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chopped onions, chopped green pepper, minced garlic, chili powder, salt & pepper, shredded cheddar cheese

Steak
1. Saute it for an easy teriyaki stir-fry.
Need:

~Steak, teriyaki sauce, vegetables (broccoli, peppers, carrots), brown rice

2. Wrap up some fajitas.
Need:

~Steak, tortillas, red pepper, green pepper, onion, steak sauce (to marinade)

Vegetables
1. Cook into an omelette.
Need:

~Vegetables, eggs, shredded cheese

2. Make vegetable soup.
Need:

~Yellow zucchini, carrots, brown rice, tomatoes, cauliflower, diced onions, olive oil, minced garlic, chicken broth, oregano, italian seasoning

Fruit
1. Chop up for fruit salad.
Need:

~Fruit of your choice, chopped and mixed together

2. Blend a smoothie.
Need:

~Frozen fruit, orange juice, plain yogurt, ice

An app for the iPhone or iPad that I use when I am deciding what to make is called DinnerSpinner by allrecipes.com. You just choose a dish type, select an ingredient and then how long you have to make the recipe. After clicking "View Matches", the app gives you some tasty recipes to make with the information you've given it! For example, if you choose "Dessert", "Fruit", and "20 min or less", it gives you recipes for everything from chocolate covered strawberries to cream cheese blueberry pie! The app also lets you search for specific recipes, or search for special recipes, like ones that contain "No Dairy" or "No Wheat". It also has search options for recipes that are high in fiber and low in fat! This helpful search app will definitely come in handy when trying to use up all that leftover food!