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Premeditated Leftovers™

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About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

You will love this easy homemade turkey gravy recipe

How to Make Turkey Gravy

November 5, 2025 by Alea Milham 6 Comments

Hosting the holiday dinner this year? You are going to love this easy turkey gravy recipe! There is absolutely no reason to buy gravy. Ever. Homemade gravy is not only out-of-this-world delicious, but it is also easy to make. For some reason, people have heard stories of lumpy gravy and have the impression that itRead More

Orange-Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Orange Zest

November 5, 2025 by Alea Milham 7 Comments

This homemade Cranberry Sauce recipe is flavored with orange juice, orange zest, and cinnamon to create a flavorful side dish for your Thanksgiving feast. I love the flavor combination of orange and cranberries. I am not that crazy about cranberries on their own but add some grated orange and a little cinnamon and it becomesRead More

Free Printable Thanksgiving Planner

Thanksgiving Planner Printables

November 1, 2025 by Alea Milham Leave a Comment

This Thanksgiving planner includes printables for everything you need to plan your celebration including brainstorming ideas, a Thanksgiving meal plan, a cleaning list, a guest list, leftover recipe ideas, a fall bucket list, gratitude journal, and more! Enter your email below to have it delivered to your inbox: Once you receive the planner, you canRead More

Homemade Advent Calendars

10 Homemade Advent Calendar Ideas

October 23, 2025 by Alea Milham Leave a Comment

These homemade advent calendar ideas are fun ways for kids to countdown to Christmas. Children always get so excited about Christmas. It is hard for young children to understand how much longer they must wait until Christmas Day. Advent calendars help kids keep track of how many days they have left to wait, but theyRead More

Homemade Christmas centerpieces in colors of red and white

10 Frugal Homemade Christmas Centerpieces

October 23, 2025 by Alea Milham 2 Comments

Elegant holiday tablescapes don’t have to cost a lot of money. Here is a collection of 10 frugal homemade Christmas centerpieces to inspire you to come up with something wonderful for a festive table. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on your Christmas centerpiece. You can use items you already have aroundRead More

Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids

15 Christmas Crafts for Kids

October 22, 2025 by Alea Milham Leave a Comment

These Christmas crafts for kids include Christmas ornaments and decorations that are easy to make at home. It won’t be long before the kids will be out of school for Christmas break and we will be looking for things to keep them busy. I find that I can keep my son busy for hours creatingRead More

Cute ideas for kids Thanksgiving Turkey Crafts

15+ Turkey Crafts for Kids

October 21, 2025 by Alea Milham Leave a Comment

Looking for an easy Thanksgiving craft project to keep the kids busy as they look forward to the long holiday weekend? Choose from one of these 15+ Turkey Crafts for kids.   Every year, when fall would hit, we would do some of my favorite crafts as a kid.  I always looked forward to newRead More

no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas

10 No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

October 17, 2025 by Alea Milham 2 Comments

Whether you don’t want to cut into a real pumpkin or you want to decorate a fake pumpkin, we have you covered with our no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas. I love decorating for fall with pumpkins. However, as a baker, I hate seeing pumpkins that are cut up. It just seems wasteful, and they don’t lastRead More

15 Homemade Christmas Ornaments

October 16, 2025 by Alea Milham Leave a Comment

Gather up the craft supplies and clear some space on the table! Everyone is going to love making these Homemade Christmas Ornaments to decorate the tree! Each year we make several new Christmas ornaments for our tree. Some years I have simply picked up some ceramic ornaments from Michael’s and some paint. One year theRead More

15 DIY Christmas Gift Ideas

October 16, 2025 by Alea Milham 2 Comments

You can make heartfelt, handmade gifts! Read on to see 15 easy DIY Christmas gift ideas for more meaningful gift-giving this holiday season. Last week a friend gave me a pen and ink drawing she had created from a picture. I was so touched I started crying. A picture my oldest son painted hangs overRead More

easy healthy pumpkin dip recipe in a bowl surrounded by apples

Healthy Pumpkin Dip

October 11, 2025 by Alea Milham 12 Comments

This Pumpkin Dip Recipe is a healthier version of pumpkin pie dip. It uses pumpkin puree and yogurt for a low-calorie, low-fat, and low-sugar appetizer to enjoy at holiday parties. This pumpkin dip has become a staple at all of our fall gatherings from early September through Thanksgiving. We love to dip apple slices inRead More

how to make apple pie spice mix - recipe and tips

Homemade Apple Pie Spice Recipe

October 4, 2025 by Alea Milham 4 Comments

Use this homemade apple pie spice to make your own mix from scratch using spices in your pantry. You will often see apple pie spice listed as an ingredient on recipes for apple pies and crisps. I know you have hears of pumpkin pie spice, but you may be asking yourself What’s apple pie spice? AndRead More

Cute, fun, and easy pumpkin crafts for kids

15 Pumpkin Crafts for Kids

October 3, 2025 by Alea Milham Leave a Comment

These pumpkin crafts for kids make fun projects for fall afternoons! I love fall, but sometimes the weather is rather unpredictable. When we can’t enjoy the gorgeous colors outside, my youngest son and I stay busy doing art and craft projects inside. My son loves pumpkins! The first sugar pumpkin from our garden is his.Read More

Collage of Fall Leaf Crafts for Kids

15 Fall Leaf Crafts for Kids

October 1, 2025 by Alea Milham 1 Comment

These fall leaf crafts for kids use fall leaves to make everything from placemats to wreath to puppets. The leaves are finally beginning to change in our area! And the weather just cooled off yesterday. It is finally beginning to feel like fall. Fall is my favorite season. The cool, crisp air is refreshing afterRead More

applesauce bundt cake recipe using a cake mix

Easy Applesauce Bundt Cake

September 28, 2025 by Alea Milham 24 Comments

This semi-homemade applesauce cake is made by doctoring a plain white or yellow cake mix.   What do you do when you want to make a cake, but you don’t have a lot of time? Make a Bundt cake. They are elegant and you can get away from putting a simple glaze on top andRead More

roasted broccoli in a white bowl

Roasted Broccoli

September 26, 2025 by Alea Milham 3 Comments

This roasted broccoli recipe is seasoned with garlic powder and onion powder creating a flavorful side dish in under 15 minutes. When I was a kid I thought I didn’t like cooked broccoli. It turns out, I love cooked broccoli, I just don’t like over-cooked, slimy broccoli. Roasting broccoli for a short time at aRead More

10 neat ways to reuse old sweaters

10 Ways to Reuse Old Sweaters

September 26, 2025 by Alea Milham 3 Comments

Give old sweaters new life with these 10+ repurposing ideas. From home décor to cozy accessories, discover easy ways to reuse and upcycle sweaters. When going through your winter clothes this fall did you find some sweaters that you can no longer wear?  Don’t toss them or donate them just yet. There are so manyRead More

Woman removing leaves from gutter as part of fall cleaning and winter prep.

Early Fall Cleaning List

September 18, 2025 by Alea Milham 2 Comments

Get your home and yard ready for winter with this early fall cleaning list. Chilly weather is likely to be creeping in where you are by the end of the month so we will take this month to get ready in advance for it! Indoors and out there are things you can do to getRead More

Peas with green onions and basil in a serving bowl.

Green Peas Recipe with Green Onions and Basil

August 12, 2025 by Alea Milham 2 Comments

This quick and easy recipe for green peas with green onions and basil is a family favorite! In our house, this recipe is called “Astronaut Peas”. When my husband was a little boy he saw footage of astronauts at a dinner where peas were served as a side dish. He asked his parents if youRead More

How to make slow cooker beef broth recipe and tips

How to Make Beef Broth in a Slow Cooker

August 7, 2025 by Alea Milham 9 Comments

Save your roast beef bones to make beef broth in a slow cooker with these directions. I like to stretch my groceries as far as I can. One way I do that is to make homemade broth. When I make a roast I save the bones to make beef broth. I freeze the bones until IRead More

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Prep-Ahead Breakfasts and Lunches by Alea Milham

Recent Articles:

Gingerbread Rice Krispie Treats

homemade buckeye fudge recipe

Easy Buckeye Fudge Recipe

You will love this easy homemade turkey gravy recipe

How to Make Turkey Gravy

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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.

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