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Premeditated Leftovers™

Prep-Ahead Meals, Cooking Tips, and Frugal Living


Hearth and Soul Hop – The Vegetarian Recipe Edition

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Welcome to another Hearth and Soul Hop, the food carnival for and about food that not only nourishes our bodies, but our souls!  You can find the Hearth and Soul Hosts sharing links to entries on the Hearth and Soul Hop Facebook Page, Pinterest Boards, and on Twitter at @HearthNSoulHop. I am featuring several ofRead More

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Pizookie

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For Mother’s Day my daughter made a Double Chocolate Pizookie (Pizza Cookie). It was such a hit that my husband put my daughter in charge of dessert again when my birthday rolled around. She lived up to her reputation as our personal pizookie expert and made this delicious Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Pizookie. Wasn’t it sweetRead More

Gallery of Favorites – The Appetizer Edition

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April of The 21st Century Housewife and I would like to welcome you to our weekend blog hop: Gallery of Favorites!   Thank you to everyone who participated last week. We had 8 appetizer entries!  So this week we are featuring all those delicious appetizers shared last week. These recipes should help you get aRead More

How to Make a Compost Bin with Bales of Straw

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  Have you wanted to start composting, but were overwhelmed by the process of creating a compost bin or the expense of buying one? Well I discovered a quick, easy, and fairly inexpensive way to make a compost bin! You can make a DIY compost bin using straw bales. Added benefit, your building supplies are allRead More

How to Preserve Herbs

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I enjoy growing herbs. I love being able to use fresh herbs in recipes through out the summer. All summer, we run out and pinch fresh herbs for dinner. Once the herbs begin to bolt or the colder temperatures threaten the plants, it is time for me to give up my fresh herbs and preserve the harvestRead More

Substitutes for German’s Sweet Chocolate

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German Chocolate Cake isn’t German. I know, I was disappointed to learn this too! I’m having a mild identity crisis and I’m not even German. Next thing you know someone is going to tell us that French Toast isn’t French. Back to the non-German, German Chocolate Cake. It is actually a cake that is made with German’sRead More

Gallery of Favorites – The Sweet Tooth Edition

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April of The 21st Century Housewife and I would like to welcome you to our weekend blog hop: Gallery of Favorites!   This week we are featuring 4 delicious desserts: Absolutely Perfect Almond Cake, Blackberry Curd Tarts, Sweet Potato Pie, and Rummy Peach and Blueberry Cobbler. Each dessert is bursting with flavor. I am sureRead More

Gluten-Free Fruit Pizza

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Last week I was kind of stressed and may have accidentally made a fruit pizza for dinner. Nobody complained. 🙂 I did tell everyone that they had to have a salad too because a salad can turn any dessert into a well rounded meal. Well at least it does in the happy place I visitRead More

Gluten-Free Carmelitas

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Even though I can’t eat items from the local bakeries, I enjoy looking at their creations. It often inspires me to try new combinations of flavors or create a gluten-free version of an old favorite. When I peeked in the cases of our local bakery, I saw carmelitas and new that I had to makeRead More

Vacations for Children of Varying Ages and Interests

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I have a 16 year spread between my oldest child and my youngest child. When planning a family vacation I am dealing with different ages, different stages and vastly different interests! I have learned through trial and error a few ways to make vacations more enjoyable for all of us. Planning Vacations for Children ofRead More

Nut-Free “Nutella” Recipe

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I had an idea for a fun dessert pizza using fruit for the kids and was thinking of using Nutella for the “sauce”. I went to the store, looked at the price of Nutella and GASPED! Wow, I am not sure how my friend’s afford their addiction! There was another brand that was less expensiveRead More

How to Make a Planter Out of a Tree Stump

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Last weekend we visited the San Francisco Botanical Garden and I was reminded of a great use for tree stumps. Turn them into planters! How to Make a Planter from a Tree Stump: 1. Use a chisel and mallot to carve a round hole in the stump. Make it as deep as you can. LeaveRead More

Gluten-free Chai Spiced Sweet Potato Doughnuts

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If you are a regular reader, you know this recipe was inevitable. I think just about anything can be made better with chai spices. I love sweet potatoes. And I am still having fun playing with my Donut Maker. So Chai Spiced Sweet Potato Doughnuts were a natural. The only question is: Why did itRead More

Hearth and Soul Hop – The Frozen Treat Edition

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Welcome to another Hearth and Soul Hop, the food carnival for and about food that not only nourishes our bodies, but our souls!  You can find the Hearth and Soul Hosts sharing links to entries on the Hearth and Soul Hop Facebook Page, Pinterest Boards, and on Twitter at @HearthNSoulHop. My highlights from visiting lastRead More

Gluten Free Cookies and Cream Doughnuts

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Doughnuts are one of our favorite treats. After I made a Cookies and Cream Bundt Cake, I told my kids that I was thinking of making Cookies and Cream doughnuts because they are just like mini-bundt cakes. They were fully on board with the idea. I used Pamela’s Extreme Chocolate Mini Cookies in this recipeRead More

Avocado Pasta with Chicken

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I received such a wonderful reaction from my children to my Sonoma Chicken and Pasta recipe (which included artichoke hearts and olives) that I decided to try another “grown up” pasta dish. Since my oldest son’s reaction to dairy has intensified, I have been avoiding my Alfredo Sauce, but I must admit to missing theRead More

Gluten-Free Pear Doughnuts with Toffee Bits

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This afternoon I had the idea to combine pears and toffee pieces in a recipe. My family expressed doubt not only about the combination of flavors, but also my sanity. I don’t really object to them questioning my sanity, but I do think that by now they would have learned to trust me when IRead More

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.