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Premeditated Leftovers™

Prep-Ahead Meals, Cooking Tips, and Frugal Living


Frugal Meatless Meals for Economic Vegetarians

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Fifteen years ago my husband made a career change. When negotiating his salary he did not take into consideration the increase in living expenses of the new location. And while on paper it looked like he got a raise, in actuality he barely made enough for us to scrape by. Now I am not goingRead More

Gluten-Free Honey Cake

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I continue to play with alternative sweeteners. My favorite is brown rice syrup, with honey a close second.  Honey is sweeter than brown rice syrup, so you can use less of it in recipes, making it easier to create a balance between your wet and dry ingredients. The other advantage honey has is that IRead More

Powdered Cocoa Substitute

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I wonder how many of my posts are inspired by my need to compensate for a silly cooking mistake? This evening after I started making a Cola Cake, I realized that I did not have enough cocoa powder to frost the cake. You can’t just slap any frosting on a cola cake! Cola cake demandsRead More

Using Vinegar on Mildewed Towels

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This is a reprint of a previously published post. It seems appropriate to share it today as we are headed off to the lake and I may be using this tip soon. It is summer and in our house that means mildew. Somebody forgets a wet towel in a hot car or bunches it upRead More

Frugal Family Fun

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This morning when I woke up, I found that my husband had made all of the preparations for a family hike. We spent the late morning/early afternoon enjoying a pleasant hike around the Mount Rose Meadows. My kids were exhausted when we came home, so the teens and I watched the last episode of EurekaRead More

Being Flexible to Minimize Food Waste

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This week I had planned to serve asparagus on Sunday, but when I went through the crisper last night I noticed it was looking a little oldish. I also found 1/4 a head of cauliflower with some brown spots and broccoli that was getting soft. I cut off the brown spots on the cauliflower andRead More

The Cream of the Crop: Dairy Free Delights

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Zoe  at Z’s Cup of Tea is hosting this month’s Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free round up. This month’s theme is Cream of the Crop: Dairy Free Delights. I really appreciate this event as I have one child who is gluten intolerant, one who is lactose intolerant, and one who does not handle refinedRead More

100 Degrees of Miserable

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In my last post I said that spring had just arrived. Well, it didn’t like what it saw and headed for the hills. In less than 2 weeks we went from night time frosts to 100 degrees. This is hard not just on me and my handful of readers who politely listen to my whining,Read More

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

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The chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies are one of my childhood favorites! I usually enjoy baking for my family, but today it was 101 degrees and I did not feel like turning on the oven. Even on hot days, my children require a bit of sugar to keep them sweet, so I made these easyRead More

Hang On, Little Tomato

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Spring just arrived a week ago and we are not sure if summer is ever going to show up.  Our weather has had a very negative impact on my warm weather vegetables. Many of the plants are maturing slowly, but I am hopeful that there is enough time for them to produce before our firstRead More

The Best Thing About Being Forgetful…

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…Is that You Can Surprise Yourself! This weekend I was doing some weeding and noticed some weeds that looked vaguely familiar. I have been surprised in the past by some “rogue flowers” and decided not to pull them until I had identified them. A couple hours later it dawned on me that they were hollyhockRead More

Gluten-Free Chicken and Veggie Wraps

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Wraps are my new favorite busy night meal. I can have all of the ingredients prepped and in the refrigerator and each person can make their own wrap when they can squeeze a meal into their schedule. This recipe is inspired by the Chicken And Veggie Wraps by Grace at Life 2 Seriously. Ingredients: BrownRead More

Proud Renter or Why Renting Works For Me

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So often I hear people almost apologize as they admit they are renters. Perhaps that is because they know most people hear the word renter and visualize this:I refuse to apologize; I am a proud renter! But perhaps that is because I know rentals can look like this:If we bought our house when we movedRead More

Preventing Mold on Berries

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While researching a way to minimize mold on berries, I came across an article by Harold McGee which suggested doing something completely counterintuitive: Rinsing them in hot water for 30 seconds. He did research and found that swishing strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries in 125 degree water for 30 seconds significantly reduced the development of moldRead More

Gluten-Free Corn Bread

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My kids used to put butter and honey on their cornbread, but eat it plain since I came up with this recipe. It is a moist, sweet cornbread and perfectly compliments a spicy chili or stew. My kids like to eat the leftovers for breakfast, but if you are only cooking for one or two,Read More

Reusing Containers as Paint Pots

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This falls under the heading of “can’t she just throw some things away?” If you are a regular reader, then you know the answer to that question is no. To make paint pots for my toddler, I started with a mixed match assortment of empty plastic containers and then cut a hole in the lid:Read More

Gluten-Free Rhubarb Coffee Cake

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I adapted the Rhubarb Cake recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, Finding Joy In My Kitchen, to make a gluten-free and dairy-free Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe. This Gluten-free Rhubarb Coffee Cake recipe is sweet, tangy, and has a moist crumb. My family loved the interesting combinations of flavors and could not detect theRead 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.