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Premeditated Leftovers™

Prep-Ahead Meals, Cooking Tips, and Frugal Living


Using Whisper Counting to Teach Even and Odd

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As soon as my children are comfortable counting. I introduce them to whisper counting. Why? Mostly because it is fun. You alternate whispering and shouting numbers and children enjoy whispering and shouting, especially if it is in a place that you normally don’t shout…like the grocery store! Whisper counting lays the foundation for teaching the conceptRead More

Who Stole the Cookies…

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Did you see the Shrewsbury Cakes I made yesterday? The ones for which I made distilled rose water last week just so I could make these cookies? The ones I piped with Decorating Icing and topped with Candied Flowers? The cookies that I was going to bring to a picnic at the Shakespeare Festival? Who do youRead More

My Favorite Alphabet SOUNDS Song

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I love the Sounds like Fun CD by Barbara Milne and have been singing these tunes to my children for over 19 years! The Alphabet Sounds Song by Barbara Milne is a nice quiet time or bed time song and is the first song that I use to introduce phonics to my children. When IRead 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

Alternate Use for an Aquadoodle Pen

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My son had an Aquadoodle set, but one day when I wasn’t paying attention he took crayons and markers to the Aquadoodle paper. I was unable to repair the paper and when I discarded it, I almost tossed the pen too but then I had an idea: I filled up the pen with water andRead More

Memorization Tips for Kids

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Here are a few ways that I help my kids when they have to memorize something. Whenever my children have something they have to memorize, whether it is a Bible verse, physics formula, or Latin conjugations they write the information on a piece of paper and place it in an old plastic bag. Then theyRead More

Volunteering When You Have Young Children

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No matter how much you want to volunteer, it is difficult when you have young children. I thought I would share some ways that my friends and I have volunteered when our children were/are young. These are things that you can do for your favorite charities and service organizations either from your home or withRead More

My Ice Bucket Leads a Double Life

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I really wanted an ice bucket for holding drinks when we entertain, but put off buying one for years because of the price. I looked unsuccessfully for a used one. Even though we entertain quite a bit, buying something that we would only use for several hours a week seemed like an indulgent purchase. IRead More

Making a Juice Box Pull Double Duty

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We rarely consume juice boxes since we prefer to drink from our stainless steel water bottles. However, there are times when juice boxes are a convenient way to transport extra fluids. When we are going to spend most of the day away from home hiking or cross-country skiing I pack a couple of juice boxesRead 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.