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Premeditated Leftovers™

Prep-Ahead Meals, Cooking Tips, and Frugal Living


Vegetable Garden Minestrone Soup

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This minestrone soup recipe is loaded with fresh vegetables! Vegetable Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe An Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Copycat Recipe Using Fresh Vegetables. I make this minestrone soup recipe a lot during the summer. I make it primarily because my family loves this Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Copycat recipe, but I also make it becauseRead More

Grilled Sweet N’ Spicy Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers

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A great way to spice up the traditional grill fare of hamburgers and hot dogs is to throw on some skewers. These Sweet N’ Spicy Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers are a delicious combination of sweet, salty, and spicy.  A fresh new choice for your next family barbecue, cook out , or summer gathering- they are ideal asRead More

Spicy Steak and Artichoke Sandwich

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Last week, I decided to serve sandwiches and salad for dinner instead of heating up the kitchen by cooking a meal. As I was making my menu plans, I asked my husband to describe his favorite sandwich and he basically described a Philly Steak Sandwich. I asked him if we would mind if I playedRead More

Pineapple Mango Salsa Recipe + Homemade Tortilla Chips

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Summer and Salsa Recipes go hand and hand.  Fresh salsa and tortilla chips are a great picnic food, perfect for cookouts, and a light munchie anytime!  This recipe is not your traditional fresh salsa but is just as delicious and flavorful.  The mango and pineapple offer just the right amount of sweet to offset the heat ofRead More

30 Summer Recipes Using In-Season Fruits and Vegetables

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Whether you buy your produce at a farmers’ market, shop at the grocery store, or grow your own fruits and vegetables, the easiest way to create delicious recipes is to use in-season produce. By using in-season fruits and vegetables in your recipes, not only will you enjoy produce at the peek of freshness, you will save money on yourRead More

Lemon Pepper Poached Chicken

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We eat a lot of chicken in our house and we are always experimenting with new Chicken Recipes that are easy, healthy, and delicious.  This recipe is for Lemon Pepper Poached Chicken.  Have you ever poached chicken before?  Not all that long ago, while searching for chicken recipes, I came across a recipe for a balsamic poached chickenRead More

German Chocolate Pie Recipe with Coconut Pie Crust

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A few months ago my husband went grocery shopping for me. I had asked him to pick up Silk Almondmilk, but he accidentally picked up Silk Coconutmilk instead. He felt bad when he realized his mistake and offered to go back to the store to exchange it. However, I decided it would be the perfectRead More

Menu Plan with a Week of Salad Recipes

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I am finally harvesting salad greens from my garden, so we are going to celebrate with a week of salads. Depending on the weather and time available I will either Batch Grill or Batch Broil Chicken on Monday and then combine the chicken with ingredients from the garden to make several different salads. On Thursday, I will broil Salmon andRead More

Chocolate Pudding Recipe with Dairy-Free Options

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My husband insists on cooking with egg whites whenever he makes breakfast. There is absolutely no way I can convince him to use whole eggs, believe me I have tried! He insists he “can taste the yolk”. The funny thing is when I bake, I always use whole eggs and he has never complained that heRead More

Dairy-Free Whipped Cream Recipe

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I have mentioned many times before that my oldest son is lactose-intolerant.  Unfortunately, he is the one who likes dairy products more than any other member of the family. When I  make Vanilla Whipped Cream, I can tell that it is painful for him to have to skip it. So I set out to makeRead More

Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Pudding Recipe

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This easy dairy-free peanut butter pudding recipe is a crowd pleaser! I have shared in the past that we drink Silk Almondmilk. We started drinking it because my oldest son is lactose intolerant. The rest of the family fell in love with the great taste and drink it because we enjoy the taste of Almondmilk.Read More

Banana Coconut Cookies

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   If you are tired of using your overripe bananas for loads of banana bread these tropical flavor inspired cookies are a delicious alternative.  Sweet and decadent with a soft and light texture. Sometimes it’s difficult to find a substitute for baked goods that doesn’t contain flour,  especially when it comes to cookies. After experimenting withRead More

Steak and Asparagus Breakfast Wrap

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Every year when spring finally arrives I start fantasizing about having breakfast out on the patio. But then reality hits. I am not a morning person and the logistics of pulling together a breakfast and serving it on the patio before lunch time is overwhelming. This weekend I came up with an easy solution: BreakfastRead More

Corn Tortilla Taco Casserole

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This corn tortilla taco casserole recipe is one of my kids’ favorite casseroles. This layered taco casserole is easy to make and the results are flavorful! There are a number of ways to incorporate meat, but I kept it simple and made a hamburger taco casserole. You can use precooked ground beef if you haveRead More

10 Uses for Pineapple Mint + Pineapple Mint Salad

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While you may be very familiar with certain mint varieties including spearmint and peppermint, you may not have heard of pineapple mint before! Pineapple mint is an herb that is in fact part of the mint family; however it has a sweeter, fruitier flavor. It can be used in a wide variety of dishes andRead More

How to Make Sugar Eggs for Easter

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Use this step-by-step tutorial on how to make Sugar Eggs for Easter this year. A beautifully decorated sugar egg is a delight for young and old alike. It is sparkly and dressed for spring on the outside, and has a lovely scene to discover on the inside. Making the sugar egg shell is very simpleRead 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.