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Premeditated Leftovers™

Prep-Ahead Meals, Cooking Tips, and Frugal Living


How to Make Beef Broth in a Slow Cooker

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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

How to Fill Your Freezer in 30 Minutes a Day

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Michelle is sharing tips and recipes for filling your freezer in 30 minutes a day. It’s back to school time! I don’t know about you, but my “lazy” days of summer are almost over and I need to start getting back to business. Eating at 8:30 pm isn’t going to fly with a little girlRead More

Pizza Poppers

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This quick and easy Pizza Poppers Recipe is a semi-homade pizza pocket made with refrigerated biscuit dough, pizza sauce, cheese, pizza toppings, and garlic butter. My kids are always happy to eat anything pizza-flavored.  They would gladly dig in and never complain if I made Pizza or spaghetti for every meal.  But sending pizza orRead More

Seafood Recipes from the Hearth and Soul Hop

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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! This week I am highlighting seafood recipes from visiting last week’s contributors to the Hearth and Soul Hop: Mediterranean Swordfish Moroccan Shrimp and Couscous Garlic Scape Scampi Prawns Avocado Appetizer Cucumber SushiRead More

10 Delicious Salad Recipes

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These delicious salad recipes are perfect for easy weeknight dinners or for meal prepping lunches. I am not sure what the weather is like where you live, but we have been having record high temperatures. It is so hot I don’t want to eat, let alone turn on the oven and cook. I just wantRead More

Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna

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Even if you are not a huge fan of fish, Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna is a wonderful summer treat you must experience. It is cool and fresh, perfect for a hot summer day when you don’t want anything hot. The sesame seed crust gives it a flavorful and crunchy finish, and the optional wasabi orRead More

10 Must Grill Recipes

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These 10 must grill recipes would be a delicious addition to any summer gathering. Hey everyone! I hope you’re having a great summer so far filled with lots of fun and sun! We just moved into a new home about two weeks ago and before that, we lived in an apartment complex that didn’t allowRead More

Worcestershire Sauce Marinade for Steaks

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This Worcestershire Sauce Marinade is a quick and easy way to create flavorful grilled steaks. I grew up on my Dad’s grilled steaks. From a very young age, if someone would ask me what I wanted for dinner I would tell them I wanted steak and by steak, I meant my Dad’s steak! When IRead More

Brunch Recipes

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I love brunch. Since it is served later, I feel more relaxed when preparing the food. We have brunch for every major holiday at our house. Here are some Brunch recipes to inspire you for your next holiday.   Brunch Recipes: Bread Recipes My family could happily make a meal of rolls, muffins, and bread!Read More

Southwest Frittata with Chicken

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Now that the weather has warmed up, we are busier than ever trying to squeeze as much as possible into the extra hours of day light. I am anxious to get outside, so I don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking breakfast. And I drag myself if as the sun is setting whichRead More

Mushroom and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

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This mushroom and black bean enchilada casserole recipe is a quick, easy, meatless meal. If you put sliced mushrooms in a salad, I will eat around them, and so will my kids. But dice the mushrooms up and add them to a dish and we will devour them every.single.time, which is a good thing! DespiteRead More

10 Valentine’s Day Treats

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These homemade Valentine’s Day treats are perfect for kids to give out as valentines or party favors at Valentine’s Day parties. These Valentine’s Day treats include homemade candies, desserts, notecards, and candied rim glasses. Several of these treats could be turned into a cute Valentine for kids using a sandwich bag and a printable ValentineRead More

How to Cook a Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib)

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Why would someone who focuses on frugality share a recipe for a standing rib roast (prime rib) when it is such an expensive cut of meat? Because you can make a whole roast for the cost of two people eating prime rib at a restaurant! Sometimes you want to celebrate an event or holiday withRead More

Salmon with Pomegranate Tea Glaze

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When I share a fish recipe, I often mention that fish has been an acquired taste for me.  As you read through my fish recipes you will see the progression from me stating that I don’t like fish, to “I’m not that fond of fish” to “I have come to love mild fish” to “I haveRead More

Delicious Ways to Use Up Leftover Coffee

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I am sitting here drinking day old coffee and enjoying it immensely!  One of my favorite ways to use leftover coffee is to make iced-coffees. Iced Coffee Recipes: Iced Mocha Frappuccino (Elsa includes directions for Chocolate syrup) Caramel Frappe (Jenni says this tastes like McDonald’s version. She also makes a Mocha Frappe.) Iced Coffee  (Jenny also includesRead More

Recipes to Use Up Leftover Barbecue Chicken

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I like making a huge batch of Barbecue Chicken. The first night we simply enjoy it as is. Then I shred the leftover barbecue chicken and use it to create “encore meals”. Now I am perfectly happy to mix up leftover barbecue chicken in a bowl with baked beans and sweet corn, but my familyRead More

Asparagus Quesadillas

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Last month, I accidentally bought too many tortillas and had a week of quesadilla recipes. Surprisingly my family did not get tired of quesadillas. Perhaps because they are just thankful that I cook for them and choose not to complain. No, that can’t be it. It is probably because  I tried to create truly unique flavor combinations eachRead More

What to Do with Leftover Ham

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Are you wondering what to do with leftover ham? Here are some of my favorite leftover ham recipes. I usually serve a ham on Christmas eve. We go to a candlelight service and then come home for dinner. The ham is easy to serve shortly after we arrive home since it is precooked and I canRead 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.