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Premeditated Leftovers™

Prep-Ahead Meals, Cooking Tips, and Frugal Living


Quick, Easy, & Healthy Dinner Menu Plan

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Are you rotating the same few recipes for dinner over and over again? When you tell your family what you are making for dinner, do your kids say, “Again?” Want some new recipe ideas? I have joined with several of my favorite food bloggers to create a Healthy Dinner Menu Plan with 30 family-friendly recipes that areRead More

15 Wonderful Ways to Make Frozen Treats

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When those long summer months stretch out before you, you need to know some great ways to make frozen treats. From molds to recipe books and more, you’ll find lots of help staying cool and quenching your thirst in this helpful guide! (This post contains affiliate links.) When those long hot summer months stretch outRead More

Quinoa and Avocado Salad

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This Quinoa and Avocado Salad Recipe is delicious as a side dish or as the main course. I’ve decided to start thining the pantry over the next month to ensure we use the food that is in there rather than risk missing the use-by date. When I was digging around the pantry looking for inspiration,Read More

Chocolate Peanut Butter S’mores Bark

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This Chocolate Peanut Butter S’mores Bark is a quick and easy dessert recipe. It’s perfect for when you want to enjoy the flavors of s’mores without lighting the grill. My kids love s’mores, but I don’t love the mess. Since they love the flavor of the chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers more than they likeRead More

Asparagus and Pasta Salad

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My youngest son loves asparagus. It is one of the few green vegetables that he likes, so I am always experimenting with new ways to serve it. I decided to try it in a pasta salad, but I usually only put raw vegetables in my pasta salads and I knew that wouldn’t fly. Instead ofRead More

Chocolate Marshmallow Hand Pies

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These ooey-gooey Chocolate Marshmallow Hand Pies are a fun and easy dessert recipe. They are also perfect for eating around the bonfire this summer! There is nothing quite like a warm bonfire on a cool autumn evening with delicious treats to share. One of the best, in my humble opinion, is a s’more. The combinationRead More

Blackberry and Lemon Drop Chiller

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Here’s a new cocktail recipe to try! This Blackberry and Lemon Drop Chiller is a delicious mix of lemon, homemade blackberry syrup, and flavored vodka. Don’t head into summer without a cocktail game plan. We go a cocktail that will knock your socks off and make you feel like the summer will never end. TryRead More

Pizza Frittata

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This quick and easy Pizza Frittata recipe works for any meal of the day! I was going to say this Pizza Frittata Recipe is a hit with my kids, but actually, it is a hit with everyone.  I love frittatas because they are fast and easy to make. You can create an elegant frittata orRead More

Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Soup

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On chilly nights there’s nothing more comforting than a big bowl of soup! Warm up with this quick and easy Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Soup recipe made with yogurt. This is the perfect light meal to whisk the chill away in a hurry. It isn’t quite un-sweater weather yet, and any excuse to serve upRead More

Watermelon, Lemon, and Cranberry Margarita

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Warm weather is just around the corner and having a go-to cocktail is essential! Try this refreshing Watermelon, Lemon, and Cranberry Margarita. Let’s talk warm weather cocktails for a second, shall we? First, before the HOT! HOT! HOT! weather gets here you’re going to need a game plan in place to cool yourself, friends, and familyRead More

Simple Pound Cake with Raspberry Syrup Recipe

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Here’s a homemade, Simple Pound Cake with Raspberry Syrup Recipe. The drizzle of raspberry syrup on the top of this cake makes it a perfect summer dessert! Here’s a simple, homemade recipe for pound cake. Plus, with the drizzle of Raspberry Simple Syrup, this will be perfect for a light summer dessert! I am inRead More

Butternut Squash, Potato, and Ham Casserole

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Here’s a delicious way to use up your leftover ham. This Butternut Squash, Potato, and Ham Casserole is an easy and hearty dish. Some folks wonder what to do with butternut squash beyond the soup bowl. I created a super easy and incredibly yummy recipe, and it uses butternut squash, Yukon Gold potatoes, homemade breadRead More

Unicorn Food Cake and Ice Cream Parfait

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Create magical food for your unicorn friends. This easy Unicorn Food Cake and Ice Cream Parfait is a mix of ice cream, cake, and lots of fun. What say you mere mortal do a hardy taste of some of the best unicorn fun this side of the rainbow? This Unicorn Food Cake and Ice Cream ParfaitRead More

Winter St. Louis Style Pork Ribs

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You don’t have to wait until summer to barbecue! This Winter St. Louis Style Pork Ribs recipe is made in your oven and includes a homemade seasoning rub. I have come to recognize my dependence on barbecue. It’s like air, I got to have it. And so I went ahead and fired up the kitchenRead More

Turtle Candy Chocolate Dipped Oreo Cookies

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This recipe for Turtle Candy Chocolate Dipped Oreo Cookies is addictive.  I already love my Oreo cookies, and I love turtle candy with the pecan, caramel, and chocolate combination.  Combining the two of them is a recipe for perfection.  This is a super easy recipe to make and is going to be a favorite treat forRead More

Bourbon + Cherry Cocktail

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Beat the winter blahs with this Bourbon and Cherry Cocktail! It’s a refreshing recipe with Bourbon, Maraschino cherries, and a splash of citrus. Just because it isn’t summer doesn’t mean you can’t drink like it is! Our Bourbon and Cherry Cocktail is going to make you feel like you’re soaking up the sun in PuertoRead More

Quick and Easy Ratatouille Chicken Bowls

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I created these Ratatouille Chicken Bowls as part of a sponsored post for Wish-Bone and Tyson. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as is the recipe for this one-bowl wonder. As a mom, I am always looking for easy ways to pull together healthy meals that my kids will want to eat. I have foundRead 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.