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Premeditated Leftovers™

Prep-Ahead Meals, Cooking Tips, and Frugal Living


Tahini Couscous & Vegetable Stuffed Peppers

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These Tahini Couscous & Vegetable Stuffed Peppers are a bonafide food testament! Let’s testify that at times, it is a good thing to bypass the whole hot oven thing. For this one we use the minimal amount of heat to prepare something light, yet still a solid 10 out of 10 on the yumlicious scale. ThisRead More

Cantaloupe Fruit Pizza

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Here’s proof that you don’t need pizza dough (or any of the familiar savory ingredients for that matter) to make great pizza. This Cantaloupe Fruit Pizza is the perfect summer pizza pie without a carb overload. It is made a little healthier by using cantaloupe, cream cheese, agave nectar, sliced strawberries, and sugared blueberries. This one makesRead More

Italian Pasta Salad with Grilled Pork

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This quick and easy Italian Pasta Salad recipe includes grilled pork, cheddar cheese, and a variety of vegetables. Four random ingredients and 20 minutes to make a meal.  When I am in a situation where I have to pull a couple of random ingredients together to make dinner, I often turn to cheese to pullRead More

Couscous & Orzo Pepper Stir-Fry

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Our delicious Couscous & Orzo Pepper Stir-Fry is an easy meal that’ll leave you asking, “Why did I wait so long?” But don’t fret, better late to the game than never, right? This is yet another recipe born out of the discovery of “Am I really out of ______!” It happens, you think you got everything youRead More

Rustic Homemade French Bread with Herb Butter Crust

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This Rustic Homemade French Bread can be made and enjoyed anytime you like with just a few simple pantry ingredients and not a lot of work. There is a bit of patience required for waiting for this yummy bread to rise, but I promise you that it’s worth the wait! You’ll enjoy every piece with it’sRead More

Strawberry & Berry Colada Cocktail

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This Strawberry & Berry Colada Cocktail recipe is a fun drink to serve at summer parties. The red and blue colors also make it a nice pairing for 4th of July parties. Summer fun is all about easy but good. Scratch that, how about super easy and delicious?! Our Strawberry & Berry Colada Cocktail recipe is theRead More

Bratwurst and Sweet Corn Casserole

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You don’t have to settle for boring, not when you can have all the excitement you need in our Bratwurst & Sweet Corn Casserole! Yes, brats! Come to find out bratwurst plays very well with sweet corn and few other casserole cast members. I invited onion, parsley, and tomatoes along for the ride, too. AndRead More

Creamy Cheese and Brat Casserole

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This Creamy Cheese and Bratwurst Casserole recipe is a budget-friendly and quick dinner idea for busy nights. Okay, I get it. Brats are made for the grill. But someone forgot to tell this Creamy Cheese and Brat Casserole the news. Did we take brats a step further by taking them off the grill and intoRead More

Easy Lemon Truffle Recipe

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This Quick and Easy Lemon Truffle Recipe is a delicious dessert treat that also makes a lovely, semi-homemade hostess gift. I love cake mix hacks, and this is by far one of my favorite.  Using a simple lemon cake mix, you can create this truffle recipe in minutes. That means you have a perfect last-minuteRead More

5 Bean Quinoa Soup

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This hearty 5 Bean Quinoa Soup is a healthy and delicious twist on classic 5 bean soups! Some people limit soups to winter food, but I enjoy soups year round. I especially enjoy a hearty soup after working in the yard all day. It doesn’t matter the season or yard work, spring planting, summer weeding, fallRead More

Secrets of the Grill Masters

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Summer may not officially start for a few more days, but the temperatures and summer spirit say otherwise. Besides that, grilling is a pastime that can be enjoyed year round, even with snow on the ground. Do you want to master your grill this season? Read these Secrets of the Grill Masters and get outRead More

Orange & Cream Soda Lemonade

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This Orange & Cream Soda Lemonade is a cold, homemade summer drink that will make lots of friends. With a mix of oranges and lemons, this is a great drink to tame the summer heat. Orange & Cream Soda Lemonade Want to cool off with a sweet, fizzy, and fruity summer drink? Well of course youRead More

Strawberry Overnight Oatmeal with Variations

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This easy Strawberry Overnight Oatmeal recipe has two delicious variations. These three Strawberry Overnight Oatmeal recipes are a great way to use fresh strawberries and are a full breakfast in a jar. The basic strawberry overnight oatmeal is delicious on its own, but the two variations taste more like dessert than breakfast. Strawberry Rhubarb OvernightRead More

Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles

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Combine fruit and yogurt to make these Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles. They are a cold and refreshing summer treat!  The story goes something like this. Once upon a time, there was a land without Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles. What a dreary world indeed. But then one day Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over the strawberries and they landed inRead More

Patriotic Star Cookies

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These Patriotic Star Cookies are an amazing addition to 4th of July celebrations. Looking for  a creative dessert idea for your 4th of July party? These Patriotic Star Cookies with fondant stars in red and blue makes for a fun twist for the 4th of July! This is a basic sugar cookie recipe, topped with vanillaRead More

Apricot Vanilla Cashew Refrigerator Oatmeal

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I like to eat breakfast first thing in the morning. For some reason I always wake up starving, so I never cook breakfast. I just scrounge around in my fridge until I find some edible leftovers. I love making overnight oatmeal because I can make myself a wholesome breakfast in advance. This Apricot Vanilla CashewRead More

Apple Pie Overnight Oatmeal

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This Apple Pie Overnight Oatmeal Recipe is a stealthy healthy breakfast disguised as pie! This apple pie overnight oatmeal is not just a recipe, but the accomplishment of a life goal for me: find a way to eat pie for breakfast every day without consequences! This apple pie overnight oatmeal tastes so much like apple pie,Read More

Pita Breakfast Sandwich

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Breakfast on the go just got a whole lot easier with this quick breakfast idea. Make this Pita Breakfast Sandwich with beef, veggies, and eggs! I love breakfast! And I really love my Pita Breakfast Sandwich! Why? Well, look at this handy and gorgeously yummy creation. I have taken a glut of delicious ingredients andRead 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.