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Premeditated Leftovers™

Prep-Ahead Meals, Cooking Tips, and Frugal Living


Easy Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

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This Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe is made with a boxed cake mix, chocolate pudding, and chocolate chips…and it is phenomenal! Two weeks ago I hosted a dinner party for 15. On the day of the party, we had 80+ wind gusts that did significant damage to both my backyard fence and the pasture fences.Read More

Menu Plan – Week of November 16th

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I realized today that I make the first four dinners on this week’s menu about once a month.  They are easy fall back meals for busy times or exhausting weeks. I am still getting my strength back after a nasty flu, so I am content to rely on the old standards; my kids are justRead More

Turkey Tetrazzini

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Here is a tasty way to use up leftover turkey – Turkey Tetrazzini, a savory casserole.   You make this in three parts: sautéed vegetable, white sauce, and then combine these with other ingredients into the tetrazzini. I think everything in this recipe, except the mushrooms, are commonly found in the kitchen. A lot ofRead More

Menu Plan – Week of November 2nd

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  Monday – Tomato Basil Pie and Garden Salad Tuesday – Lemon Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli Wednesday – Roast Beef, Rice, and Glazed Carrots Thursday – Use leftover Roast and Rice to make Hoppin’ John Friday – YOYO Dinner Saturday –   Teriyaki Chicken, Roasted Asparagus with Dijon Dressing, and Garden Salad Sunday – UseRead More

Easy Swedish Meatballs

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Here’s a recipe for homemade Swedish meatballs that’s pretty low labor, as meatballs go.     My mother-in-law takes her nursing duties very seriously! When she has come to help out after I have had a baby or surgery she packs her cookbook, her favorite cooking tools, and the pink plastic gloves she wears whenRead More

Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe

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This is a recipe for making cream of mushroom soup from scratch.  It’s more involved than opening a can of soup, but the result is far healthier. There are several family recipes that call for a can of cream of mushroom soup. I am sure my grandmother loved the convenience that canned soup provided her,Read More

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

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If you like chocolate, here is a recipe for chocolate chip cookies where the batter is chocolate too. Baking this batch of cookies was the most fun I have had baking in years! I had help, lots of help from my youngest son. When I started pulling out the ingredients, Rew pulled out the step-stoolRead More

Menu Plan – Week of October 19th

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It is going to be another pantry week. In the past I have had pantry weeks because of unexpected expenses, illness, and bad weather. This pantry week is a spontaneous response to my two year old’s sudden interest in the potty chair (YAY!). We are doing well so far and I don’t want to spoilRead More

How to Cook Swiss Steak in a Pressure Cooker

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Swiss Steak is one of my fall back recipes. It uses items that I usually have in the pantry, refrigerator, and/or freezer. And when I cook it in my pressure cooker, I don’t have to plan too far in advance. The recipe is  fairly flexible; adapt the ingredients to use what you have on hand. The pressureRead More

Cornbread Casserole

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This cornbread casserole recipe has become a holiday staple in our family. One of my husband’s cousins makes a delicious corn casserole using packaged Jiffy cornbread mix. My kids and I loved it and each year I vowed to come up with a similar cornbread casserole recipe from scratch. One Thanksgiving after tasting my cousin’sRead More

Picante Sauce Recipe

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Bottom Line Upfront:  My Picante Sauce Recipe.  If you want to jump straight to the recipe, hit the jump button immediately below.  If you are curious about why I am making so much, keep reading.   We had our first freeze last weekend; we even had a bit of snow! It melted quickly here onRead More

Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Dairy Free)

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This dairy-free garlic mashed potatoes recipe is my family’s favorite. Instead of butter and milk, I use olive oil and vegetable broth. It is is so flavorful that nobody will ever miss the butter and milk. I use a potato ricer to easily create super creamy mashed potatoes. I like to make my mashed potatoesRead More

Easy Pumpkin Pie Spice Bundt Cake

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This easy pumpkin spice bundt cake is made by doctoring a packaged cake mix. I found a recipe from a homeschool friend for a pumpkin pie spice bundt cake using a box of spice cake mix.  But I did not have said spice cake mix.  Consequently, I modified the directions to make it work withRead More

Sweet Potato Khmer

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This Sweet Potato Khmer Recipe is a sweet potato casserole featuring yams, crushed pineapple, diced apples, pecans, and a spicy sauce made with butter, cinnamon, ginger, and rum. I used to document our food waste each Friday. Doing so was educational, not just because I shared tips for how I minimized our food waste. ButRead More

Easy Sugar Cookies and Butter Cream Frosting

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Decorating Sugar Cookies is a traditional holiday activity. Below are tips to make decorating cookies a little easier, and recipes for sugar cookies, and buttercream frosting. To go to the printable recipe for Easy Sugar Cookies press here: To go to the printable recipe for Buttercream Frosting press here: Tips for Decorating Sugar Cookies HowRead More

Cinnamon Apple Syrup

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Are you looking for a frugal alternative to maple syrup? We enjoy using this delicious cinnamon apple syrup recipe on top of our pancakes and waffles. We love REAL maple syrup, but when I am out, I make The Cinnamon Apple Syrup to tide us over. It really dresses up plain old pancakes as wellRead More

Homemade Pumpkin Muffins Recipe

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This homemade pumpkin muffins recipe has the delicious flavor of pumpkin pie in a light and fluffy muffin. Homemade Pumpkin Muffin Recipe Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 Tablespoon baking powder 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice mix 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/3 cup oil 1 cup pureed pumpkin 1/2 cup light brown sugar Directions: 1.Read More

Fluffy Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

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This pumpkin pancake recipe creates a large batch of fluffy and delicious pancakes! It is time to start harvesting pumpkins, and we just happen to love all things pumpkin! After I make homemade pumpkin puree, I freeze it in 2 cup portions. When I thaw a bowl of puree, I make a batch of pumpkinRead More

Menu Plan – The Eat From the Pantry Edition

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  Last week was unusually expensive, so I have declared it a “eat from the pantry week” to save money on groceries. I have chicken in the freezer and lots of fresh fruit and veggies in the garden, so the only thing I will need to buy is milk. Monday – Teriyaki Chicken, Basmati Rice,Read 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.