Recently we have been attempting to plan out our meals for the week. This has become a weekly ritual that I am thoroughly enjoying. I usually pick one or two meals that I am really craving and then think of what we could do for the rest of the week using those same ingredients. This week, I ended up having quite a bit of quinoa leftover, and another stir fry just did not sound that appetizing. As I brainstormed other possibilities, I began to smell the delightful aroma of a grill starting up outside our window. Ahhhh the sweet smells of summer. And that is when it hit me. Why not turn my leftover quinoa into patties? Oh yes, how tasty they turned out to be.... and simple too!
As this week draws to a close, I challenge you to look in your fridge and think about creative ways to finish off those leftovers. Feel free to message me if you need a bit of inspiration! I have also included a few tips for ways to avoid wasted food.... scroll to the end of the page for ideas. Just think at how rewarding it will be to know that you no longer have to throw away those old, unwanted leftovers!
Quinoa & Spinach Patties
~ serves 4~
Ingredients:
~ 3 cups cooked quinoa
~ 4 eggs
~ 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
~1/3 cup scallions, diced
~ 1/2 cup bread crumbs
~ 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
~ 2 cloves of garlic, minced
~ dash of sea salt
~ 1 cup spinach, steamed
~ olive oil for cooking
 |
| Nutritional yeast/bread crumbs, scallions, egg, cheese, garlic, salt, spinach |
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together until thoroughly combined. In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Using a large spoon, scoop out 1/4 cup of the mixture and form patties. Cook 2-3 patties at a time, covered, over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
Serve as a side, over a bed of fresh greens, or under a poached egg. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!
Food for thought: How to reduce the amount of wasted food in your fridge
~ We all at some point get to the end of a week and notice that our produce is going bad, or our fridge is packed full of leftovers. Sometimes we suck it up, and eat every last bite to make sure we don't have to toss anything out. Other times we guiltily throw away that last portion of spaghetti, just so we don't have to eat the same meal one more time. It happens to the best of us. But it never feels good to toss out perfectly healthy food. Even if you really can't stand to eat a quinoa stir fry one more day, before throwing it away, I encourage you to think about other ways to use those leftovers. Here are a few tricks:
1. Separate out your leftovers: Instead of putting both the spaghetti sauce and pasta into one container, separate them out. That way you have the flexibility of creating alternate meals for the following days. As a rule of thumb, try to have separate containers for your leftover veggies, grains, and sauces.
2. Choose common produce for the week: When you plan out your meals, try to pick only a few fruits and veggies that you will use in different meals. This doesn't mean that you have to have similar meals each day, it just means that you can continue to use the rest of the onion, or sweet potato. For instance, if I decide that I want to make sweet potato zucchini enchiladas one day, I know that I will have leftovers of both. Therefore for the next meal, I may make a white bean zucchini pasta, or sweet potato/zucchini fritters.... the options are endless!
3. Rotate your meals: It's ok to have the same meal two or three times during the week. But if you are one that easily gets tired of eating the same thing over and over, try to rotate your leftovers. If you made a curry one night, make something else for the next day and eat the curry leftovers two days later. If I know I have a busy week coming up, I may make two or three different meals all at one time, and then rotate through them throughout the week. This way I have less to do during the busy week, and I won't get tired of my dinner.
No comments:
Post a Comment