Bethany Frazier
Price Chopper Dietitian
The living words “work smarter, not harder” might apply to your job, but they also apply to planning nutritious family dinners. With back-to-school upon us, schedules changing, and new activities beginning, save yourself some time and effort by cooking once and eating twice.
Cook Once, Eat Twice for Back-to-School Season
The living words “work smarter, not harder” might apply to your job, but they also apply to planning nutritious family dinners. With back-to-school upon us, schedules changing, and new activities beginning, save yourself some time and effort by cooking once and eating twice.
The cook once, eat twice method can look a few different ways:
- Double your recipe. Or triple it, or quadruple it. Casseroles are perfect for this–eat half and freeze the second casserole for another time, or have leftovers the next day.
- Make extra of one component of the meal (chicken, beef, rice, potatoes, etc.) and repackage it as a totally different dish for the next meal. (While leftovers are great, sometimes you just need something new.)
Doubling a recipe is pretty straightforward, but if you need some ideas about how to dress up the heart of Tuesday’s dinner into a whole new outfit on Wednesday, we’ve got them for you here.
Make Extra Meat
Transform last night’s protein into a new dinner centerpiece for tonight.
- Chicken: Try this tasty Slow Cooker Chicken recipe, which can be parceled into three different taco flavors: Fiesta, Teriyaki Pineapple, and BBQ Corn.
- Shredded beef or pork: The slow cooker is a great option all year-round–it doesn’t heat up the house and makes a great tool for set-it-and-forget-it proteins. On night one, try these Shredded BBQ Beef Tostadas. On night two, use your leftover BBQ beef (or pork) for BBQ Bowls.
- Shrimp: Grill up a big batch of shrimp and veggies for your first. For your next, opt for a no-cook dish by pairing cold shrimp with this healthy and versatile Fresh Strawberry Salad.
Make Extra Sides
You can also give yesterday’s meal a makeover using your sides.
- Potatoes: Toast up these Herb-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes (be sure to make extra), and serve with grilled burgers. You can repurpose yesterday’s potatoes into this Creamy Dill Potato Salad and swap your burger for grilled chicken.
- Rice & beans: Canned beans and microwavable rice or quinoa are some of the easiest sides to add to any meal. Put together your go-to weeknight tacos with a side of rice and beans. Tomorrow, your extra beans and rice can accessorize these Bell Pepper Nachos.
- Vegetables: Even though it’s back-to-school time, it’s still summer–and summer looks great on grilled veggies. Use this Grilled Vegetable Medley, and pair with a protein of your choosing. For your next meal, top up these nutritious Quinoa Bowls with the leftover veggies.
The cook once, eat twice method gives you and your family options. Double up or re-outfit your first cook to make the busy season a little calmer. For more cook once, eat twice recipes, be sure to check out our Summer Gatherings magazine. Found in store and online.
