I have been working from home now for what feels like an eternity. Don’t get me wrong, I dig it. I have been waiting for the day when its acceptable to wear pj’s to work. A big plus, no more afterschool care checks to write. Do I now teach math, science and social studies between Zoom calls? Does cello class overlap the Monday tag-up? Yes, but I suppose I’ll live. But boy, oh boy, am I tired of turkey sandwiches. My goal lately is to elevate the ‘leftovers for lunch’ experience, becuase I have a feeling we’ll be here for a while.
In my head, I live/eat/work in a cute cafe with fast internet, eating french fries and sipping fancy coffees. (Note: Fries happen to be my guiltiest, guilty pleasure food). But that is not my reality, I am a stay-at-home, working mom that has reset the router box 4 times already today.
Lately, I’ve been pretty into making bowls with whatever leftovers or scraps are sitting in the fridge. I’ve said it before, my kids are good eaters. Chris is a good eater. But, they are the worst eaters of any kind of leftover. And every single night I pack them like they might give the leftovers a chance. For some of us, leftovers equal a chance to escape the deli meat for a day. Leftovers for Lunch!!
So I need some help. I have tried to start being creative with the leftovers and am looking for suggestions on how to mix up the lunch routine a bit! I’m probably even more desperate for some breakfast ideas. A girl can only eat so many bowls of oatmeal. For the first half of the week, we keep a pretty stocked fridge and pantry. Things are less optimistic by the end of the week and come down to a lot of half vegetables.
To start us off, this is what I’ve been working with:
Asian inspired vegetarian bowl. A pack of tempeh that’s been hanging out in the fridge. Half an avocado and part of a cucumber otherwise planned to chopped up in a salad. Also happened to have some rice saved from the night before. Heated up some frozen edamame and sauteed up some spinach before it became Chris’s breakfast smoothie. Found some teriyaki glaze. Not that long to make, so much more satisfying than another ham and cheese.
Southwest Breakfast Hash: When you only have one piece of steak leftover to share between four people. Also had some leftover baked potatoes from said steak night. Fried up some eggs, sprinkled some cheese and added a little bit of green. Speinkled with the BBQ seasoning and hot sauce.
Boss Lady Alert! Eating my avacado toast while taking that conference call. Looks pretty, tastes DELISH, and didn’t cost $19. Let’s be real, everything-bagel seasoning on anything is delish. Instead it was free from what would eventually become some soggy scallions sitting in the fridge. Yes, I’m a little bougie and keep smoked salmon handy. All that I was missing was Chris got a smoker for Christmas though… I’m waiting patiently for that experiment.
I told you, I have a thing for the bowls. And this one took me and much time to make as boiling up some Ramen. Literally just needed to cut up the last bit of cucumber I had left, cut up some of the leftover chicken breasts and sweet potatoes and a plop of hummus to dip everything in. In keeping up with superfood, health trends, I just happened to some quinoa left from a few nights prior.
Here’s another suggestion for some Vietnamese Spring Rolls. If you have the veggie pieces already cut up, it’s a quick snack that will motivate you to actually eat those veggies.
I have learned that a little creativity in the kitchen goes a long way. We’ve saved some dollars, that I plan on using to make some furniture upgrades. It’s also just a smidge healthier than chowing down on some french fries. I know all the mommas out there are double-time busy these days, but doing this was not as time-consuming as we all think. (No at home/leftover lunch can take nearly as long as the ChickFilA drive through at noon!)
Again, I’d love to see what you all are doing to brighten up your lunch routine since we aren’t having business lunches on the corporate dime anymore!
