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Queen of the Hodgepodge Leftovers

leftovers-585There are some people who like leftovers. Some who don’t. Some who will eat them if they’re the only food left in the fridge. Me though? I love them. Like want to marry-them-love-them. So, it should come as no surprise to you that I was able to pretty much make a whole day’s meals out of them. Leftovers are so how I roll.
First, let’s start with breakfast. A green smoothie is always an easy choice, but a green smoothie made with whatever fruits and veggies are laying around? Well, that’s a leftover smoothie. And one that runs the risk of looking kind of gross, but tasting pretty good! This one is a hodgepodge of strawberries, blueberries, spinach, kale and this Superfood Protein Medley powder I’ve been trying lately and loving, plus a splash of coconut milk and water to make it drinkable after a whirl in the Vitamix. I made one for me and one for Ryan. (He’s been known to try anything, even if it’s gray/brown.)

green-smoothies
Seeing as this was one of my off days from the gym and I got up at a leisurely 7 a.m., the workout-hunger beast wasn’t plaguing me. So this smoothie tided me over until lunch, when I busted out the real leftovers. The previous day I’d had turkey in my Big-Ass Salad for lunch and we had roasted cauliflower topped with homemade balsamic reduction with dinner. So what did I decide to put together for a super satisfying lunch? This little, again, hodgepodge…
leftovers-lunch
Yep, that’s nitrate-free deli sliced turkey (from TJ’s!) topped with about half of an avocado and sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper and drizzled with a bit of high-quality extra virgin olive oil, alongside the aforementioned cauliflower. While it’s not something I’d serve to anyone else (I admit; it’s kinda weird), it’s a quick and powerfully filling lunch.

After that, I needed something a little sweet, but I wasn’t craving my usual treat: dark chocolate. So I switched it up for a few of these guys. They come from Trader Joe’s, and even though I have never liked black licorice, I adore these. The cuteness of the Scotty dogs may play a role.
licorice-dogs
Around 4 p.m. I took the dog for a long walk, did a little taste-testing of these nutty new products (life is tough some days) and then went back to writing for a few hours. By the time I was done and had checked email (OMG, the beast that is email some days!), I was too hungry and too pooped to really feel like doing anything—not even cooking (or, more accurately, cleaning the kitchen up post-cooking). So, again, leftovers to the rescue! This time the leftover du jour was my chili, which has a ton of spice in it plus kale (of course!), white beans, tomatoes, red quinoa and ground bison.
bison-chili
After that there was some serious TV watching with a side of rooibos tea (caffeine free!) and a gingerbread cookie rolled in sucanat sugar (this one was leftover from my gluten-free holiday cooking baking adventure—I froze a few to enjoy into the New Year!).

tea-and-cookies

There you have it! A day of recovery, ease and leftovers! Do you love leftovers? Hate them? And what are a few of your favorite leftovers to have? Hey, chili only gets better the next day! —Jenn

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