leftover lover.
you may recall that i made pulled barbecue chicken last saturday for marshall’s birthday party.
to do this, i put 6 pounds of chicken breasts in my slow cooker with two packets of pulled pork BBQ seasoning (yes, it works for chicken!) along with the items the packet calls for: tomato sauce, apple cider vinegar and brown sugar.
eight hours later, i had a whole lot of BBQ chicken on my hands! most of it was devoured at the party, but i was left with a tupperware full of leftover chicken.
to some, this large amount of leftovers might seem like a curse. to me? a blessing. lots of people claim that they hate leftovers because they get bored with eating the same thing all week.
well, i am here to prove those people wrong.
you know how i didn’t show you any of my lunches last week? well, i am about to make up for it.
sunday’s lunch:
open-faced BBQ chicken sandwich with swiss cheese melted over the top.
monday’s lunch:
BBQ chicken salad with romaine, spinach, cottage cheese and spicy sweet mustard.
the spicy sweet mustard had a kick! note to self: eat this mustard next time my sinuses are stuffed up.
tuesday’s lunch:
BBQ chicken burrito. chicken, black beans, spinach, guacamole & salsa all wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla.
yes, BBQ chicken works in mexican food.
wednesday’s lunch:
i know, it looks a little haggard. promise it was excellent.
BBQ chicken pita pizza. i layered a wheat pita with laughing cow bleu cheese, spinach, chicken and cheddar cheese. after a quick broil (it is nice having an oven at work!), pizza was served.
thursday’s lunch was leftover greek salad—so we will skip that one.. but note: it was leftovers. like i said, i am a leftover lover!
friday’s lunch:
BBQ chicken, cottage cheese and black beans over a bed of spinach, topped with peach salsa.
this was a fun spin on my cottage cheese+garbanzo mix that i always eat.
and you thought leftovers were boring!
i have to say, i was a little sad when the BBQ chicken was gone. maybe it’s time to make another batch…
Qs~
1. do you like leftovers? do you eat them in their original state or do you re-create them into new meals?
2. quick, pick one! sandwich, salad, burrito or pizza?
xo. janetha g.
meals & moves 
I love all the different dishes you made with bbq chicken! I love love love leftovers and like to create different dishes with them. Why not get creative and get your moneys worth? I usually bring my lunch four days a week to work and eat out only once so I can save some money….and pizza!!!
leftover queen fasho. just posted the same Q, haha. obviously we are on the same wavelength here…
salad. no burrito. no wait…sammie. AAAH!
i love leftover meat! it makes dinners and lunches so much easier! i meal plan with big pieces of meal (a whole chicken or a big roast) entirely so i have leftovers to use. i usually do at least one same ol’ same ol’ for my husband’s lunches and use the rest in new meals
who knew one could do so much with pulled chicken?! i am all about using leftovers up – it’s kind of an obsession actually. anything that i can turn into a salad, sandwich or burrito filler seems worthy. quick pick: pizza, hands down.
happy sunday janetha!
I love leftovers! It makes for a thrifty lunch.
Sometimes I meal plan so that I do have leftovers. I love the ideas you had for the chicken. Sometimes my husband and I cook a big chicken and we have lots of leftovers. I have changed the chicken into a salad or a sandwich. I love the pizza idea!
I love leftovers! Never understand why so many people say they hate em! I try to morph them into different meals like you did…that salad with the cottage cheese and mustard looks awesome! Wish I had an oven…or even a toaster at work! :(
Easy, pizza!
I LOVE leftovers, and usually re-incarnate them into a bunch of different things, like you did with your chicken!
And of the choices? Burrito. Hands down. I love feeling the heft of a big tortilla filled with deliciousness! LOL
You are way more inventive than I am! I really enjoy leftovers too especially when life is hectic and I don’t have time to cook like I usually do.
I LOVE Leftovers! I can’t imagine not liking them, but I do know some people that will only eat a food item once. I’m going to go with sandwich! You could pretty much put anything between bread and I’ll eat it :)
You did an amazing job creating yummy leftover meals. I love leftovers. Most of the time it’s better the second go round! Also, if I had to choose between sandwich, salad, burrito, or pizza; I’d choose salad. I love them and never get tired of eating them!
YUM! That BBQ chicken looks awesome. You thought of so many creative ways to use it too : )
1 – I usually use leftovers for what they were intended for. Having a 6″4″ 260lb boyfriend doesn’t leave me much. Boy can eat!
2 – Burrito!
I’m a leftover lover, too! It’s much more exciting to have a tasty lunch of leftovers than my standard salad, etc.
I love leftover meatloaf. Cold meatloaf sandwiches are the best!
PIZZA!
leftovers are not boring..they are PRACTICAL!!!!
not to mention, high raw GF vegan w/ food allergies…i DO eat the same things, over and over; i dont even think about it. I like them. So even if they aren’t “left-over” from another meal, the next and new meal i create is probably pretty similar to the last meal I ate :)
oh my gosh YOU are the leftover HERO!!!
Okay you’re a leftover goddess. Instead of Sandra Lee’s Money-Saving meals there should be Janetha’s Leftovers Take 1, 2, 3. Okay, we can work on the title ; )
I LOVE leftovers. That is such a good idea to use chicken for your BBQ ‘pork.’ I will be trying that. I try to recreate them into something new but if I really like something I can eat it over and over again. Pretty sure your open faced sandwich was my favorite. Yep.
I love leftovers! My husband does too. I like them in the original state and spicing them up!
i love left overs but j, your the queen.
i need a slow cooker, bbq pulled chicken, yummo!
Hey girl!! I’m def a leftover lovah! I don’t get sick of the same meal until I’ve had it probably 5 times in one week LOL. Then it just goes in the freezer!
I love cooking on Sunday, with plans of having leftovers all through the week.
You have some great ideas for leftovers you are the Queen
1. We looooove leftovers! I hardly ever make anything that doesn’t last at least 3 meals.
2. Pizza!
look at you rock your leftovers! i love leftovers haha i feel like there’s so much fun you can have with them :) just like you did!
i’m loving the last peach mango combo you whipped up there!
I gotta say, I really hate leftovers. Aside from lentil loaf, I can’t stand ’em. Good think Seth loves them:)
I’m gonna go with salad–bring on the veggies!
I like leftovers but only once, after that, I get sick of them.
I’ll go with pizza. With salad coming in a close second.
I LOVE left overs!! Soooo good! I’m often eating them because I live alone
I’m totally with you on loving leftovers! Sometimes I’ll eat it the same way, but switching it up is a great idea! You’ve got my mind churning with what I can do with my leftover pumpkin cuffins from today! (if they boys don’t eat them all, that is)
Pizza!
Leftovers FTW. I rarely make an actual meal out of them though. Granted the only leftovers I ever have are roasted veggies…But my favorite leftover ever would have to be my mom’s baked macaroni and cheese. Haven’t had it in quite a few years, but oh man is it good. I may or may not eat it cold straight out of the fridge :D
Salad!
I love leftovers!! I eat them in their original state sometimes but I like to recreate them too if possible. It’s so much fun.
BURRITO. Right now that sounds soooooo good.
You know I’m a leftover eater :) I like to recreate when possible – a little variety is always good!
And Pizza! I LOVE BBQ chicken pizza.
Are we on similar food wave lengths the past few weeks or what haha!
Nice job with the usage! I love re-creating with leftovers. Wednesday’s lunch is my favorite re-use! And I’d pick salad. Hope you had a fantastic weekend
Eh, I’m not a big fan of leftovers. :-( The way you gave your leftovers a new life may change my mind though.
I don’t like leftovers…such a picky princess, I know. Very few things taste as good to me as they did the first day they were made..plus I always psych myself out and make myself crave something else.
Pizza for sure!
I love leftovers, usually I eat them as-is, but sometimes I create new dishes out of them… never as interesting as yours, though! Those ALL look awesome!
pizza. but ohhh when put next to a burrito, that’s a tough one. ;)
xo
Kris
I like leftovers, but I don’t think I love them as much as some people do. I just think it’s a quick and easy meal and I don’t have to cook…or clean that much :P I eat them in the original state because I’m too lazy to try to recreate! I’ll only recreate if I’m so sick and tired of the dish.
Oh, tough choices but I’m going to have to go with the salad! Pizza came as a close second since I can eat that every day.
reasons i heart you:
momma b’s post. too cute.
you forgot to wear deodorent. that’s about every other day for me.
you love cereal as much as i do.
barbecue chicken.
snuggling at foodbuzz.
end.
I LOVE leftovers! Sometimes I think I like leftovers more than non-leftovers…maybe it’s because you get to re-create them into other meals? Or maybe the flavors can kind of mesh together longer. Who knows, but they’re so yummy. I’ll never understand people who don’t eat leftovers. How many times can I say the word “leftovers”? Sheesh…mommyhood is zapping my brain cells!
I am so bad at doing the “quick – pick one!” game…when I saw your list I said, “Ooh burrito!” Then I was like, “No…salad..” and then, “Well maybe a sandwich..” All 3 together?
Burrito!! I’m a leftover lover,too.My Pop always made great eats with leftovers.We always thought his weird concoctions would be gross,but they turned out delicious:-)cc
i am going to make that bbq chicken now because it looks so good and i love slow cooker cooking, so easy.
gotta go with the burrito. easy and tasty.
Hi! Just had to comment – I found you through HEAB – seen the amazing bib’s you sent her! So cute!
…and I’m definitely a pizza gal ;)
I love crock pot bbq pork and chicken. Left overs rock, like you showed there are so many ways to change them up.
I love leftovers, but for some reason the only meat I can tolerate eating reheated is ground beef. I feel like poultry changes flavor.
PIZZA!
you are GOOD!! dang girl.
I love leftovers, but I’m not sure I’m as creative as you when it comes to leftovers.
oh, and you really can put cottage cheese on anything besides fruit it seems. yuck! :) haha.
I love leftovers, and I love all of your leftover meals! I can actually eat most leftovers day after day after day. My family, not so much. So I usually turn them into something “new” for them…
fabulous job with that leftover chicken!! that would be one container i’d take home, too :)
You must try pulled chicken casserole/sheppards pie, empanadas, perogies (so good with cottage cheese!) and lasagna! I tried to make dumplings and wonton spring rolls last week, but ate the entire batch before I could take a picture!
So good! Your pictures are BEAUTIFUL! HAve a wonderful week! Hope things at work get less unpleasant for you!
Barbara