Premeditated Leftovers

The Easy Way to Plan Meals and Save Money

Alea — Thu, 17 May 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Meal planning can be difficult and time consuming. Not planning for meals can lead to expensive, impulse purchases. But there is an easy way to plan meals and you can save money doing it.

Food on the Table is an easy meal planning service that is based on sales at your local grocery stores. When you sign up, you give your area code and then check the stores that you shop at in your area. Then you check what types of foods you like to eat and what foods you avoid. Then Food on the Table suggest recipes based on sales at your chosen store and your food preferences. You choose which recipes you want to make and Food on the Table gives you a list of ingredients needed to make those items. Then you go down the list of ingredients and check the items that you need and then Food on the Table creates a shopping list for you. It is simple to use and only takes 5 minutes to create a dinner menu and shopping list.

Usually they offer 3 meals a week for free and if you want more you can upgrade to the premium version for $5/month, but through the end of May you can upgrade to the premium membership for free for life.

Use the promo code SPRINGFREE when you signup to use the service free for life.You can sign up here. This offer is only good through the end of May.

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Hearth and Soul Hop with Premeditated Leftovers 5/15

Alea — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Welcome to another Hearth and Soul Hop, the food carnival for and about food that not only nourishes our bodies, but our souls! You can find the Hearth and Soul Hosts sharing links to entries on the Hearth and Soul Hop Facebook Page, Pinterest Boards, and on Twitter at @HearthNSoulHop.

My highlights from visiting last week’s contributors to the Hearth and Soul Hop:

Melon-Berry Salad with Lemon and Thyme Syrup

Chicken and Cashew Stir-Fry

Southwest Tuna Salad with Quinoa

Fresh Green Beans and New Potatoes

Portabella Burgers

~ Please link a post that closely fits into the mission. If you are new, read the Hearth and Soul Hop mission statement which includes the rules for linking up. As always, if you have any questions please email me at aleasleftovers(at)sbcglobal(dot)net.

~Please include a link back to one/any of the host sites (through worded link or badge). The Hearth and Soul Hosts include:

April of The 21st Century Housewife
Elsa of Elsa Cooks
Judy of Savoring Today
Penny of Penniless Parenting
Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen
and me, Alea of Premeditated Leftovers

-Linky will stay open from 1:00 am Tuesday to 11:59 pm Thursday (Eastern time).

<a href=”http://premeditatedleftovers.com” _mce_href=”http://premeditatedleftovers.com” target=”_blank”></p> </form> </div> <p><br /> <script type="text/javascript"> document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src=http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=154448&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>');</script><br /> </p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/wTcFhGkae-orQM-ZWxBX2X6bYDU/0/da"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/wTcFhGkae-orQM-ZWxBX2X6bYDU/1/da"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/PremeditatedLeftovers?a=Jkf9Y8iU5iQ:QH4JzPXbZwc:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/PremeditatedLeftovers?a=Jkf9Y8iU5iQ:QH4JzPXbZwc:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/PremeditatedLeftovers?a=Jkf9Y8iU5iQ:QH4JzPXbZwc:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Pizookie (Pizza-Cookie)</h1> <p>Alea — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:41:46 +0000</p> <div class="hrecipe"><span class="published"><span class="value-title" title="2012-05-14"></span></span><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Gluten-free-pizookie-recipe-with-dairy-free-options-640x427.jpg"></a></p> <p>My husband and kids prepared dinner for Mother’s Day. My husband grilled steaks and my daughter made <a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/roasted-sweet-potatoes-and-cauliflower/">Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Cauliflower</a> and <a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/green-beans-with-garlic/">Green Beans with Garlic</a>. My oldest son set the table. And my youngest son picked flowers from the shooting star hydrangea bush they bought me and put them in a cup of water, which was a sweet thought, but annoyed his older siblings.</p> <p><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Mothers-Day-dinner-640x427.jpg"></a></p> <p>Dinner was absolutely delicious! For dessert my daughter made a Double Chocolate Pizookie. My daughter is the family pizookie expert. A pizookie is a pizza-cookie that is served warm with ice-cream on top. She insists that it must be served warm. If you wait until it is room temperature, you no longer have a pizookie, you just have a giant cookie. Giant cookies are good, but they are not pizookies!</p> <p><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Gluten-Free-Double-chocolate-chip-pizzookie-recipe-pizza-cookie-recipe-640x444.jpg"></a></p> <p>My daughter adapted my <a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/double-chocolate-chip-cookies/">Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe</a> to make her Pizookie. We used a pizza cutter to serve warm slices of pizookie and then let each person choose their favorite toppings.</p> <div class="easyrecipe"> <table class="ERHDTable" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td><span class="item ERName"><span class="fn">Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Pizookie (Pizza-Cookie)</span></span></td> <td align="center" valign="top"> </td> <td class="ERHDPrint" valign="top"> <div class="btnERPrint">Print<a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gluten-free-double-chocolate-pizookie-pizza-cookie/?erprint"></a> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div class="ERHead">Recipe type: <span class="tag">Dessert</span> </div> <div class="ERHead">Author: <span class="author">Alea</span> </div> <div class="ERHead">Prep time: <span class="preptime">10 mins<span class="value-title" title="PT10M"> </span></span> </div> <div class="ERHead">Cook time: <span class="cooktime">15 mins<span class="value-title" title="PT15M"> </span></span> </div> <div class="ERHead">Total time: <span class="duration">25 mins<span class="value-title" title="PT25M"> </span></span> </div> <div class="ERHead">Serves: <span class="yield">18</span> </div> <div class="ERIngredients"> <div class="ERIngredientsHeader">Ingredients</div> <ul class="ingredients"> <li class="ingredient">1 cup of butter, softened, but not melted (you can use df margarine or coconut oil to make this dairy free)</li> <li class="ingredient"> 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed</li> <li class="ingredient"> 3/4 cup sugar</li> <li class="ingredient"> 2 eggs</li> <li class="ingredient"> 1 teaspoon vanilla</li> <li class="ingredient"> 1 1/4 cup rice flour</li> <li class="ingredient">3/4 cup tapioca flour</li> <li class="ingredient">1/4 cup potato starch</li> <li class="ingredient">1 teaspoon guar gum</li> <li class="ingredient"> 1/3 cup cocoa</li> <li class="ingredient"> 1 teaspoon salt</li> <li class="ingredient"> 1 teaspoon baking soda</li> <li class="ingredient"> 2 cups chocolate chips (use can use dairy-free if needed)</li> </ul> </div> <div class="ERInstructions"> <div class="ERInstructionsHeader">Directions</div> <div class="instructions"> <ol> <li class="instruction">In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.</li> <li class="instruction">In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and beat. Stir in vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.</li> <li class="instruction">Spread the cookie dough out onto a 16″ greased pizza pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes.</li> <li class="instruction">Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve warm with ice-cream and topping on top.</li> </ol> </div> </div> <div> <div class="ERNotesHeader">Notes</div> <div class="ERNotes"> <p>If you used butter and the dough seems too soft, then put it in the refrigerator for an hour to firm it up.</p> </div> </div> <div class="endeasyrecipe" style="display: none;">2.2.1</div> </div> <p><strong>Delicious Pizookie Topping Options:</strong></p> <p>Your favorite ice-cream<br /> Fresh fruit<br /> <a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/easy-homemade-fudge-sauce/">Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce</a><br /> <a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/easy-homemade-caramel-sauce/">Homemade Caramel Sauce</a><br /> <a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/chai-spiced-pudding-with-vanilla-whip-cream/">Homemade Vanilla Whipped Cream</a></p> <p><em>I am sharing this recipe at <a href="http://www.blessedwithgrace.net/2012/05/tempt-my-tummy-tuesday-chicken-salad-for-a-tea-party/" target="_blank">Tempt My Tummy Tuesday</a>, <a href="http://laurasglutenfreepantry.com/2012/05/allergy-free-wednesdays-blog-hop-week-17-grain-free-brownies-no-bake-cookie-smoothie-frozen-stuffed-banana-sandwiches-more.html"> Allergy-Free Wednesday</a>, and <a href="http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/2012/05/gluten-free-wednesdays-5-16-12/" target="_blank">Gluten-Free Wednesday</a>.<br /> </em></div> <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpremeditatedleftovers.com%2Fgluten-free-double-chocolate-pizookie-pizza-cookie%2F&media=http%3A%2F%2Fpremeditatedleftovers.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F05%2FGluten-Free-Double-chocolate-chip-pizzookie-recipe-pizza-cookie-recipe-640x444.jpg&description=Gluten-Free+Double+Chocolate+Pizookie+%28Pizza-Cookie%29" class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal">Pin It</a> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/yx_emspvEz8fwSIwnt2ArFiCZzU/0/da"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/yx_emspvEz8fwSIwnt2ArFiCZzU/1/da"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/PremeditatedLeftovers?a=Nzt4YLWQox4:tPV81XFHOUo:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/PremeditatedLeftovers?a=Nzt4YLWQox4:tPV81XFHOUo:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/PremeditatedLeftovers?a=Nzt4YLWQox4:tPV81XFHOUo:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Gallery of Favorites 5/11</h1> <p>Alea — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000</p> <div><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/" target="_blank"></a></div> <div> <div>April of <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" target="_blank">The 21st Century Housewife</a> and I would like to welcome you to our weekend blog hop: Gallery of Favorites!</div> <p> </p> <div>This week we are featuring Chaya of <a href="http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/2012/05/cornacadomato.html" target="_blank">My Sweet and Savory</a> and <a href="http://bizzybakesb.blogspot.com/2012/05/cranberry-spinach-salad.html" target="_blank">Bizzy B Bakes</a>. Chaya chronicles the changes she makes to her diet as she challenges herself to eat healthier and try new methods of cooking. She hosts <a href="http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Meatless Mondays</a>, which is a wonderful resource for healthy and frugal meals.</div> <p></p> </div> <div> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/2012/05/cornacadomato.html" target="_blank">Avocado Corn Salad </a></strong></p> <p></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/2012/05/coconut-carrot-casserole.html" target="_blank">Coconut Carrot Casserole</a></strong></p> <p>You will find many delicious homebaked goodies on Chaya’s blog <a href="http://bizzybakesb.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bizzy Bakes</a>. You will also find a delicious carnival called <a href="http://bizzybakesb.blogspot.com/2012/05/bake-with-bizzy-baked-ricotta-with.html" target="_blank">Bake with Bizzy</a>, where you can share your home baked goods or just visit for inspiration!</p> <p>The Gallery of Favorites is a place for you to feature your favorite posts from your own blog. Although April and I both spend a lot of our time writing about food, we do have many other interests and we know our readers do as well. The Gallery of Favorites is a place for all bloggers – not just food bloggers – to share their ideas, interests and passions.</p> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"><strong> </strong></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><strong>Link up your favorite post(s) below.</strong></div> <div><strong>Include a link to your post</strong>, rather than to your blog.</div> <div><strong>Include a link to one of the hosts in your post</strong>, either through text or with a button:</div> <div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/" target="_blank"></a> <textarea cols="12" rows="6"><a href=”http://premeditatedleftovers.com/” _mce_href=”http://premeditatedleftovers.com/” target=”_blank”></a>

The Gallery of Favorites will remain open for entries until Monday afternoon. We hope that you will take the time to visit some of the other entries in our Gallery of Favorites. It is a great way to discover new writers, or a new side to some of your favorite bloggers.

2 Easy Candy Bar Recipes

Alea — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

When I was making bark candy for my kids last week, I realized how easy it would be to turn the bark into candy bars. I am going to share two variations that I have made by adapting bark recipes: Cookies and Cream Candy Bars and Chocolate Peanut Butter Krackle Candy Bars. This allows me to create gluten-free versions of my kids’ favorite candy bars and customize them to match their favorite flavors.

Homemade Cookies and Cream Candy Bars

Once the candy is firm, place it on a cutting board and use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the candy into bars.

I repurposed the foil that I used to line the cookie sheet to make “candy wrappers”.

Homemade Cookies and Cream Candy Bar Recipe

Adapted From: Cookies and Cream Bark

Yield: 14 bars
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Cooling Time: 30 minutes to 2 hours

Ingredients:

24 ounces white chocolate (I used chips)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (I use Spectrum)

4 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chocolate cookies crumbs

Directions:

1. Cover a cookie sheet with foil.
2. Melt 12 ounces of white chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon shortening, 2 tablespoons of milk, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla for a minute in a glass bowl in the microwave. Stir and melt for another 20 seconds. Stir again and if necessary melt for a few more seconds. If it starts to get clumpy, stir like crazy to make it smooth again.
3. Once melted stir in 1/2 cup of the cookie crumbs until just blended. Do not over-stir.
4.Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the remaining ingredients.
5. Spoon the melted chocolate on to the cookie sheet. Then use a spatula to spread it evenly over the foil.
6. Let sit for 2 hours to firm up or put it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Use a pizza cutter to divide the candy in half lengthwise. Then cut the candy in 2 inch wide bars.
7. Use foil from cookie sheet to wrap individual candy bars. You can store candy bars in the freezer.

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Krackle Candy Bar Recipe

Adapted From: Peanut Butter Bark with Pretzels

Yield: 14 bars
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Cooling Time: 30 minutes to 2 hours

Ingredients:

1 package peanut butter chips

1 tablespoons shortening

1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups rice krispies (I used the gluten-free version)

Directions:

1. Cover a cookie sheet with foil.

2. Melt the peanut butter chips and shortening in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir and then microwave for 15 – 20 seconds. Stir again and microwave a little longer if necessary. Once melted stir in 1 cup of the rice krispies.

3. Melt the chocolate chips in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir and then microwave for 15 – 20 seconds. Stir again and microwave a little longer if necessary. Once melted stir in 1 cup of the rice krispies.

4. Alternate spooning the melted chocolate chips and melted peanut butter chips on to the cookie sheet. Then use a spatula to semi blend the two and spread it evenly over the foil.

5. Let sit for 2 hours to firm up or put it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Use a pizza cutter to divide the candy in half lengthwise. Then cut the candy in 2 inch wide bars.

6. Use foil from cookie sheet to wrap individual candy bars. You can store candy bars in the freezer.

Have you ever made homemade candy bars? How did you do it?

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