Reusing leftovers - Reducing waste in our kitchen

We have had a very bolognaise sauce type of week this week.  Now, usually I wouldn't have more than 1 bolognaise sauce type of meal in a week but this week it has just panned out this way.

Tuesday  night I finally gave in to Mr9 and made his beloved burritos/nachos meal (yes some like burritos and some like nachos lol so I find it easier to just make a bit of each!).  Then Wednesday was soccer/karate night so I decided I would just do up a quick Spaghetti Bolognaise.  It was only while I was cooking it that I realised we had two very similar meals on consecutive nights, oh well too bad lol.

Anyway today I went to the fridge and was looking to make sure there was nothing that had to be thrown out (you know the science experiments that seem to lurk in dark corners at the back of fridges!).  Science experiments there weren't, thankfully, but there was a bowl of bolognaise sauce and another of spaghetti bolognaise.  I decided I would make up a small lasagne to stick in the freezer for those nights when there are only 4 of us (namely when the boys go to Dad's house and we have my stepchildren here).

So this rather congealed looking speciment of bolognaise sauce.....

would turn into lasagne which looked like this as I built the layers.....

...a lasagne just the right size for 4 serves.

As I built layer upon layer though I realised that I had too much sauce for just one lasagne but not enough for two.  I stood there pondering my dilemma for a moment, considered deconstructing my almost finished lasagne to put it into a bigger casserole dish when I remembered the Spaghetti Bolognaise sitting in the fridge.  So, they may not look overly elegant but we now have.....

2 Spag Bog Lasagnes wrapped up in the freezer.  I wrapped them securely in alfoil and all I have to do on a cold winter day is grab them, grate some cheese on top and throw them in the oven.  I love leftovers!!!

This is great for being economical too.  I used 2kgs of beef mince all up.  Out of this I got a Burrito/Nacho meal which fed 6 people, a Spag Bog Meal which fed 9(we had 1 extra child in the house) (with 2 of them having seconds) and 2 lasagnes which will give at least 8 servings too (I allow for fairly large serves with a predominantly male household lol).  So all up 2kgs of mince created 25 servings of meals.  That is pretty good economics I'd say.

So now after that I am off to wrap presents for Mr 10(with Autism)'s birthday tomorrow.  We only have him before school in the morning so presents will be partly opened tonight along with a simple birthday cake and then when he comes back next weekend, we will have a combined party night for him and my Mr10 who's birthday is the 21st and they will each have their "big" cake which I will make earlier that day.

***  I hate labelling Mr10(with Austism) this way but it is the only way to differentiate between the two Mr10's in my house lol.  I may have to start using their nicknames instead, I will ponder this thought! ***