{"id":8456,"date":"2026-09-24T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8456"},"modified":"2026-09-24T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T14:30:00","slug":"simple-planning-turns-leftovers-into-healthy-meals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8456","title":{"rendered":"Simple planning turns leftovers into healthy meals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2026-09-24T14:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Turn last night\u2019s dinner into this week\u2019s easiest healthy meals<\/h2>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to cook a brand-new meal each day to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prevention.va.gov\/PREVENTION\/Healthy_Living\/Eat_Wisely.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">eat well<\/a>. Leftovers make it easy to have healthy options even on busy days. With a bit of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/BudgetFriendlyMealPlanningJan2023.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">planning<\/a>, you can give last night\u2019s dinner a fresh new twist.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leftovers are your built-in backup plan<\/h2>\n<p>When you make dinner, prepare one or two extra servings. Set them aside before you sit down to eat. These extra servings can help you:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Have an easy lunch ready for the next day.<\/li>\n<li>Know there\u2019s a meal option for a tough day. Freeze some so you have a healthy meal ready when you\u2019re tired or don\u2019t have much time.<\/li>\n<li>Skip fast food. Cooking at home helps you control how much salt, sugar and fat you eat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cook once, eat twice<\/h2>\n<p>A little planning at dinnertime can make your whole week easier. Before putting food away, divide it into one-meal dishes or bags. Good options to make extra of include:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Chicken breast, ground turkey, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/PlantBasedSourcesofIronAug2024.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">lentils<\/a>, or beans<\/li>\n<li>Roasted or steamed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/NonStarchyVegetablesAug2024.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">non-starchy vegetables<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Brown rice, sweet potatoes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/WholeGrainsAndFiberJun2024.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">quinoa<\/a> or whole wheat pasta<\/li>\n<li>Soups and chili freeze well<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Quick tip:\u00a0Pack your containers right after you cook\u2014before you sit down to eat. It only takes a few minutes and makes healthy meals easy to grab later.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Build a healthy plate<\/h2>\n<p>Use the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.move.va.gov\/MOVE\/index.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">VA MOVE! Program<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prevention.va.gov\/PREVENTION\/docs\/NCP-MOVE-Placemat-March2023-R1.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">plate method<\/a> to plan your meals. Here is how to get all the food groups:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Half the plate: veggies like broccoli, spinach, carrots or peppers, or fruits like melon or berries<\/li>\n<li>One quarter: protein like chicken, fish, turkey or beans<\/li>\n<li>One quarter: starch like brown rice, corn, sweet potatoes or whole wheat pasta<\/li>\n<li>On the side: dairy like milk, yogurt or cheese<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Keeping a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.move.va.gov\/MOVE\/docs\/resources\/VeteranFoodAndActivityLog-8week-Fillable.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">food log<\/a>\u00a0can help you see which meals keep you full and support your goals. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.move.va.gov\/docs\/veteranworkbook\/MoveVetWorkBook-2023.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">MOVE! Veteran workbook<\/a>\u00a0has more ideas for planning meals and shopping smart.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leftovers can be tasty<\/h2>\n<p>A small change can turn last night\u2019s meal into something new. Try these ideas using food from a previous meal:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Chicken: Add salsa and serve over salad, or make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/Recipes\/MainDishes\/AnythingBakedBurritosSEP2022.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">burritos<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Roasted vegetables: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/Recipes\/Breakfast\/docs\/Loaded-Vegetable-OmeletOCT2021.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">Stir them into eggs for a quick omelet<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Roasted meat: Slice and add to a salad or sandwich<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With a little <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/TipsformealplanningsuccessMay2024.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">planning<\/a>, yesterday\u2019s meal can become today\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.veteranshealthlibrary.va.gov\/Resources\/VideoLibrary\/?e=0#player:207,WN24828_en\" rel=\"noopener\">healthy choice<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Ready to learn more? Contact your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/find-locations\/\" rel=\"noopener\">local VA<\/a> to speak with a registered dietitian about a plan that works for you. You can also learn more about nutrition, like tips for reducing <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/74485\/use-tips-reduce-food-waste\/\">food waste<\/a> and preventing <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/123779\/reduce-or-prevent-your-risk-of-malnutrition\/\">malnutrition<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/149744\/simple-planning-turns-leftovers-healthy-meals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how to portion, freeze and reinvent leftovers into quick, healthy meals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":311,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Simple planning turns leftovers into healthy meals - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to portion, freeze and reinvent leftovers into quick, healthy meals.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8456\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Simple planning turns leftovers into healthy meals - 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