We know good people who can’t stand the idea of eating food “for-the-second-time”. Shocker, right?
If you know me by now, you know that ain’t stoppin’ this savvy budget train. Huh-uh. Nope. No way.
I’m all about sneaky ways to re-purpose leftovers.
I welcome the challenge, grateful for another opportunity to convert even the most stubborn “freshest food only” folks. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get cooking!
This recipe (as many of our creations) is meant to be as versatile as your fridge or pantry allows. In other words – use what you’ve got and experiment!
As time goes on, this post will grow with more yummy, nourishing and easy breakfast, lunch, or snack “muffins” your family will actually eat. So keep cooking and check in every now and again for some freshly tested, functional and savvy food ideas.
Do you have a tried-and-true Le-combo that works? Let us know about it!
Benefits of Leftover “Le-Foodie” Muffins:
- Decrease food waste by actually using your leftovers.
- Ditch the stress of trying to “stretch” the leftover meal or finding the right “sides” to make it last one.more.dinner.
- Reduce extra grocery spending and save time: forgo having to create a meal by “starting from scratch”.
- Diversify mealtime with a new recipe. Consider the possibilities! Appetizers, breakfast main, brunch addition, after-school snack, post-workout grab, breakfast for dinner…
- Help gauge portion sizes and count potential servings with a pre-portioned muffin tin.
Le-Foodie Muffins
Equipment
- large bowl, knife, cutting board, spoon, measuring cup, measuring spoons, muffin tin, oven
Ingredients
Batter
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- ½ cup Cassava Flour
- 2 Eggs free range
- 1 cup Almond Milk or favorite milk
- 2 tsp Baking Powder aluminum free
- 2 tbsp Coconut Oil extra virgin
Eggs
- 4 Eggs free range
Leftovers: Remaining Ingredients
- 1 Carrot large, grated
- 1 cup Zucchini chopped, steamed/sauteed (leftover)
- 1 cup Sweet Potato mashed
Pizzazz
- ½ cup Cheese grated, whatever you got
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for greasing muffin tins)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to regular bake at 350°F.
- Make the "Batter". In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and milk together. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together until you have a uniform batter. It should act like pancake batter.This is essentially a simple gluten free, lectin free pancake batter. This means that if you have any left over – add it to a skillet for (bonus) a few pancakes!
- Grease a large or medium muffin tin. Typically this recipe will make 9 large muffins or 12 medium muffins (as per generic muffin tray sizes).
- Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and set aside.
- Grate the carrot (or parsnip or whatever grate-able veggie you have)
Layering
- Place on bottom of muffin tins: Medium muffins: 2 tablespoons of batter. Large muffins: 3-4 tablespoons of batter.
- Next, add sweet potato (or regular potatoes – whatever you have leftover) by the tablespoon – distribute evenly among muffins (or unevenly – you choose).
- Add zucchini (or whatever your leftover veggie is) – by the spoonful – distribute evenly.
- Add the eggs – distribute these evenly among the muffins. If you run out – whisk another egg.
- Add the grated raw carrot (or whatever lonely veggie you have)
- Top with the batter:Medium muffins: 1 tablespoon of batter. Large muffins: 2 tablespoons of batter.
- Sprinkle cheese on top.
- Bake in the oven for 20 – 30 minutes. When the tops are a light golden brown, they should be done.
Notes
- The amount of batter this recipe calls for will give you extra batter… perfect for pancakes! This is an easy way to expand the meal.
- Alternatively, you could add more filler ingredients and grab a second muffin tin and make as many Le-Foodie Muffins as your heart desires.
- If you want to decrease the amount of fat in this recipe — use coconut-oil spray or coat a finger with oil and quickly grease the non-stick muffin tin(s).
Nutrition
$ – Savvy: A key to creating meals without hitting the store every-single-time, is having a well-stocked pantry. We have a list of said items that, for the most part, earn an “A-grade” from a cost-per-Calorie basis: Our Pantry.
Here are a few fun ideas to try out for “filler combos”.
Depending on how many leftovers you have (and your preference towards using them in a more traditional fashion), you might need an extra muffin tin. Don’t be afraid to start a new type of Le-Foodie Muffin in the same tin as another one.
Note: although I broke down the recipe ingredients into three (pseudo) identifiable columns, many meals will likely already be combined — this is beyond totally okay. It actually makes your job easier: “one scoop filling”. done.
| Recipe (* = mine) | “Carb/Random“ | “Veggie” (or fruit) | “Meat“ |
| Fancy Dinner | Mashed Potatoes | Brussels Sprouts (finely chopped) | Roast (of any sort, finely chopped) |
| Taco Night | Olives | Tomatoes (diced or thinly sliced!) | Taco Meat or Beans or both |
| Colorful Rice* one-scoop-done! | Rice | Asparagus + Peas | Bacon |
| Thanksgiving | Potatoes | Broccoli Casserole | Turkey |
| Paella one-scoop-done! | Rice | Onions /peppers/whatever’s there | Seafood /sausage /whatever’s there |
| Black Bean Burgers* | Burger | Tomatoes + Onions | |
| Sweet Potato Spirals* | this recipe | Raw Spinach leaves | Nutritional yeast or burger meat |
| Dessert | Pumpkin Pie Filling | Apples (diced or thinly sliced) | OMIT the extra eggs in the filling just double the batter (see recipe) |
| Savory Bell Peppers* one-scoop-done! | Extra Stuffing | Bell Pepper “tops” aka scraps save these when making the recipe | Extra Stuffing |
| Easy Oven Dinner* | Potatoes/Carrots | Broccoli/Cauliflower | Fish |
| Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower* one-scoop-done! | (the recipe or add what you’ve got leftover) | (the recipe) | (the recipe) |
| Clean out Your Fridge | what you got | what you got | what you got! |
Here’s a HANDLY LINK to FOOD STORAGE SAFETY — how long can I keep XYZ food in the fridge? Please DON’T use “too-old food” in your Le-Foodie Muffins!
Don’t be afraid to improvise with what you have! Lonely last carrot? Grate it. 
I was running low on supplies, so I used less batter on two muffin tins. 
One sweet-potato-rich savory muffin!
Here’s a table with external links for each recipe ingredient (plus a few alternate ingredient ideas). As previously mentioned, prices vary per region, season, city, store and personal preference for brand or specific type of food item.
Due to the varied nature of this recipe, I am mostly including the links to the “core components” of this dish. Like the batter. You’ll see a few additional ideas, particularly in the “dessert” breakfast category, because they’re easy pantry ingredients.
| Almond Flour | Eggs (Costco) | Sweet Potato |
| Cassava Flour | Goat Cheese (Costco – best $ or Sam’s or TJ’s) | Pumpkin Puree (or TJ’s) |
| Arrowroot Starch/ Flour | Il Forteto Pecorino Toscano cheese HEB or Whole Foods (lower sodium) | Large Organic Carrots |
| Soy Milk (unsweetened) | Almond Milk (unsweetened) check your local store brand | Coconut Milk (unsweetened) check your local store brand |
| Flaxseed Meal | Local Honey or your farmer’s market | Nutritional Yeast (for vegan savory muffins or extra flavor) |
| Coconut Oil (extra virgin) | Pumpkin Spice or TJ’s | Organic Apple |
| Avocado Oil or Costco (bulk for less) | Cinnamon or TJ’s | Butternut Squash or TJ’s (seasonal) has amazing deals |
| Vanilla Extract or TJ’s (great for the “dessert” muffin) | Almond Extract or TJ’s (great for the “dessert” muffin) | Baking Powder (aluminum & corn free) or TJ’s (aluminum free version) |
TJ’s = Trader Joe’s. Sam’s = Sam’s Club.
