Steak Pesto Pitawich and Shepherd's Pie

One of the greatest benefits to meal planning is when you figure out a way to cook once and eat twice--saving valuable time in the kitchen.

I am a super fan of leftovers.  My lunch is usually a leftover portion of dinner the night before, but when I can create something new from something leftover--that's when I really start to feel excited about eating leftovers.  On Sunday, I made extra Charcoal Steak and Mashed Potatoes, so instead of repeating our Sunday dinner on Monday, I created two brand new meals from our leftovers.  

Meal Number 1: Pesto Steak Pitawich


This simple sandwich can be made in minutes with pre-cooked steak or chicken.  

Recipe Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon prepared Pesto-such as Classico 
2-3 oz cooked Steak or Chicken
1 oz Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 Roma Tomato
1/2 Whole Wheat Pita Round

Heat the sandwich in a 400 degree oven or toaster oven until cheese is melty and pita is slightly toasty (around 8 minutes) If you brown bag your lunch each day and eat at work, I highly recommend purchasing a toaster oven for your break area---so much better than microwaved food!  I have bought one for every place I have been employed that didn't have a cafeteria!  These days my husband comes home for lunch as we eat at home. I ate the sandwich with yogurt sweetened with Truvia (save $1.00) and bananas--pictured here:

Meal Number 2: Shepherd's Pie

For the second meal, I used our leftover mashed potatoes to make Shepherd's Pie.  This version uses Creamed Corn and makes it a little sweet.


Shepherd's Pie Recipe:
1 lb Ground Turkey
1 Can Cream Style Corn
1 cup Raw Shredded Carrots
1 cup Onions, chopped
3 cups Mashed Potatoes
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning
1/5 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Directions

Brown ground turkey with onion and discard of grease. Add carrot and salt and pepper to taste.  Layer ground turkey on bottom of casserole dish. 

Cover with can of creamed corn. 

Top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with Mrs. Dash Seasoning.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 4 servings, 341 calories each.

These meals easily fall into a 1600 calorie day when you eat according to the plan below:


Breakfast:416 Calories
2 Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Pancakes
1/2 Banana
1 Tablespoon Real Maple Syrup


Snack: 80 Calories
Apple


Lunch: 500 calories
1/2 Pesto Steak Pita-wich
Yogurt with Stevia
1/2 Banana


Snack: 100 Calories
Raw Carrot Sticks
1 wedge Laughing Cow Cheese
5 Wheatable Crackers


Dinner: 391 Calories
Shepherd's Pie (1/4 of total recipe)
2 Cups Steamed Broccoli


Dessert: 131 Calories
2 Snicker's Mini Cakes


Total Calories: 1620