I found myself bolstering restaurant leftovers for lunch again today. This time I got a before and after shot to illustrate the transformation. The meal was originally spicy shrimp satay over noodles from Haleiwa Joe’s. Today it became shrimp and spinach pasta. Yum.

I began putting together this week’s meal plan as my enhanced leftovers were heating through on the stove, and happened upon a trick I’ll be using from here on out. Plan meals in the kitchen! Not only can you easily check what ingredients you already have to prevent duplication, you can also look in the fridge/freezer/pantry for inspiration. It’s kind of like the food version of shopping in your own closet for clothes. Here’s what I came up with: