Welcome back to my weekly meal plan roundup! This week’s plan looks a little different—and honestly, I kind of love it. With so many Christmas events behind us, our fridge and pantry are bursting with leftovers: open boxes of crackers, half-used cheese trays, jars of pickles, extra gravy, and multiple main dishes just waiting for their encore.
Instead of letting any of it go to waste, I’m leaning into creativity and turning what we already have into a full OMAD-friendly meal plan. We’re ringing in the New Year with cozy food, snacky spreads, and a night out at Matt’s work party—which means dressing up and not cooking dinner. Double yay.
If you enjoy seeing how real-life leftovers turn into satisfying meals, this is a fun one.
This Week’s Meals
Here’s what we’re eating this week:
Monday
Leftovers from the family Christmas we hosted. Matt made Nashville hot chicken, which we’re turning into sandwiches on soft brioche buns. On the side, I’m making seasoned French fries for a classic, comforting combo.
Tuesday
Pan-fried chicken served with leftover mashed potatoes and rich vegetarian gravy. Dessert is leftover peach cobbler, and we’ll be enjoying drinks from our at-home dirty soda bar setup—because why not keep the fun going?
Wednesday – New Year’s Eve
This is a full-on snack night. We’re doing a casual spread with cheese, crackers, salami, olives, pickles, and other charcuterie basics. Add in pizza rolls, mini corn dogs, coconut cream pie, Christmas cookies, plus chips and queso using this queso recipe. Snacky, festive, and perfect for ringing in the New Year.
Thursday
Build-your-own burrito bowls using leftover queso from New Year’s Eve, rice, taco meat from the freezer made with this taco meat recipe, black beans, cilantro, green onion, avocado, salsa, sour cream, onion—whatever sounds good that day. Perfect for my house with picky eaters… we can each build a bowl that we love!
Friday
Gnocchi cooked according to package directions, tossed with creamy alfredo sauce, corn, and chicken leftover from earlier in the week. Easy, cozy, and very satisfying.
Saturday
Matt’s work party 🎉
The kids will have carry-out pizza and salad, and we’ll be enjoying a night out—no cooking required.
Sunday
Pasta made with holiday clearance noodles, red sauce, frozen bolognese, peas, and garlic parmesan pull-apart bread to round out the week.
Where I Shop
ALDI is always my main stop and where I try to buy most of our ingredients. I usually fill in the gaps at Meijer, and I also love popping into Costco, Sam’s Club, Target, and Trader Joe’s when it makes sense.
Recipes and Inspiration
Most of the recipes I use come from online sources, and I save everything to my Pinterest board: Intermittent Fasting Foodie Pinterest. If you’re looking for inspiration—especially for turning leftovers into something exciting—that’s where I keep it all.
You can also watch the actual shopping haul video for this week right here:
Watch the haul on YouTube
Let’s Connect!
I share more about my OMAD lifestyle, food enjoyment, and real-life meals on my three YouTube channels:
- Intermittent Fasting Foodie – All about the joy and sustainability of intermittent fasting, especially OMAD, without food rules or restriction.
- Grocery Addict – Grocery hauls, budget-friendly shopping, and fun food finds from all kinds of stores.
- What’s That Snack – Blind taste tests with my family and bestie, featuring unique snacks and lots of honest reactions.
Stay Tuned
Each week (or most 🙂), I’ll update this blog with a new meal plan and fresh ideas. If you try any of these meals—or get inspired to reinvent your own leftovers—I’d love to hear about it. Drop a comment or connect with me on YouTube or Pinterest.
Happy eating, and cheers to making every meal enjoyable! 🥂
