Combine potstickers from the freezer with whatever’s lurking in your fridge for a tasty clutch dinner bowl.
When it comes to being a mom, I’m a planner. I plan for things to go as planned.
So, when I’m thrown for a loop and my routine is knocked off its track, causing a split second of panic and a few curse words in my mind, I briefly suffer from a case of mom-daze.
Mom-daze. Where I don’t know how I got to where I was, in disbelief that a certain moment is actually happening. Where my only choice is to pull myself together, put on my boss face, and get over it.
My MC has a blood-clotting disorder called von Willebrands. It does not define her for she is fierce. On occasion, though, it certainly trips us up. And last week, it did just that. I found myself in the pediatric infusion center at Yale on a late afternoon getting her the treatment she needed for an injury. She is fine!
My meal plans for the night did come to a halt, which is why I’m sharing with you what I like to call a “clean out your fridge” dinner idea, also known as winging it.
When you just can’t get to the grocery store, you’re short on dinner ideas, or you are knocked off your tracks like I was, just take what you have and make a meal. With a few reliable things in your pantry or freezer, you can pull all the loose ends out of your fridge and build a dinner.
Potstickers, a staple in my freezer, are perfect for clutch dinners like this! They are dependable and when crisped up in a skillet, they pair perfectly with just about anything.
Find those veggies or herbs that are lurking in the fridge. Snow peas, shredded carrots, and quick-pickled cucumbers add color and texture here. Grab a grain from the pantry if you’d like. Leftover chicken or any other protein? Toss it in!
Make this catchall, colorful dinner bowl your own. 
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I like to stock a few unique and tasty sauces in the fridge to make these last minute suppers something special. Marion’s Kitchen has fun, flavor-packed dressings that will fool anyone in your house into thinking that this dinner was totally planned and on your meal-making menu. 
Actually, the hardest part about this mish-mash of a dish was deciding whether to use the Coconut Sriracha or the Coconut Sweet Chili? Personally, I used both because I like my sweet and my heat. 
Everyone’s bowl is going to look different, obviously, but at least you know that what you’re piling in your dish is something you already like. It was, after all, already in your fridge. Have you cleaned out your fridge lately and made a marvelous dinner?
Seriously YUM. Even my picky eater likes potstickers, so this post inspired me to make her some this week!
So happy to hear! We had them again last night because we got home so late from a basketball game. It’s great when the whole family loves something!
As stressful as a day like that is, I love when I do clean-out-the-fridge meals, because I use up,things and they often turn out delicious. Your potsticker bowls look amazing, and I’m very interested in the coconut sriracha!
Thanks, Lisa! These typed of tossed together meals do usually turn out being winners!
I’m glad that your daughter is okay! That looks like a well thought out meal, I never would have guessed that’s winging it. I need to get some potstickers and those sauces. It seems like we’re always wondering “what’s for dinner.”
Thank you! These potstickers are so convenient and everyone loves them, especially crisped in my skillet. Hopefully you can find them and keep them on hand too!
This sounds like the perfect lunch for my hubby and I. Now I need to go find some of that Coconut Sriracha and the Coconut Sweet Chili.
Perfect! This sauce is so unique and makes this random dish so much better!
First I love the clean out the refrigerator idea. The pop stickers with that sauce is perfect.
Thanks, Candy! I imagine your fridge and freezer is stocked perfectly because you have such a wonderful knack for planning and storing the essentials.
Pot stickers are also our go to when schedules are off wack but we usually just do some kind of soy sauce dip. That coconut sweet chili sauce looks amazing and would be just the thing to change it up. I’m going to have to check that one out!
We certainly love our soy sauce dip, but this is dip is such a fantastic and tasty twist! It seriously wakes up any bland food.
I love this idea! Perfect for the end of the week when I have random stuff leftover!
Definitely! It’s a great way to clear the fridge for a fresh new week.
I love hot sauce, but I have never seen one of this brand, looks awesome, and I also cook the “clean up the fridge” often. Especially like carrot or sad looking celery are good to make stocks. The meal looks yummy!
Thanks, Ina! The sauce is a hit on every dish, especially random ones like this.