@GrannyJSmith,
Good on ya for getting creative on how to make food last.
I vaguely recall one of the presidential election campaign slogans being “A chicken in every pot!” As back then (sorry, I cannot recall it was pre or post WWII) the only day they had meat, was on Sunday. The rest of the days, it was root veggies and the like.
I was born in the early 70s, recall the early 80s when leftovers and casseroles were the mainstay. Ordering out, or getting a pizza from Dominos, that was a special treat.