This time of year most of us end up with a lot of leftovers and that also ends up with a lot of food being thrown out!
In fact Aussies throw out around $8 billion of good quality edible food every year!
That statistic blew my mind. I mean I love leftovers. I’m one of those strange people who can eat the same thing over and over again but many of my clients as well as friends and family hate to eat the same thing more than once. And so I have come up with a bunch of ways that you can repurpose leftovers so you can cook once and eat twice (save time and money) while feeling like you are eating a new meal.
So here are some tips for repurposing those Christmas leftovers this year, although these can be used for other leftovers too.
1. Use Your Freezer
This one is easy. A lot of your leftovers will easily freeze including leftover vegetables and casseroles and so although you can’t face those leftovers at the moment, they might make a quick and easy dinner a couple of weeks down the track.
2. Add An Egg
Leftovers make a great breakfast dish especially things like leftover mashed potatoes, ham and veggies. Simply add your leftovers to a frypan with a little coconut oil and crack an egg on top. They will feel like a whole new meal and you don’t have to think about breakfast. Leftovers also make great omelettes too!
3. Fried Rice
Boil up some brown rice or make your own cauliflower rice and then add to a frypan. Stir in your leftovers and add a dash of soy sauce to make a new dish that tastes totally different but makes use of those veggies, leftover roast, hams and other sides.
4. Add To A Salad
Left over turkey or roasted veggies to some spinach or rocket. Add in some avocado and cherry tomatoes and splash with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and you have yourself a whole new meal in just a few minutes.
5. Wrap It Up
This one works with all sorts of leftovers including stirfrys and curries as well as leftover Christmas dinner. Just add to a wrap with a little spinach and a slice of cheese and you have a tasty lunch or dinner that tastes different to the original meal.
6. Go Mexican
Leftovers are awesome for mixing up quesadilla’s and burritos. Grab yourself a little guacamole and salsa to serve and add your leftovers right on into your quesadilla or burrito! You can also add some black beans, cheese or sour cream to really make your meal taste completely different to the night before.
7. Make A Soup
Leftover roast meat and veggies can so easily be turned into a yummy soup that you can keep for another meal or freeze for later in the week. Often you can simply blend leftovers with a little stock and some seasoning or salt & pepper but that does depend on what you have. Comment below if you have some leftovers you need a soup idea for!
8. Reuse Your Stuffing
Stuffing can also be re-used or frozen for up to a month to use again. Try adding to mushrooms and then baked for another yummy option.
Ok So What About Dessert?
After enjoying your favorite dessert at Christmas you might want to give the sugar some space before you start reusing leftover dessert. If so most Christmas desserts freeze really well and so put them in the freezer to save them for another occasion when you can share them with family or friends. Or find someone who might like to take them home. Know yourself. If you have dessert in the house are you going to keep eating it until it’s all gone? Set up your environment for success by either freezing these or giving them away. This includes all those chocolates you get given and the Christmas cookies.
Want To Repurpose Other Holiday Stuff Too?
Check out this article for some great ideas on transforming your Christmas cards and leftover wrapping paper. I’m not sure how many of these I will be implementing this year but they are some cool ideas 🙂
I do hope you enjoy the holiday season and let me know below if you have any other favourite repurposing christmas food tips or a favourite recipe you love to use!
To your health
