BY Michelle Brady
After the festive cheer of Christmas Day, our fridges are filling up with foil wrapped poultry, meats, and vegetables.
Although a little less magical, using our leftover foods wisely can produce some delicious and healthy dishes. Start your New Year resolutions early with some healthy tips for using up your Christmas leftovers.
Food safety alert: when using leftovers, turkey and ham should be covered and stored in the fridge within two hours of cooking. You can help it cool down by cutting it into smaller pieces. Once refrigerated it should be eaten within three days.
Ideas for leftover turkey
Christmas broth served with wheaten bread.
Turkey curry/stirfry with plenty of vegetables and served with basmati rice.
Comforting turkey and broccoli bake.
A spicy turkey salad served with couscous.
Top tip: Experimenting with spices and herbs can bring new excitement back to your leftover poultry.
Leftover ham
Ham and mushroom omelettes/frittatas served hot or cold.
Cold/warm ham salad served with brown bread or in a wrap
Ham and broccoli topped baked potato.
Ham, tomato, and basil pasta bake
Top tip: Removing visible fat from ham can make this a healthier choice.
Potatoes and vegetables
Winter warming soup can be eaten at any time of the day.
Potato and roast vegetable salad can be served as a lunch or main meal.
Add leftover vegetables to stews, curries, or casseroles.
Top tip: Instead of adding butter to our vegetables, why not add some herbs and spices to add some great flavour.
Tins of sweets and biscuits
Why not donate unopened biscuits or sweets to local charities?
Try not to open more than one tin of biscuits or sweets at a time.
Top tip: If serving leftover sweets and biscuits, serve in a small bowl or plate to help with portion control.
Using up your leftovers in a healthy way can help reduce wastage. Also, getting organised and developing healthy habits will give you a head start for your New Year’s resolutions for 2019.
