At Family Wellness Centre we are all for minimising waste and a big question after the BIG DAY is What do I do with Christmas leftovers? And also, what's all this about Minimising?
Here we have compiled some of our favourite recipe ideas to reduce waste and use the food wisely. Part of it is about appreciating what we all have, especially when there are some that go without at this time of year.
Firstly -
Doing a pantry clean out BEFORE Christmas is even more appreciated by organisations such as Oz Harvest or Food Bank and is a great opportunity to declutter, minimise and lighten your load over the season.
Any smallgoods, dry goods that are in date and unopened we highly recommend and encourage you to get in touch with Oz Harvest and Foodbank to donate any food you don't need. These organisations are well run and operate in conjunction with charities and delivering food to those who need it most.
Secondly -
When Christmas Day is over and you have way too much Ham, turkey and food stuffed in your bellies and fridge - How do you minimise waste and be efficient?
Check these favourite recipes for Christmas Leftovers out:
Annabel Langbein's Boxing Day sandwich
Annabel Langbein's Turkey & Mango Salad
Annabel Langbein's Turkey Coronation Salad (also great for leftover Chicken)
Jamie Oliver's Turkey Sloppy Joes (Burger style)
Jamie Oliver's Leftover Pudding Scones
Teresa Cutter's Summer Museli for leftover fruit
The River Cottage's Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall's Turkey Curry & Roast veg Hummus
Some classic food combinations to use your Christmas leftovers are:
Melons (rockmelon, watermelon) and white cheese (feta, chevre, ricotta)
Ham and pineapple
Turkey and stone fruit (peaches, nectarines)
Prawns and mango
Methods to minimise waste:
Diced Turkey, Chicken and Ham in omelettes, quiches, fried rice, quinoa salads, jambalayas, casseroles, stuffing for vegetables.
Diced Smoked salmon for toast toppings, sandwich toppings, omelettes, quiches, muffins, rice or pasta salads.
Diced Fruit in scone mixes and mueslis, Blitzed fruit in smoothies, kids ice-blocks.
Potatoes - mash and create fillers for empanadas, pasties or samosas. Gnocci, rostis.
Guidelines on food safety during Christmas:
Food Safety Australia - Tips at Christmas
Goodlife Health Clubs - What to do with Christmas Leftovers
What is Minimising and Minimalism?
Minimalism is the process of simplifying your life. Whether you bigun with your closet or your garage, starting to reduce clutter and lessen the burden of STUFF on your life is a healthy one.
The main principles of Minimalism are: Reuse, Donate, Gift and declutter.
Minimalism is about clearing your life to give you space to breathe and relax and enjoy life. It's not about your possessions, but the quality of life you have with loved ones and friends.
Christmas can be a challenging time for us to "minimise" things but it can give you a focus when it comes to gift giving - giving tickets to experiences rather than toys and possessions. The other part of Minimalism is about reducing your carbon footprint and reducing waste which is relevant when we're talking about Christmas Leftovers in this post.
If you're looking for inspiration I would highly recommend watching "Minimalism: A Documentary about the important things" or read my review of it HERE called: Move toward Happy: A Minimalism approach.
