With less than a month until Christmas, many of us are now starting to plan for a Christmas feast of sorts!

If you’re like most of us, you’ll probably over cater.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

In this article I’m chatting about Christmas leftovers and how we can give them a new lease of life to keep them out of the bin!

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Avoid having heaps of leftovers in the first place!

My top tip for Christmas catering is that excess typically equals more stress and more waste.

As much as you love ham off the bone, a 10-kilogram ham is a bit much for a family of four to handle!!

Opt for platters of real foods such as fruit skewers, dips and chopped up veggies, salads and frittatas or cold steamed chicken rather than processed foods of convenience which aren’t as healthy for you and use a lot of disposable packaging.

You could avoid a traditional meal with all the trimmings by arranging something simpler like a BBQ in the park, or if you are going for a traditional meal, plan carefully to ensure you don’t have lots of leftovers.

But if you do over cater, it’s relatively easy to turn your Christmas leftovers into delicious meals that you can enjoy for weeks or even months to come!

My best tips for reusing your Christmas leftovers

Apart from the cold meat and salad platters for days on end after Christmas, try your hand at using the ham in risottos (ham and parmesan risotto), mini quiches, or even chopping up the ham and freezing with the ham bone for the most delicious pea and ham soup come autumn!

Turkey, like ham can be turned into soups, frittatas and quiches. You can also enjoy it cold in wraps, sandwiches or salads.

What about leftover seafood?

Well I find there’s generally not much seafood left over! This is because it is a ‘sometimes’ food in our family, I try to avoid purchasing seafood during the year due to sustainability reasons. Plus, living in the desert means that fresh seafood isn’t really that easy to get.

But if you’re a prawn fan, freeze the heads and shells and when you have a quiet day pull them out and simmer them on a stovetop to make fish stock for casserole and soups.

Anything else we should keep in mind for an eco-Christmas dinner?

Be mindful to keep your decorations in check.

Try your hand at making these eco-friendly Christmas bon-bons that double as serviettes. I make them out of beautiful Christmas fabric and fill them with my own little eco-items. They are a great alternative to the tacky disposable bon-bons.

I’ve put together a free ‘Seasons Greenings’ eguide that’s jam-packed with practical and simple ideas for you to enjoy a sustainable Christmas.

Just click here to get your copy!

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Laura