Boxing Day is National Leftovers day, a great time to use up what’s left over in your fridge from your festive feast.
Here are some great ways to make the most of your leftovers:
- Create a ‘use it up’ space in the fridge (or a whole shelf if you can spare it) for your leftovers and other food that needs to be eaten soon, before it goes to waste. OzHarvest has nifty Use It Up Tape (or get crafty and make your own), to put onto food containers or individual items so you know what needs to be used up first
- Consider a dedicated leftovers night where you commit to using up leftovers one night a week
- Keep your food in the fridge or freezer in well-sealed, clear containers. And make sure you label them, so you don’t have to guess what you’re defrosting!
- If you can’t eat your leftovers share them with friends and family
Get creative in the kitchen and make a meal that combines any food that needs using up.
- If the fruit from your fruit platter is starting to look a bit sad, freeze them and turn them into a healthy smoothie
- Cooked too many veggies? Turn them into veggie-packed soup, pasta sauce, frittata or casserole
- Use up leftover meat in sandwiches, soups or noodle dishes
- Turn stale bread into bread and butter pudding, croutons for a salad, or blend into bread crumbs and freeze
- Overripe bananas in your fruit bowl? Make a banana bread for your festive visitors
- Cooked too much rice? Turn it into a fried rice
For great recipe’s for commonly wasted food items check out:
- OzHarvest’s Use It Up recipes to transform commonly wasted ingredients into delicious meals
- Sustainability Victoria’s recipes for commonly wasted food items