Boxing Day Sale List

10 Ways have provided an extensive Boxing Day Sale List with links and extra discount codes, I've been using it to stock up on next years gifts so it's worth taking a look.

I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas! Let me know in the comments what you've bought in the sales :)

Christmas Leftovers Recipes: Still Don't Know What to Do?

Still not set on the idea of using your leftovers? Please do not bin them. Please. It is a national tragedy that there are more than 400,000 people in the UK that are relying on food banks each year to feed themselves and yet as a population we throw away £1,700,000,000 worth of prepared food each year. Why is there such a massive mismatch in our food consumption and disposal? As individuals we can help to reduce waste and feed others.

Sandwich Fairy - This obviously isn't going to be for everyone, but if you know there is a local homeless person in your area and you are able to get there safely then it will be well worth doing. I can almost guarantee that in my hometown of Lincoln there will be at least one homeless person outside WHSmith and in Sheffield there will be several in the doorway of West Street 165. It's like being a waiter to the homeless, but I can guarantee you they will be more grateful than anyone you've ever waited on before.

Leftover Swap App - This is only one for iPhone users at the moment unfortunately. This app allows you to post a photo of the food you have to offer with a link to your general location, you can also claim other people's food with the app. There is a short registration process (30 seconds) but it is worth it. You can either swap or give things away, so will be invaluable over Christmas if you have a lot of food to give.

Donate food - The Trussell Trust Food Bank Map shows the location of food banks throughout the country, some places will accept already prepared food but it might be worth checking first. Even if your local food bank doesn't accept leftovers you can still donate. Jack Monroe, pioneer of the campaign to debate food bank usage and my idol, has crafted a food bank suggestion list with the estimated prices of value versions of these products.

Give Food to a Neighbour - Many other cultures and religions give food to their neighbours but in Christianity there is less encouragement to share food. Just pop over to your neighbours to see if they'd like anything that you have to offer them. It's a nice idea and a good excuse to check to see if any elderly neighbours are okay. If you don't know your neighbours that well they might be a bit freaked out so just take it easy and don't overwhelm them, maybe offer them a mince pie first!

I hope you've all enjoyed my suggestions and are able to make use of all of your leftovers!

Merry Christmas to you all, I hope you have a lovely day!
To view the previous post click here, to see all posts in this series, click here.

Christmas Leftovers Recipes: Desserts

Here is the penultimate post in my Christmas Leftovers Recipes mini series and it's all about desserts.

1. Christmas Cake Bread and Butter Pudding - After Christmas you'll be leftover with all the ingredients for bread and butter pudding. Simply use Christmas cake instead of bread and all that cream that has been hanging about. Delicious. Can also be done with Stollen or Panettone.

2. Christmas Pudding Trifle - A lovely dessert for after Boxing Day lunch. Use up your cream, custard and any leftover Christmas pudding.

3. Christmas Pud Ice Cream - Stupidly simple but extremely impressive. Forget Sainsburys and make your own on the cheap!

4. Christmas Pudding Strudel - Delicious, more jazzed up version of Christmas pudding.

4. Chocolate Fondue with Christmas Cake - A fun and indulgent treat perfect for a New Years Eve party

6. Cake Pops - Great for doing with the kids or if you find sharing fondue off putting.

Credit to allaboutyou.com

7. Chocolate Salami - No really, this is a thing. You kind of need to see this.

8. Baileys Truffles - Good for a belated Christmas gift/birthday gift. Could be made later in the year providing you have any Baileys left.

9. Freeze it - Most cakes, creams, cheese and chocolates can be frozen. Check the manufacturers instructions or this guide for what items you can freeze.

10. Just eat the bloody thing - Seriously, why do you still have cake hanging around? What kind of human are you? Take it with pack up if you are going back to work

Keep your eyes peeled for the next special post tomorrow!
To view the next post click here, to see all posts in this series, click here

Christmas Leftovers Recipes: Vegetables

Following on from yesterday's post here is the next in the Christmas Leftovers Recipes mini series: vegetables.

All Vegetables
Shepherds Pie - freezable and delicious if you don't freeze with the potato on top
Veg Soup - simple but filling
Pasty - don't both making your own pastry, this recipe from Jus Rol is great. Include as many vegetables as you like
Pasta Sauce - blend everything up with some tomatoes, add to cooked pasta and top with cheese

credit to biteofthebest.com

Carrots
Carrot and Lentil Soup - perfect after a winter walk and completely freezable
Carrot Cake - turning something healthy into something rather indulgent, still counts as a veg though

Sprouts
A few weeks ago my local Tesco had bags of sprouts for 1p each! So of course I went crazy and bought 2 large bags so I've become a sprout aficionado in recent weeks. Here are a few of the recipes I tried out and some additional ones too.
Sprout Gratin - an amazing accompaniment to Boxing Day lunch
Cheesy Sprout Pasta - I used this recipe, minus the potato. You can also add bacon to jazz it up a bit
Brussels Sprout Pate - an unusual starter for Boxing Day dinner
Sprout Coleslaw - a nice cold option to have with Boxing Day dinner or to put in sandwiches or (as my boyfriend likes to do) place on top of pizza
Brussels Sprout and Nut Soup - decadent, simple and quite impressive, might be one to make for the in-laws

Potatoes
Who are these cray people who still have rosties left over? Just eat them cold! But if you actually do have some left over:
Gnocchi - a little bit of effort but well worth it
Smoked Salmon and Lemon Fish Cakes - for all you lucky folks who are having smoked salmon but still have some left over

Peas
Lemon and Pea Risotto - looks delicious and great for using for pack up
Pea and Ham Soup - lovely if you've got some left over ham from Christmas dinner too

Parsnips
I hate parsnips, I think they are vile so I can't vouch for any of the following recipes but I have it on good authority that they are all perfectly delicious.
Parsnip Soup
Roasted Parsnips with Honey and Raisins
Cheesy Bacon Parsnip Patties

Swede
Swede is one of my most favourite vegetables so there is rarely anything left to make anything out of be Cole and Abel have kindly produced a series of recipes for swede which can be found here.

You need the kind of swede that looks like the one on the right, the one on the left is already quite the dish!

Broccoli
Broccoli and Stilton Soup - absolutely beautiful and perfect for cold weather
Beef and Broccoli Onepot - great if you fancy something a bit more filling and not feeling the Christmas spirit (if that's the case then you need another drink, or four)
Spicy Chicken Salad with Broccoli - a nice healthy salad for if you are feeling somewhat over indulged, substitute the chicken with turkey
Salmon and Broccoli Lattice Tart - another good one if you've got left over salmon, looks posh as well

Cauliflower 
The Guardian have produced a massive list of cauliflower recipes including the very interesting cauliflower pizza base which would be good for anyone on a paleo diet.
Cauliflower and Lentil Curry - delicious and good if you have any vegetarians coming over, they will have something good to tuck into whilst everyone is eating their turkey curry

Keep your eyes peeled for the next set of recipes for desserts!
To see the previous post click here, to see all in this series, click here

Christmas Leftovers Recipes: Turkey

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without enough food to feed an army but you end up with so many leftovers it's tempting to throw it all away just so you don't have to see those unloved, sad looking vegetables in the fridge staring at you any longer as you bypass them for something more delicious. This mini series will suggest a few recipes to transform those leftovers into some delicious feasts. Today, we're starting with the turkey.

1. Turkey and Veg Curry
Ahh, an oldie but a goodie. Turkey curry is a bit like Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way; delicious, nutritious, quick, freezable and simple. 1. Fry an onion/leek  2. Add some leftover vegetables  3. Whack in some turkey  4. Add a jar of your favourite curry sauce and simmer for 20 mins  5. Yum!

Warning: Please do NOT attempt to freeze Mary Poppins

2. KFT
Last year I cooked my very first turkey. I cooked it with the giblets still in the plastic bag inside the turkey. I never claimed to be a good cook but I did, however, come up with a brilliant idea for the large chunks of left over turkey. Kentucky. Fried. Turkey. I'll just give you a moment to let that thought sink in... You okay now? Good. Here is the secret recipe for creating Kentucky fried anything.

3. Turkey Pie
You can buy pre-made pastry for little over £1, because nobody got time for making pastry from scratch, especially at Christmas! Place some pastry into an oven proof dish, (blind bake if you wish) then fill with cooked veg, chunked turkey, cranberry sauce and some gravy, give it a stir and pop a pastry lid on top then cook. Pro tip: you can do little individual ones in a muffin tin then freeze them.

Credit to tablespoon.com

4. Soup
Once you've picked all meat of the bones you can use the carcass to flavour soup. The legend that is Delia Smith has a lovely recipe here.

5. Turkey Lunch Wraps
If you are one of those poor souls who has to return to work shortly after Christmas (boo!) then you'll appreciate having a little slice of Christmas but without all the other crap that is associated with spending a full 48 hours with your family. Simply put some turkey bits into a tortilla wrap, add some salad/other veggies you don't mind eating cold, grate on some cheese, add salsa and then wrap. Pro tip: seal the edges with mayo or crème fraîche to avoid unwrapping.

6. Christmas Stir Fry
Chop up a load of your cooked veggies (including the sprouts) and fry in a good amount of oil. Then add some chunked up turkey. Apply soy sauce and noodles/rice to taste.

Credit to blog.fatfreevegan.com

7. Turkey, Blue Cheese and Nut Pasta
Another great one for lunch or freezing. Mum cooked a simplified version of this for me last year and I really couldn't wait for Christmas to come round so we could make some more. The amendments I'd make to this recipe is (obviously) to add turkey and omit the tarragon, unless you have some, then add it. Most of us mere mortals do not have fresh tarragon to hand though.

Credit to Jane Blakey (cheers mum)

8. Turkey Burger
A fairly simple recipe which can be done in a few minutes. It is also an amazingly healthy cure for a hangover after you've had one to many Brandies with Irish Cream. To see the recipe click here.

9. Turkey Tortilla Chips
This is great for food whilst you are getting a bit merry. 1. Pour bag of tortilla chips into a dish  2. Sprinkle on some shredded turkey  3. Add salsa  4. Add as much cheese as possible and maybe some chillies if you have some  5. Microwave for 40 seconds or if you have a little more time, put under the grill till gooey. Then eat. With your face. Don't use your hands.

Credit to themessybakerblog.com

10. Turkey Pizza
Great hangover fare, also freezable. Use this recipe but I'd recommend you save on making a pizza base and just using a pre-made one instead. It might be interesting to use some fancy cheese on top instead of just mozzarella. Pro tip: add the ingredients onto a cheap and plain frozen pizza if you are feeling lazy.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next set of recipes for vegetables!
To view the next post click here, to see all posts in this series, click here

Christmas Update

Today’s post is a little Christmas update about me, the blog and what to expect from us in the future.

As you've probably noticed I've been rather absent for the blog as of late. A lot of things have been going on in my life recently which has meant I've had less time to write for pleasure. I am a final year sociology student and as part of my course I've had to dedicate most of my time to doing coursework and to writing my dissertation. So far I've written 3,000 words of my 15,000 word dissertation and hoping to crack on with the rest of it over the holidays. It is very difficult to face writing for the blog in the evening when I've spent all day at the computer. It is nice to take a break every once in a while but I think now I have a handle on things I’ll be able to structure my time a little better so I don’t feel trapped at my desk all hours of the day.

I've been feeling a little deflated over the past couple of months. All of a sudden my life has become very real. The prospect of leaving university, getting a job and having to move from my current house terrifies me. Anxiety and depression have turned what should be an exciting adventure into something of a nightmare. The stress of university work, family illness, financially preparing for Christmas and trying to control my weight has taken its toll on me. When most people see me they would think me a confident and strong person but that’s because they only see me on my best days. When I’m feeling my worst I will not leave the house and hide away from the world.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been making some more positive changes in my life to help myself mentally and reduce the amount of ‘bed days’ I’ve been having. I’ve changed my mind set and it has helped me so much already. I’ve decided to take a ‘get shit done’ approach. I was looking for motivational quotes to remind me that I am able to do anything and it is only me setting myself back, most of the quotes were too wishy washy. I am tough and I can be tough, I just need my arse kicking.

I’ve found so much pleasure in doing things for charity recently, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while you’ll know that I’ve always been a supporter of charity. So far this month I’ve taken part in a winter fayre and joined an exciting charity which I’m hoping to become more involved in. I made 22 vintage teacup candles for the winter fayre, although I didn’t sell everything I managed to turn a profit, all of which will be going to AgeUK. From this little venture, my friend and I have decided to turn this into a home wears business. We’re going to have a few stalls at some vintage fairs and potentially put things online. I’ll be making more teacup candles and experimenting with printing some of my own designs and she’ll be making cushion covers with beautiful vintage fabrics and buttons.

The new charity I’ve decided to support is HOPE. They aim to raise awareness and protect the victims of human trafficking by selling jewellery and cosmetics that have been produced by victims. All profits are reinvested to empower victims and give them the necessary skills to write their own future. The products are of excellent quality and it is an absolute joy to be a representative for the charity because of all the hard work that has been put in to create success stories for victims.

Because of my commitment to become more involved in charity I’m going to start having a charity of the month for my blog. I haven’t quite worked out the logistics of how I’m going to do this yet but I’ll work my way around it, it’ll probably take the form of a link to a donations page on the side bar and at the bottom of post. I’d love to hear your suggestions for which charities the Slightly Skint Blog should support. I’m going to start blogging regularly again. I’m hoping to do more DIY tutorials and recipes. It’d be great if my readers could give me some suggestions for the types of things you’d like me to blog about.

  That’s about everything really, let me know your charity and blog post suggestions in the comments, on twitter or on facebook.

Merry Christmas!