08 Jan The No-Complaints Leftover Ham Plan
How to use holiday ham without hearing “not ham again?!”
Day 1: Treat night (everyone’s still happy)
Baked Monte Cristo sandwiches
Serve with salad or veggie sticks and cranberry sauce.
✔ Feels indulgent
✔ Doesn’t feel like leftovers
Day 2: Ham break
No ham at all
Leftovers get wrapped, frozen or refrigerated.
✔ Prevents burnout early
Day 3: Hidden ham dinner
Creamy ham, pea & pasta bake or ham fried rice
✔ Chopped small
✔ Mixed with other flavours
✔ Very kid-friendly
Day 4: Choose-your-own night
Let everyone pick from the same base:
- Ham & cheese quesadillas
- Ham & pineapple pizza wraps
- Ham and cheese toasties
✔ Choice = fewer complaints
Day 5: Bake once, eat twice
Ham & veggie quiche or crustless slice
Serve hot for dinner, cold the next day.
✔ Great for lunchboxes
✔ Uses up small bits
Day 6: Comfort food (freeze leftovers)
Ham & vegetable soup or split pea & ham soup
Freeze portions for busy nights.
✔ No pressure to finish it now
✔ Future-you will be grateful
Day 7: Anything-but-ham night
Tacos, pasta, takeaway, BBQ — whatever breaks the cycle.
✔ Ends the week on a win
Family-tested rules for leftover success
- ❌ Don’t serve ham two nights in a row
- ✂ Chop small so it blends in
- 🌏 Change cuisines to reset taste buds
- ❄ Freeze early before resentment sets in
- 🗳 Offer choices when possible
Editor’s tip (perfect for parents)
If the kids have declared a ham strike, freeze it immediately.
Ham freezes beautifully and becomes a gift, not a punishment, a few weeks later!
