Christmas is a time of rejoicing that often kills two people:your wallet and your stomach. What would you say then this year to please your loved ones with a tasty meal, but light for your finances and your appetite? Better yet, how about a delicious and eco-responsible meal? Here are the keys to a Christmas meal you'll remember.
Our balanced and inexpensive Christmas menu ideas
This year, you want to delight your loved ones without breaking the bank! No need to spend a fortune to savor delicious dishes during the Christmas meal. It's often said that the simplest things are the best, and our balanced and inexpensive menu ideas prove it.
- Entrance :opt for a delicious velouté of seasonal vegetables (cabbage, squash, leek, parsnip, sweet potato, etc.), embellished with chestnut chips. A simple starter, but terribly greedy. You can also opt for a verrine of avocado, salmon petals and fromage frais:a safe bet that your guests will love.
Why it's healthy: vegetables are very low in calories, unlike foie gras for example. Starting a meal with a velouté gently whets the appetite without overloading the stomach. That way, you'll have room for the main course.
Recipe :Verrine of salmon and avocado step by stepFor 4 people:Finely chop 4 slices of smoked salmon. Mix them with 40 g of cream cheese and 30 g of garlic &herb cheese. Add chives and set aside. Just before serving, mash the flesh of an avocado with a fork. Add a little lemon juice. Add salt and pepper. In verrines, spread 1 layer of cream cheese, 1 layer of salmon-cheese, 1 layer of avocado. It's ready, enjoy!
- The dish :in order not to explode the budget, choose an inexpensive meat such as chicken, turkey or lamb. A potato gratin will go perfectly with your meat. A risotto (with mushrooms, asparagus, scallops, or parmesan) can also be an inexpensive and easy-to-cook Christmas dish.
Why it's healthy: white meats are lower in calories than red meats.
- Dessert :for dessert, bet on the great classics. At Christmas, we like to dive back into childhood; then a chocolate mousse, baked apples, a crumble, a tiramisu, or even a delicious French toast will do the trick.
Why it's healthy: for Christmas dessert, no restriction on calories. That said, it is always better to eat a homemade dessert with quality ingredients than to buy a high-calorie dessert whose composition you do not control.
A Christmas meal:our anti-waste tips
For an inexpensive Christmas menu, you have to think about responsible consumption. A celebratory dinner doesn't have to cost you, or the planet, if possible. To reduce waste, waste and expense, here are our tips.
- Anticipate the menu and the groceries :to save money, nothing beats anticipation. If you go there on Christmas Eve to do your shopping, you will have neither the time nor the choice, and may have to turn to more expensive products. Take the time to prepare your menu in advance, your shopping list and avoid last minute purchases.
- Eat less, but better :one of the secrets of anti-waste is to avoid overconsumption. To make a cheap and responsible menu, favor quality over quantity. Chocolate is one of the essentials of Christmas tables, buy a box of chocolates from a chocolatier instead of buying many packets of chocolates in supermarkets. You will enjoy twice as much and one thing is certain, there will not be any left in the box. This applies to all foods:meat, vegetables, wine, etc. Eat and drink less, but with a focus on better quality.
- Do It Yourself :it is always better to do it yourself. Not only are manual activities very pleasant to do as a family, but your guests will be touched by your involvement. This can concern the kitchen, but also the table decoration.
- Focus on small producers :would you like to move towards a more responsible Christmas menu? Remember to do your shopping at small producers and local shops. Choose seasonal fruits and vegetables whenever possible. To find local producers near you, apps like La Ruche qui dit Oui are useful.
- Choosing seasonal vegetables for your Christmas menu: Buying fruits and vegetables in season only brings you benefits:freshness, quality and flavors. Consuming in season is also an ecological gesture, because you reduce the carbon footprint (less storage and less travel). Finally, all these elements and the reduction of the carbon footprint allow producers to offer you delicious food at a lower cost.
Christmas meals:what to do with leftovers? To limit food waste, throwing excess food in the trash is out of the question. Do you have any chicken left over from Christmas dinner? Use it in gratin, rillettes, etc. Same thing for the accompaniments. The excess puff pastry can be used to make small apple turnovers, tarts or even breadsticks. The Frigo Magic app is perfect for finding recipe ideas based on your leftovers.
At Christmas, it's not the price of things that counts, but the intention you put into what you do. Your loved ones will appreciate a simple and tasty menu much more, and the planet will appreciate your effort to reduce your waste and your carbon footprint.
