- Repurpose. There are a ton of ideas out there on what to do with leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, you name it. My favorite way to use leftover turkey? Shred it up and add it to cauliflower fried rice, eggroll in a bowl (on Step 2, add in the cooked turkey and sauté in the garlic/ginger for 1 minute) or tortilla soup (use 4 cups of shredded turkey). Not only are you getting a different taste profile, but you are also eating clean, which I think we can all use after turkey day!
- Freeze. Think of how many nights you have you don’t know what to make for dinner. Or, think of those nights when you are out and you don’t want your hubby and kids to order pizza (again). Instead of throwing out your hard work, freeze it, and your family can have Thanksgiving Dinner again. Tip: Get your leftovers in the freezer ASAP. If you wait, chances are it will get pushed to the back of the fridge and you will forget about it. Tip #2: Apply this concept to all leftovers. We all get busy, we all get tired, we all forget. Whenever you have leftovers, freeze those suckers. These are my favorite containers to freeze and bring leftovers for lunch at work, especially for soups and chilis!
- Have a leftover party! This is what we did last night. Your friend’s leftovers will be different than yours and she might enjoy yours and you might enjoy hers. What, no one made green bean casserole this year? Maybe your friend did. What, you have a super gourmet friend who always makes the most interesting things? Team up with her for an after-party and swap our your traditional mac and cheese for her maple-glazed rainbow carrots.
- Soup. This technically is repurposing, huh? Well, I am trying to give you 5 things and after 3 . . . I am a little stuck. (What do we do with all of these bleeping leftovers!?). You know when you get a taste for something? Writing this post has inspired that today. My step-dad used to make the best baked-leftover-turkey-bread-cheese soup concoction. I am scouring all of my old books and GTS-ing like crazy and coming up with nada. What does that mean? Looks like I am going to get creative this weekend. Recipe to come! Unfortunately, it will not be a healthy one. It will be a soul-food one. Until then, check out this ramen soup (and now I have to make that too!). Ok, leftovers are almost out!
- Throw it out. While I HATE to waste food, I also hate for you to put food in your mouth and body that neither serves your health nor your soul. More on that here. If you are on a nutrition plan and trying really really hard to lose weight and keep it off, throw out that pie. Right now. We all know that a sliver turns into a slice and that it will call your name until it you have eaten it all up. At the end of the day, you are not a garbage can. You do not have to eat all the leftovers. There are no leftover police. If you are on a mission to stay clean, that is your priority, and that is AOK. When you are putting your health first, that is a respectable goal and it is okay to prioritize it.
There you have it. 5 things! What is your favorite way to use up your leftovers!?
