Healthy Ways to Use Thanksgiving Leftovers

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Healthy Ways to Use Thanksgiving Leftovers

The feast is over, but the fun isn’t. Hopefully you have Thanksgiving leftovers! Instead of piling them on your plate for Thanksgiving, Part 2: The Wrath of Stuffing, try these healthy and frugal ways to use them up! Plus, check out these 10 healthy recipes that use everything from turkey and Brussels sprouts, to cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes.

EVERYTHING

  • A little bit of all of your healthiest thanksgiving leftovers together in a whole-grain pita or wrapped in a tortilla is really what the day after Thaksgiving is all about.

TURKEY

  • Make this delicious turkey hash. Recipe tip: Omit the ground turkey. Cook the onion, pepper, and potato together and then add cooked turkey in the last step.
  • Build a sandwich on whole-grain bread with turkey, lettuce, and cranberry sauce.
  • Replace chicken with chopped turkey in this scramble recipe.
  • Use as a topping for chili or in this hearty vegetable soup.

VEGETABLES

  • Top leftover green beans or brussels sprouts with a poached egg, like this.
  • Substitute chard with your veggie leftovers in this frittata recipe. (Sweet potatoes taste great in this way too!)
  • Mix with cooked farro or other whole grains and a touch of feta cheese.

SWEET POTATOES

STUFFING

  • If you’ve made one our whole-grain stuffings, add a scoop atop salad greens.
  • Bread stuffing can be mixed with leftover green beans and brussels sprouts and re-baked in muffin tins for perfect portions.
  • For savory pancakes mix ¼ cup stuffing with 1 egg white. Form into a patty shape and cook in a nonstick skillet for 2 minutes. Flip and cook 2 minutes more.

CRANBERRY SAUCE

  • Stir a tablespoon or two into into plain yogurt or oatmeal.
  • Add a spoonful to your Shakeology®.
  • Use as a topping on healthy waffles, like these.

TIP: If you add cranberry sauce to yogurt or Shakeology, make sure you consume it within 5–10 minutes, as the acidity in cranberries may cause dairy to curdle.

GRAVY

  • Freeze leftover gravy in ice cube trays. These are perfect portions for future dinners.