How to Make Thanksgiving Leftovers Disappear

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All that shopping, cooking, loosening of belts and groaning is over. Did you turn your scale back ten pounds? I know I sure wanted to after all of the delectable treats I consumed yesterday. After eating enough to feed a small army for a week, how do you manage to make all of those leftovers disappear while managing to ensure your waistline doesn’t disappear as well?

How to Make Thanksgiving Leftovers Disappear - breething.com

Thanksgiving Sandwich

This was my lunch this afternoon. Check out that picture above. Doesn’t it look scrumptious? It’s all of my favorites (minus the pumpkin pie) between two slices of 12 grain wheat bread!

I know it sounds strange to combine some of these items together, especially stuffing on a sandwich, but don’t knock it before you try it! The stuffing is savory and the cranberry is tangy and sweet. It’s the perfect balance of all of the staples in one filling sandwich!

Ingredients:
– Bread or leftover rolls
– Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
– Stuffing (yes, stuffing!)
– Turkey slices
– Cranberry sauce (whole or jellied)

Turkey Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
– Leftover turkey
– Olive Oil
– Carrots
– Celery
– Onion
– Turkey broth (or chicken if not available)
– Egg Noodles (Frozen is fine)
– Salt and Pepper to taste

The end of November…it’s a cold one, where I’m from, so soup is never turned down, when the wind is blowing and the snow is settling in.

Chop carrots, celery and onion in small pieces and all them to sweat in a bit of oil in a pan while you prepare the rest of your ingredients. Chop your leftover turkey or shred it with a fork. Pour approximately 6 cans of broth into a large pot and put in your egg noddles and bring to a boil. Once your veggies have softened slightly, put them and your turkey into the pot and allow it to cook and marry all of the flavors. Use salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Turkey Salad

This is one of my favorites – besides the standard Thanksgiving sandwich. It’s easy to make, is made up of ingredients you’re likely to have leftover after cooking your big meal on Thursday and (besides the Mayonnaise) is fairly healthy.

Using a food processor, process your turkey pieces a couple of pulses. If you prefer larger chunks, you can consider just shredding your already cut up pieces with a fork. Depending upon the amount of turkey you have available, you’ll want the celery and walnuts (optional) to give it a bit of a crunch. Chop these into small bite size pieces. Mix these in with the turkey. Slice grapes in half and stir them in with just enough mayonnaise to wet the mixture. Eat with crackers, extra celery, on top of a green salad or as a sandwich.

Ingredients:
– Turkey (chopped into small pieces)
– Celery
– Seedless grapes
– Walnuts (optional)
– Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

If you still have leftovers after these three easy, hearty and family-friendly meals, then either you cooked too much food or need to invite less picky eaters to next year’s meal! All kidding aside, there are HUNDREDS of recipes out there to help you make these items disappear.

Click on image for source.

31 recipes… But don’t confuse this with a recipe for each day in December… please don’t hang on to your turkey that long! Yikes!

And if you really get tired of the tryptophan-filled bird, consider fixing a meal for family member or shut-in in your neighborhood that might enjoy them. Whatever you choose to do with your leftovers, allow them be small reminders of what the original meal was all about, giving thanks for all of the many blessings God has bestowed upon us this year. Remember and be thankful!