Health and Fitness : Make Your Thanksgiving Meal Last with ‘Planned-overs‘

The day after Thanksgiving is a day of shopping, football games, and leftovers. Before the chaos of the holiday arrives, have a plan for how you will use your Thanksgiving meal leftovers. By having a plan in place you’ll be able to reduce food waste and extend your food dollar with planned-overs.

Step 1: Plan meals that use the foods you’ll be serving on Thanksgiving Day.

• a. Stews and Soups (such as turkey, meat, left-over vegetables). Turkey is a very versatile ingredient and can be substituted for other meats such as beef and chicken. Turkey is also low in fat and high in iron and protein. Thanksgiving is also a great time to buy turkey because it can be found on sale.

• b. Breakfast and Dessert (such as pumpkin pancakes with cranberry sauce, bread pudding). Pumpkin is high in vitamin A, which helps maintain healthy skin, teeth, and eyes. Another breakfast option is to make bread pudding with leftover rolls. Bread pudding can act as a dessert as well.

• c. Mexican-inspired Fare (such as tacos, quesadilla). Simply add taco seasoning or a few teaspoons of chili powder to the turkey.

• d. Shepherd’s Pie (such as turkey meat, mashed potatoes, leftover vegetables). This hearty meal can be easily frozen and reheated in the oven. To prevent freezer burn, get as much air out of the bag as possible and use bags made for the freezer.

Step 2: Follow safe food handling practices to keep foods safe to reuse.

• a. Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
• b. Discard any cold or hot foods that have been left out for more than two hours as they may no longer be safe to eat.
• c. Leftovers should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers promptly in shallow containers.
• d. Refrigerate leftover turkey for 3 to 4 days. Stuffing and gravy should be used within 1 to 2 days. Throw away refrigerated leftovers after four days. If you are unable to eat all of your leftovers in four days, freeze the remainder. It is best to use a freezer bag and be sure to label and date the food item and use within two to three months of freezing.

A Suggestion for a Planning-Over:

Carver Dip

This will use up extra sweet potatoes. It can be served hot or cold and eaten with fresh fruit, graham crackers or pita chips.

Serves: 8 (Serving size: 1⁄4 cup)

Ingredients

1 15-ounce can sweet potatoes or

1 cup leftover sweet potatoes

(=15-ounce can)

½ cup applesauce

¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

1. Drain the liquid off the sweet potatoes. 2. Combine all ingredients in a micro- wave safe bowl.

3. Cook in microwave for 1½ minutes or until heated through.

4. Stir until smooth.

5. Serve with chips, crackers, or crudities.

Nutrient information per serving

107 calories, 2.7 g total fat (0.4 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 167.3 mg sodium, 19.6 g total carbohy-drate, 1.4 g fiber, 0.8 g protein

 For more recipe ideas visit the Spend Smart Eat Smart website at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsavings/.