Enjoy leftovers responsibly.
It’s no secret that Thanksgiving will leave many of us stuffed. But you don’t need to waste all the uneaten food to get your waistline back on track. “Add fresh, low-calorie ingredients — salad greens, cucumbers, peppers, citrus — to balance the high-calorie ingredients in the leftovers, [such as] gravy, butter [and] turkey skin,” says Sarah Krieger, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For holiday bird lovers, here are some healthy ways she and fellow Academy spokespeople shared to remake turkey — post-Turkey Day.
Turkey lettuce wrap
On carb overload from all the rolls? Instead, roll up leftover poultry in green leaves, such as butter or romaine lettuce. For the filling, shred turkey breast, then add in barbeque sauce — homemade or a low-sugar, store-bought variety, says Krieger, a registered dietitian nutritionist based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Mix the turkey with cooked brown rice, and add sliced cucumbers and peppers to get your low-fat protein fix, with fiber, potassium and whole grain.
Eggs, turkey side up
No one is encouraging you to go overboard when it comes to eating after the holidays. In fact, experts say that even as food waste remains a big issue, you’d be better to toss heavy, too-tempting fare than binge after a filling Thanksgiving. That said, you can actually have turkey for breakfast, lunch and dinner — though you probably wouldn’t want to do it successively. For a bird breakfast, make hash by combining chopped turkey, onion and garlic. Sautee and mix with scrambled eggs for a low-carb, high-protein meal, Krieger says.
Lunch salad
You already know that you can eat turkey on a whole-wheat sandwich or in a wrap. “Fiber can decrease hunger by slowing digestion, and a high-fiber diet helps with weight control,” says Torey Armul, a registered dietitian nutritionist based in Columbus, Ohio. In addition, here’s another lunch option for which you’ll need to grab a fork. “Pair leftover turkey with a leafy green salad,” Armul says. Add carrots, tomatoes or any other healthy plant-based foods you might put in a salad typically topped by that other poultry — what was it again? Oh, yeah, chicken.
‘One pot wonders’
“Thanksgiving leftovers make perfect ‘one pot wonders,'” Armul says. It’s proof positive that you don’t have to be a chef to make food flavorful again in its post-Thanksgiving encore. Mix leftover turkey, beans, grains, green beans and other veggies with marinara sauce, pesto, tahini, balsamic vinaigrette or low-sodium soy or teriyaki sauce, she says. Try different sauces, she adds, to endlessly vary the taste of these basic ingredients.
Turkey tetrazzini
You can make an easy, healthy tetrazzini, Armul says, by using wheat pasta, mushrooms and vegetables. Toss in some peas, add finely chopped black olives, carrots, green or red bell pepper, zucchini and broccoli, and do all the cooking in one saucepan to save time and dishes, she says. To keep from being weighed down by the traditional fare, Armul advises: “Thin out leftover gravy with low-sodium broth to create a flavorful sauce. This well-balanced meal combines protein and complex carbohydrates, and the sauce is lighter than traditional gravy.”
Homemade stock
“It’s old school, but don’t throw out the turkey carcass,” says Philadelphia-based registered dietitian nutritionist Libby Mills, a nutrition and cooking coach. “Bones can be the beginnings of some of the greatest tasting stock.” That stock can be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days or frozen for up to three months and used for everything from making soups and cooking whole grains to poaching fish. “Homemade stock is naturally low in sodium and off-the-charts full of flavor,” Mills says.
Turkey trimmings
You’d never eat turkey by itself on Thanksgiving — and some, including vegan and vegetarian holiday observers, don’t eat it at all. Give plant-based sides their due. Roast leftover veggies. Or make salsa, Krieger says, combining diced leftover cooked veggies with chopped toasted pecans, diced onion, pomegranate seeds and sriracha or chili powder to taste. Top leftover turkey or scrambled eggs for a light, low-calorie meal, she says. For a nutritious twist on another fall favorite: “Combine leftover sweet potatoes, squash and veggies with beans and spices to make sweet potato chili,” Armul says.
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7 Healthy Ways to Gobble Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey originally appeared on usnews.com
