Here’s a potential curve ball we can all be ready to hit out of the park. You’ve executed your plan for Thanksgiving dinner, and you’ve even managed to get in some extra exercise to compensate for the big meal. But then you realize – there’s still a lot of food on the table! What are you going to do about all the leftovers?

For some, it may be just a matter of not taking the Tupperware containers or plastic-wrapped plates your host or hostess prepares. Be ready with a polite refusal. What will you say? How will you handle persistence?

For others, all that excess goes back in the fridge for turkey sandwiches ad nauseum and a little stuffing with a few more dinners and hey, why don’t we just finish off that pie? What are you going to do with your leftovers? Can you carve out time to turn that turkey carcass into broth that you can use for months to come? What creative ideas do you have for using that last cup of cranberry sauce? Will you have the resolve to feed those desserts to your garbage can or disposal, if you have to?

And if all else fails, you can just get out of the house and spend the whole weekend shopping…

The only leftovers I usually get is some turkey. I go out for both T'day meals (in-laws and my aunt's). So I don't really have to worry about them.

MaryJo - I have total sympathy for you cooking for 35 people (unless you have fun with it). My T'day at my aunt's is with about 40 people but we each bring something.

Jillybean - that show was Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller. She has a pretty good show and most of the stuff is pretty healthy.

Pam

"Sorry, those leftovers just won't make it from Indiana to Georgia."

Not going to be an issue this year.

Dawn

I only take turkey leftovers home and of course whatever is left of what I brought which is usually a veggie side dish. I saw the last 5 minutes of a show on FN the other night. The chef was making things with leftovers. She had turkey soup and though I didn't see what all she put in it looked like a lot of veggies, some noodles, and turkey. She also had a salad, and had made a cranberry dressing from leftovers, again, not exactly sure what was in it. She had leftover pumpkin pie, she scooped some out of the crust and put it in a parfait glass, topped it with ice cream which of course we could substitute frozen yogurt or lf IC but it looked yummy.
I have no clue what show it was,never saw it before.
Jill

I have done very well with many meals and then picked and picked at the leftovers until I was stuffed. I know the danger about which you speak.
We are going to my sister's house. We won't take leftovers home as we are spending the night at my parents and the logisitcs don'y really work.
My danger is emotional eating while with family.

In past holidays, my DH & I have made up "plates" and taken them to some elderly family members and neighbors.

I finally know what our Thanksgiving plans are. We will be having Thanksgiving Day dinner at my sister's home and we will have a Thanksgiving get together Friday at DH's sister's home. I will take food to both homes. I used to NEVER take a dish that I had taken to another dinner. I would have MEGA left-overs because I always wanted my dish to look perfect (well, not really perfect but you know what I mean). DH would always get on to me and tell me to go ahead and take what we would have left over from one dinner along with the other dishes I had fixed.

Well, I've gotten over my "perfect dish" attitiude. Both dinners are with "family" and as long as it tastes good, they will eat it. I'm not going to have left-overs this year.

I refust to take food home. If given to me, I will drop it off at an elderly neighbor's home when I do get home. Ironically, we get the sweet ends of the meal, and that won't work at my house. I have told everyone about my diabetes, so hopefully they won't remind me of it every minute, but also won't send the pies and cakes home with me.

If I am cooking, I save enough for one meal and that's it. I then send some to the people across the street who have not much and the single guy next door. They love it, and it's out of my house.

Whenever I have guests for any meal, I do the same thing! First I offer the food up to leave my house and go to their house, especially any pies and such!! If there are no takers, I dump it upside down into the trash. I have no trouble doing that either. All those years of my mom talking about all of the starving children in the world goes out the window. Face it, they can't have your leftovers and you don't need them. If you have extreme guilt, send a check to Feed The Children!! So there is my plan. My trouble comes before the meal while I am preparing all the food! I have 35 people this year and I am cooking everything. They have already started sending gift baskets......I have forbidden my kids from opening those. I am making a 30 pound fresh turkey, stuffing, sweet potatos, sweet potato casserole (my favorite), mashed potatoes, ham, 3 different veggies, hot rolls, little sides and spreads. Pies of course. Lots of food and lots of time to sit around and graze.
I graze while I cook too. I am starting to psych myself up already!!!