Health for life

Every year, I suspend my healthy diet for one heralded November day. No, not Election Day, during which I’m usually too queasy to eat – but that most glorious of bird-based holidays, Thanksgiving.

Then, 24 hours later, I enter an equally magical shame spiral, since I’ve just consumed enough calories to keep me alive for eight years without ever having to eat again.

This year, I’m going to desperately try to avoid all that, hopefully by using at least 25 of the following 38 inexpensive, frugal leftover recipes. (Well … okay, 24.) I found them via a thorough, highly scientific search-and-paste process, not unlike previous Beef, Party Food, and Salad Dressing searches. In this case, here’s what determined a dish’s appearance on the list:

• As always, if the recipe comes from an aggregate site, the reviews must come in at 80% approval or above, or have no reviews at all (in which case, they must look really, really good).
• It was a little difficult to find low-fat recipes, since stuffing and mashed potatoes aren’t exactly health foods (meaning: they don’t miraculously lose their calories on Black Friday). So, I attempted to keep each recipe NWR, or Nutritious Within Reason. There’s little added butter, oil, dairy, lard, mayo, or canned soup in each dish.
• If possible, I included notes about lightening the dish under each title.
• As for price, there aren’t any exotic ingredients included, so costs should be pretty low. Caveat: you might have to purchase a little ginger or a bunch of green onions or something.
• There is no Turkey Tetrazzini. Because I hate it. Muahahahahahaha!

Readers, if you have suggestions, I love to hear. In the meantime, happy Thanksgiving!

All Recipes: Apple Curry Turkey Pita
Use low-fat yogurt in place of regular to cut fat and calories.

All Recipes: Hearty Turkey Soup with Parsley Dumplings

All Recipes: Southwestern Turkey Soup

Bon Appetit: Asian Turkey-Noodle Soup with Ginger and Chiles

Bon Appetit: Cranberry Citrus Sorbet
This sounds AWESOME.

Bon Appetit: Pork Chops with Cranberry Port and Rosemary Sauce

CHG: Leftover Turkey Stew

CHG: Turkey Chili
Use turkey bits instead of ground turkey, add to pot with tomatoes

CHG: Turkey Noodle Soup
Sub in cooked turkey for chicken.

CHG: Turkey With Shallot Apricot Sauce
Sub in turkey for chicken, and use leftover warmed turkey

Chow: Turkey Pad See Ew
A little high in fat, but delicious-sounding just the same.

Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Mom: Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole (scroll down)
Sub in fat-free evaporated milk and make sure you use 2% cheddar.

Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Mom: Turkey Stock

Cooking Light: Cold Soba Noodles with Turkey

Cooking Light: Fiery Turkey-Pâté Crostini

Cooking Light: Turkey Pizza

Cooking Light: White Turkey Chili

Epicurious: Turkey Burritos with Salsa and Cilantro
Humina.

Epicurious: Turkey and Sweet Potato Sandwich

Fabulous Foods: Turkey Pasties

Fine Cooking: Turkey Soup with Ginger, Lemon, and Mint

Fine Cooking: Turkey and Sweet Potato Hash

Fine Cooking: Turkey Tortilla Soup

Food Network/Cathy Lowe: Turkey Soup with Rice

Food Network/Cathy Lowe: Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Food Network/Emeril Lagasse: Turkey and Vegetable Soup

Food Network/Michael Chiarella: Next Day Turkey Soup

Food Network/Ocean Spray: Smoked Turkey and Cranberry Gourmet Pizza

Food Network/Rachael Ray: Turkey Corn Chili

Food Network/Rachael Ray: Turkey and Stuffin’ Soup
Frankly, the picture kind of squicked me out here. But the reviewers (and there are quite a few) seem to LOVE it, so go nuts.

Food Network/Robin Miller: Turkey Soup with Egg Noodles and Vegetables
Looks like a good, quick recipe. Very well rated.

Food Network/Sunny Anderson: Second Day Turkey and String Bean Pot Pies

The Oregonian: Soba Noodle Salad With Cranberries and Apple

The Oregonian: Turkey Picadillo

The Oregonian: Turkey, White Bean, and Escarole Soup

Seattle Times: Chili-Rubbed Turkey Sandwich With Red Onion Salsa

St. Louis Eats: Nigella Lawson’s Vietnamese Turkey Salad

Wise Bread: Turkey and Stuffing Casserole

~~~

If you like this post, you might also dig:

• 1 Chicken, 17 Healthy Meals, $26 Bucks, No Mayo
• 65 Cheap, Healthy, One-Dish Meals with Good Leftover Potential
• Seriously, Eating: 40 Recipes From the Other Website I Write For

Thank you so much for visiting Cheap Healthy Good! (We appreciate it muchly). If you’d like to further support CHG, subscribe to our RSS feed! Or become a Facebook friend! Or check out our Twitter! Or buy something inexpensive, yet fulfilling via that Amazon store (on the left)! Bookmarking sites and links are nice, too. Viva la France!

Are you tired of Thanksgivings when your entire family comes to visit, but you don’t have time to talk to any of them? Do you dream of serving fresh, home-prepared food instead of Stove Top and Potato Buds on Turkey Day? Come this holiday, do you wanna save a coupla bucks?

Sweet. We gotcha covered.

By following these steps and devoting an hour or two to planning ahead, you can cook up a wholesome, economically sound Thanksgiving feast without going completely insane. You’ll have time to actually interact with your loved ones, and no one will leave the house hungry.

Of course, if you’re not up for these strategies (and yo, it’s understood), A) do whatever works for you, or B) try a potluck. Roast some poultry and have each guest bring a side, a dessert, or some booze. No muss, no fuss, and no one can blame you if the green bean casserole came out a little weird this year.

In the meantime, behold! And if you have anything to add, fire away in the comment section.

Step #1: Start shopping now.
Supermarkets begin offering Thanksgiving bargains weeks before the actual holiday. So, if you know you need an item – say, unsalted butter or canned sweet potatoes – buy them on sale a.s.a.p. You’ll save cash AND get to check something off your list.

NOTE: Obviously, this doesn’t apply to perishable goods. If you know you’re making applesauce, wait until the week-of to pick up the fruit. Otherwise, Rot City.

Step #2: Get a headcount.
Is it just the immediate fam this year, or are your 16 second cousins from South Carolina stopping by for some big, juicy bird? Having an approximate attendance will help you plan and budget accordingly.

Step #3: Prep your recipes.
Once you have a headcount, research and start amassing the appropriate recipes based on number of attendees, dietary restrictions, taste perences, and budget. (It’s easier than it sounds, since Thanksgiving tends to focus on a few traditional dishes.) Cut and paste them into a Word Document, so they’re easily searchable and erenced. My favorites include:

• Alton Brown’s Brined Turkey, roasted via Cook’s Illustrated directions
• Pioneer Woman’s Cranberry Sauce
• Honey-Glazed Roasted Carrots
• Ma’s Applesauce
• Sweet Potatoes with Mini Marshmallows

Don’t worry about appetizers, as people are going to stuff themselves at dinner. If you do opt for hors d’oeuvres, choose something light, like crudite and bean dip.

Ask guests to bring wine and desserts. Of course, you can prep a pie or two the night before, but letting family pitch in will A) make them feel validated/as if they contributed, B) ease your stress level, and C) save you a buck or two.

Step #4: Create a grocery list.
Now that you have all the recipes, make a big ol’ grocery list of their ingredients. (This is super easy if you’ve already compiled the recipes in a Word Document.)

Helpful hint: If two dishes call for the same ingredient, combine the quantities so you don’t overbuy. For example, if your mashed potatoes need 4 tablespoons of butter, and your stuffing needs 6 tablespoons of butter, combine them into a single line, reading “10 tablespoons of butter.” Shopping will be way less complicated.

Step #5: Check off what you already have.
Odds are, a few list items are already floating around your pantry. Olive oil? Check. Salt? Check. Sixteen-pound game bird? Che- … oh, wait.

Step #6: Spread the remaining shopping out over the next few weeks.
To reiterate, supermarkets tend to spread sales out in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. Buy a little of your list each week, during your regular grocery shopping, using online circulars to check for deals. You’ll have to make a final trip, of course, but you’ll have already banked a bunch of money, and reduced your list by leaps and bounds.

Step #7: Create a schedule.
Okay. This one is where it gets a little nuts, but trust me – creating a schedule really, really helps. Why? It does four things:

1. Manages your time. Worried about what you’re supposed to be doing, and when? No longer. Also, you actually get to socialize.
2. Coordinates the stovetop and oven. If you’ve ever tried to cram stuffing, turkey, and sweet potatoes into the oven simultaneously, only to have nothing cook all the way through, you know what I’m talking about.
3. Ensures you remember everything. Have you ever blanked on the biscuits? Forgotten the beans in the fridge? This visual cue will stop it from happening.
4. Gets all the food to the table at the same time. Never again will your turkey be ready two hours after the mashed potatoes.

To make this magical document: Take each recipe, and working backwards from the time you’re serving dinner, assign each prep step a time slot. For example, if the stuffing needs to be served at 4pm, it should go in the oven at 3pm, be assembled about a half-hour earlier, at 2:30pm.

This is tough to explain, so here’s mine from last year. (Click to enlarge.)

Click to enlarge

I usually stick my schedule to the fridge, along with the recipes I’m making that day. This way, it’s convenient, accessible, and I won’t spill gravy on it.

Step #8: Enlist a Sous Chef, a Dish Doer, and a Table Setter.
Unless you’re Ina Garten, Superman, or SuperInaGartenMan (whom, I assure you, exists), you’re gonna need some help in the kitchen. Your Sous Chef can take care of potato mashing while you’re making the gravy. The Dish Doer will wash kitchen gear throughout the day, guaranteeing the appropriate equipment (whisk, measuring cup, etc.) is always clean. And heck, you know all about the Table Setter.

Fun fact: One person can cover the three jobs, if he/she is particularly talented. Last year, my sister’s boyfriend basically made Thanksgiving possible.

Step #9: Do as much as you can the night before.
The Night Before Thanksgiving 2009, my schedule read like this:

• Make brine
• Dunk turkey
• Make applesauce
• Make cranberry sauce
• Make cornbread
• Dice all gravy ingredients
• Peel and cut carrots
• Wash and cut green beans
• Prep all remaining ingredients

It looks complicated, but only took a few hours, and allowed me tons of time to hang out on Thanksgiving Day. With a similar strategy, you’ll reduce potential stressors and eliminate last-minute trips to the grocery store for cranberry sauce.

Step #10: Stick to the gameplan.
Adhere to the schedule, and Thanksgiving Day will be a walk in the turkey park. (Yes, the turkey park.) Youll not only have plenty of quality time with family and friends, but theyll applaud your efforts for decades to come.

BONUS Step #11: Start drinking, but wait until AFTER you’re finished chopping.
Don’t ask me how I know this.

Readers, what think you? Does this seem crazy, or does a little time invested up front seem like a good trade-off for the day-of? What would you add or take away? The comment section, she is open.

~~~

If you like this article, you’ll surely enjoy:

• Feeding a Group on Vacation
• Potluck Tips to Save You Time and Moolah
• Recession Chic, Party Planning, and Me

Before I head out to vote, its a quickie (but a toughie) thatll help guide the blog over the next few weeks:

Q: Straight up, what are your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes?

A: Last week, we covered portable sides. This week, were throwing our arms around the whole shebang. They don’t have to be inexpensive, they don’t have to be remotely healthy – that’s our job, to adapt them as such. Mine are:

• Ma’s Sweet Potatoes. Uh. Muh. Guh.
• Dad’s stuffing. He got it out of a 1984 article in Newsday, and it uses about four pounds of butter, every ounce of which is pure delight.
• Giada DeLaurentiis’ Turkey Sausage and Chestnut Stuffing. It costs approximately a bagillion dollars to make (jarred chestnuts, anyone?), but its so rich and awesome, you wont mind bankruptcy.

Fire away, folks! I’ve already commenced drooling. I mean it. Its getting on my shirt.

Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.