Healthy Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas for Zero Waste

Sharing my ideas for what to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers for zero waste.

Thanksgiving Leftovers 768x1024 - Healthy Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas for Zero Waste

There’s nothing quite like this time of year. From Thanksgiving through New Years it’s all about quality time spent with my family and friends, and of course creating delicious meals and sweet treats for loved ones. This time of year brings people together and that’s what I love so much.

Yesterday I hosted my first Thanksgiving in my home and it was so nice to have my family over and prepare delicious food for them. I wanted to prove that healthy can be delicious and doesn’t have to lack in flavor. As suspected we had tons of leftovers. I sent my family home with any leftovers they wanted and STILL have so much in my fridge. I hate waste, so have been brainstorming ways to use my Thanksgiving leftovers over the next few days.

In my opinion leftovers are the best part of Thanksgiving. I love finding new and unique ways to reinvent them! I have so many good ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next few days!

For breakfast I love making cranberry pecan oatmeal using the leftover cranberry sauce. I make my oatmeal as I normally would over the stovetop cooked in almond milk and then add in a big spoonful of cranberry and top it off with some pecans – it’s so satisfying!

My favorite thing to do with Thanksgiving leftovers is make homemade bone broth using the bones from the organic turkey that I bought. It’s SO simple to make and is the most nourishing drink to sip on throughout the week. Simply add all of the turkey bones into a large pot, cover with water and simmer over low heat for 3 hours. Remove the bones and enjoy.

In addition to homemade bone broth I love making turkey soup as well. If you opt for soup instead of bone broth simply add the turkey bones, pieces of turkey, carrots, celery, onion, garlic salt and pepper to a large pot and cook for an hour over low heat. Remove the bones prior to serving.

For lunch I love making a panini using the leftover turkey, cranberry sauce, mustard and cheese. It’s a simple meal that’s really delicious and satisfying! My favorite cheese for this panini is this one from Whole Foods.

Dinner is usually a plateful of leftovers. No fancy recipe, just enjoying the leftovers throughout the week!

Don’t forget dessert… isn’t that the best leftover? I have such a sweet tooth so am always thrilled to find leftover pie and cookies in my fridge. I love baking a big batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies for Thanksgiving and always use these chocolate chips since they’re free of all common allergens!

This year I used Ibotta to earn cash pack on purchases for Thanksgiving. Ibotta is a cash back and rewards app that gives you a better way to save time and money when they shop. Users receive cash back on purchases made in-store and online. There is no limit to the ways you can earn with Ibotta… and make cash back yet another thing to be thankful for!

I ordered at least half of my groceries and supplies needed in order to host a Thanksgiving dinner at my house from Ibotta. It made my life so much easier and it also made me feel more organized. I was spending money on these items regardless and it was so nice to earn cash back on these purchases.

Ibotta users receive cash back on products & services from online and in-store retailers, including grocery, travel, clothing, beauty & wellness, restaurants & bars, pharmacy, convenience, crafts & gifts, home & electronics, pharmacy and beer, wine & spirits.

Ibotta partners with hundreds of brands and has mobile partners like Uber, Postmates, Drizly, Overstock.com, Walmart.com, ULTA.com, Backcountry, HotelsTonight, ASOS and they’re adding more everyday. Since using Ibotta I have earned cash back at stores like Whole Foods, Target, Costco and Walmart. I have also earned cash back at apps like Amazon, Groupon, Postmates, Overstock, HotelTonight and Boxed.

Ibotta is 100% free to download and there are not subscription fees or pushes for in-app purchases. If I’m buying these items any way my thought is I might as well receive cash back on my purchases! Let me know if you try Ibotta and what your thoughts are! All offers that I mentioned were valid as of today’s date. Don’t forget to check your app for details as offers change frequently and may not be available in all areas.

I’d also LOVE to know what you do with your Thanksgiving leftovers. I can always use some more ideas!

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and enjoys this weekend with loved ones 🙂

This is a sponsored post written by me in partnership with Ibotta. All opinions are my own.

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