Thanksgiving is a perfect day of the week to share food, love, and good cheer. It is also a good day to practice the art of meal planning and extending. You can do this without eating leftovers everyday and getting sick of your favorite foods. I often suggest to my counseling clients to buy in bulk, have a day to prepare big meals, and freeze them for the future. Thanksgiving gives us the perfect chance to practice this- another thing to be thankful for.
Prepare your Thanksgiving Meal with Leftovers in Mind
Get your turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and everything else that your family traditionally makes for the grand day. Before the meal, buy a dozen or so partitioned tupperware containers that are freezable.
After the meal, place 80% of your leftovers in the containers and freeze them right away. Leave out some leftovers for the next day, since everyone loves thanksgiving leftover sandwiches – at least we do! If you have a separate freezer box, then stick the prearranged meals in there.
Home Cooked Frozen Meals without Preservatives
You now have your own frozen meals that are home-cooked, without all the added sodium and preservatives that go into the stuff you buy in boxes at the store. You don’t have to have Thanksgiving leftovers for a week, or throw away any of the wonderful foods because you can have the meal over the next few months without it going bad. It is perfect for impromptu meals when you simply don’t have time to get anything healthy at the store.
Not just for Thanksgiving
You can do this at any meal, any day of the year by taking advantage of bulk sale items. You can save a ton of money doing this and have healthy meals saved up throughout the year. Most people stay away from bulk items or things on sale because they can’t possibly finish all that food in a few days time, well now you don’t have to. Buy it, cook it, freeze it, and save hundreds per year on groceries!
Labeling your Meals with Mabels Labels
I love labels, and I have used Mabels Labels in the past when moving and labeling jars in the kitchen. Now Mabels Labels has reusable labels that are perfect. Just stick them on your tupperware lids. The labels are waterproof, and you can write on them using a china marker, which rubs off when you need it to, and only when you need it to.
Staying Safe After Thanksgiving
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Remember to practice good food safety habits with leftovers and any time! Bacteria that cause food borne illness cannot be smelled or tasted. So refrigerate leftovers within two hours, and use them up within 3-4 days.
What lovely ideas, Carmen. And you’re right. They’re not just for Thanksgiving but can be used all year through, any time we have extra food. Thanks for sharing these!
Happy Thanksgiving to you too!