Don’t be mistaken, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday by far. As kids, my mom would make each of us kids our favorite meal on our birthdays.
I always chose, “Thanksgiving.”
My birthday is in May. Thanks, Mom.
With that said, it’s really easy to rack up the calories and pounds in the days that follow. While delicious, Thanksgiving leftovers tend to be a little on the heavy side. Especially if you’re Pennsylvania Dutch like many in York County.
Below I’ve chosen 3 great ways to utilize your leftovers. I’ve even covered your three main meals…breakfast, lunch and dinner. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Breakfast Hash
Modified version of recipe from mealprepmondays.com
Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes
This breakfast hash is a warm and hearty breakfast that uses leftover ham or turkey, sweet potatoes and stuffing.
Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes
Stuffing
Ham or Turkey
Eggs
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bread pan with non-stick spray. Layer baking ingredients in metal bread pan with eggs being cracked on top last.
Bake for 30 minutes or until eggs are cooked.
Enjoy!
Turkey & Cranberry Quesadillas
Modified version of recipe from Pitchfork Foodie Farms
Turkey and Cranberry Quesadillas are quick and easy way to use up leftover turkey. They are gooey, hearty, tart, and sweet all wrapped up between two buttery and crispy tortilla shells. No complaints about leftovers on this one!
Ingredients:
- 4 flour tortillas
- 1 to 2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 1 cup shredded Turkey
- 0.5 c. cranberry sauce
- 2 T. butter
- chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions:
Mist outside of tortillas with a little EVOO spray. Season with garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Flip over and on unseasoned side, sprinkle grated Swiss cheese all over one side of a tortilla. Add warmed up turkey. I pulled it apart, kind of shredding it, with my fingers. Next spread cranberry sauce over those layers. Put the other tortilla on top of the whole thing. Heat skillet over medium heat. Do the water sizzle test. Once your pan is heated up, place quesadilla in pan. I like to cover my skillet with a lid because it helps warm the whole quesadilla. Let fry until golden brown. Flip, cover with a lid, and let the other side get brown.It should take just a few minutes. Remove quesadilla & transfer to a cutting board. Allow to rest for a minute or two. Cut into wedges. I sprinkled my quesadillas with a little fresh chopped parsley.
Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich
Modified From Stupid Easy Paleo
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Sweet potato “buns” serving as the bread of the sandwich, layered with zesty cranberry sauce, roasted peppered turkey breast and some shaved Brussels sprouts with bacon. Served with pan juices on the side. No fancy gravy needed.
Ingredients:
Leftover…
Turkey, cranberry sauce, shaved brussels with bacon and sweet potatoes. (If you don’t have leftover Brussels, grab a pre-prepped bag from the grocery store and whip them up quick. Not only easy, but a great addition to the sandwich.)
To make the BUNS…
Mix 2 cups mashed or grated sweet potatoes with one egg. Season to taste. Now..to make easy work of it, you could use a waffle iron and make sweet potato waffles..which are delicious all in their self..or pan fry hand shaped patties in a little evoo over medium heat in a skillet.
From there, assemble your sandwich with your sweet potato “bun” base, Turkey, cranberry sauce and garnish with shaved Brussels. Delish!
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Amber seeks to empower women and young girls in strength and to inspire them to not be afraid to step into the gym. Amber finds great joy in helping clients move, perform, look, and feel better! She believes that your training at the gym should transfer over into making your everyday life better as a whole, both physically and mentally.