Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe! Pumpkin Turkey Chili!

Do something fun with your leftovers this year! I absolutely love the girls at Tone It Up!! Check out their recipe idea =)

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

It's Thursday night and there's a bunch of leftovers on the table. You could throw them away or you could do what you do every year, save them for the weekend to make turkey sandwiches or turkey soup.

Instead of throwing them away (did we get you...?) or saving them for the typical sandwich or soup, how about turning those leftovers into some pumpkin turkey chili? ;)

You'll be getting plenty of Vitamin A (pumpkin), protein (turkey), and antixodants (chili) from this recipe! And it will fill eight bellies.

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 3/4 chopped green bell pepper
• 3/4 chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1 1/2 cans, 6 oz chopped green chiles
• 1 1/2 large minced garlic clove
• 1 1/2 lbs leftover chopped turkey
• 1 1/2 cans, 10-11 oz diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cans, 10-11 oz red kidney beans
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 2 1/4 tbsp chili powder
• 3/4 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Couple of shakes of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3/4 cup greek yogurt
• 2 tsp of cinnamon

Directions

First, heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Next, saute the onion, peppers, green chiles, and garlic until tender (roughly 10 minutes). Make room on the pan and add leftover turkey (roughly 5 minutes). Stir in tomatoes, beans, and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, cumin, sea salt, and pepper. Lastly, put on low heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Mix in fresh cilantro and stir in with plain greek yogurt and cinnamon to serve. Voila, you're pumpkin turkey chili is ready for eight.

Thanksgiving Day Dinner for under 500 Calories!

Have to share this feast from Spark People! 

Thanksgiving is a time for family, gratitude, and, of course, food. The typical holiday meal can have more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat, according to the Caloric Control Council. That's almost three days worth of food for most of us! Butter, cream and white bread seem to be lurking in almost every dish, and the meal never seems to end. 

For those of us who are trying lead healthier lifestyles, moderation and healthy eating are just as important on Thanksgiving. Fortunately, it is possible to eat right and still enjoy yourself on Turkey Day! 

To help, I created brand new SparkRecipes for a three-course Thanksgiving meal that clock in around 500 calories! (Dessert, not included in that number, will add 150 calories or fewer, if you have room for it.) 

Use the chart below to compare my Thanksgiving feast with a traditional meal. The more recipes you use from this list, the more calories you'll save--without sacrificing taste or tradition! 

SparkRecipes Feast	Calories	Fat	Traditional Meal	Calories	Fat
Herb Roasted Turkey, 3 oz light meat	140	3 g	Turkey, 3 oz light meat	140	3 g
Apple Cider Gravy, 2 T	20	0 g	Gravy, 2 T	50	2 g
Vegetable and Fruit Stuffing, 1/2 c	78	1 g	Stuffing, 1/2 c	180	9 g
Roasted Root Vegetables, 1/2 c	82	2 g	Mashed potatoes, 1/2 c	220	8 g
Cranberry Relish, 2 T	42	0 g	Cranberry jelly, 2 T	55	0 g
Steamed green beans (or another green vegetable), 1/2 c	15	0 g	Green bean casserole, 1/2 c	120	8 g
Roasted Squash Soup, 1 c	128	3 g	Cream-based soup, 1 c	250	18 g
Total:	505	9 g	Total:	1,015	48 g

This SparkPeople meal has 510 fewer calories and 39 fewer grams of fat than a traditional feast! You'll find all the recipes to make it below! These recipes include a veggie-rich soup to start your meal off right, the juiciest turkey you'll ever taste, several sides, two desserts, plus a cranberry relish that will leave the store-bought jelly quivering in its can.

BONUS! Click here to download and print a colorful recipe book that includes all of these recipes! (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download this pdf document.)

	Chef Meg's Roasted Squash Soup Studies have shown that starting a meal with a broth-based soup can fill you up, so you eat fewer calories over the course of a meal. This soup gets a boost of flavor from cilantro pesto, but there's very little fat in this version. TIP:Roast the squash ahead of time and freeze it. Your oven will be full on Thanksgiving, and this will save you some valuable time.
	Chef Meg's Herb Roasted Turkey When the fat from the turkey melts during cooking, it falls to the bottom of the roasting pan. When that happens, the bottom quarter of the bird does not roast--it braises in its own juices. To prevent this from happening, try using a V-rack in your roasting pan for perfect results!
	Chef Meg's Apple Cider Gravy Traditional gravy gets a bad rap, but this tasty sauce can be made with almost no fat. The trick is to skim the fat from your pan juices (either put it in the fridge or use cheesecloth to soak up the fat). Depending on their size, turkeys will yield varying amounts of juices. From a 12-pound roasted turkey, you can expect about 1/2 cup defatted jus (juice).
	Chef Meg's Cranberry Relish Toss the canned cranberry jelly and use this homemadeversion instead. It's ready in no time, has less sugar than the store-bought stuff, and is full of healthy fruit! While you might question why this recipe needs the amount of sugar it contains, you'll understand as soon as you taste fresh cranberries--they're tart!
	Chef Meg's Vegetable and Fruit Stuffing Whole-wheat bread gives this side staying power. The fruits and vegetables bulk up the dish, so a little goes a long way. A bit of turkey bacon adds another layer of flavor without adding many calories.
	Chef Meg's Roasted Root Vegetables This recipe sings of the fall and early winter harvest. Take advantage of your local farmers market and buy whatever root vegetables they have. This side dish is quite affordable, too: about 60 cents per serving!
	1/2 cup steamed green vegetables of your choice  The calories are low, the fat is nonexistent, and adding a vegetable to your plate will help prevent you from filling up on empty calories. Try broccoli, spinach, green beans, or any other non-starchy vegetable.

But wait. We couldn't forget dessert!
A slice of pie can contain between 240 and 400 calories and at least 10 grams of fat. But for just 150 calories or so, you can have two of these bite-size tarts. These portion-controlled pies are the perfect end to a your Thanksgiving feast. 

	Chef Meg's Sweet Potato Tarts Try these light and low-fat personal pies for dessert during the fall. They're a great substitute for pumpkin pie or sweet potato casserole. NOTE: To boost the fiber, you can look for whole-wheat phyllo dough, which is available at natural foods stores or in the health food section of many grocery freezers.
	Chef Meg's Mini Apple Tarts Instead of a whole pie, try making bite-size tarts! These diminutive desserts cook quicker and are automatically portion controlled. Plus, they're easier to make for a crowd, and there's no need for a fork and plate. This recipe only costs about $3.50 to make--but you save money by buying sheets of phyllo dough and making your own tart shells (see directions for more information).
	Chef Meg's Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix There's no need to buy pumpkin pie spice. You can easily make your own at home. And it makes a great hostess gift for any fall event! Feel free to double or triple this recipe!

There you have it. A full Thanksgiving meal that's trim--but not missing any of the trimmings. Armed with these healthy recipes, no one has to fear Thanksgiving dinner--except for maybe the turkey!

Click here to download and print a colorful recipe book that includes all of these recipes! (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download this pdf document.) You can also click the "SHARE" button at the top or bottom of this article to send these recipes to your friends!

Pomegranate-Glazed Stuffed Roast Turkey

Clean Eating Magazine never disappoints! I'm trying to figure out some good Thanksgiving recipes now before I'm at the store in a panic lol PS Where did November come from?? this year literally FLEW by!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• Zest 1 lemon
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 14- to 16-lb turkey, defrosted and brought to room temperature
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 recipe Mushroom & Leek Stuffing, at room temperature

POMEGRANATE GLAZE

• 1 1/2 cups 100% pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup no-sugar-added strawberry jam
• 2 tbsp honey 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 325 F. In a small bowl, stir together rosemary, lemon zest, pepper and salt. Set aside.
2. Prep turkey, following the Step-By-Step Turkey Prep Guide.
3. Transfer turkey to oven and roast for a total time of 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours. While turkey roasts, make Pomegranate Glaze. After 2 hours of cooking, loosely cover turkey with foil to prevent over-browning. When turkey is 20 to 30 minutes from being done (meat temperature registers about 160 F), uncover and baste with half of Pomegranate Glaze. The turkey is done when juices run clear and a meat thermometer registers 180 F when inserted into the deepest part of the thigh and 165 F when inserted into the center of stuffing in the body cavity.
4. Remove turkey from oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup broth to remaining Pomegranate Glaze and reheat on low until hot but not bubbling. Spoon stuffing out of neck and body cavity and transfer to a serving bowl. Remove turkey skin and carve. Drizzle each serving with 2 tsp Pomegranate Glaze and serve.

POMEGRANATE GLAZE

1. In a small saucepan, combine pomegranate juice, 1/2 cup broth, jam and honey. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture reduces by half, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes to allow glaze to thicken.

Nutrients per serving (4 oz skinless white meat, 1/2 cup stuffing, 2 tsp glaze): Calories: 320, Total Fat: 4 g, Sat. Fat: 2 g, Carbs: 36 g, Fiber: 5 g, Sugars: 10 g, Protein: 25 g, Sodium: 530 mg, Cholesterol: 60 mg.

Timesaving tip:

Complete the Step-By-Step Turkey Prep Guide through Step Six up to 1 day ahead of your Thanksgiving dinner.  Cover and refrigerate turkey. Stuff turkey just before roasting to prevent bacteria growth.