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9 paleo diet primal ideas left over turkey christmas recipe suggestions thanksgiving

9 paleo ideas for left-over turkey

If you went a bit over the top with turkey, what are you planning to do with the left-overs?

If you’ve not yet served up the original turkey, make sure you get the leftovers in the fridge within an hour or two of serving. I separate it into bones, white meat, dark meat and freeze any left-over gravy straight away.

Stock

The first thing to make is a nice rich stock with the leftover skin, bones and carcass. If you kept the vegetable peelings, throw these in too. Any stock you’re not going to use can be frozen in small batches and will be ready for use in lots of recipes.

Freeze it

I always freeze some too. Just make sure you carve it full first and freeze it in individual small portions, to keep your options open.

9 paleo diet primal ideas left over turkey christmas recipe suggestions thanksgiving

Curry

Curry is a great option for turkey. Depending on the spices you use, you can completely transform it. Here is some paleo curry inspiration.

Slow cooker

Your crockpot is perfect for turkey. A low slow heat should make sure it stays moist and tasty. Throw in some veg and have a hot casserole dinner ready for you in the evening.

Salad

Another easy option is a turkey salad for lunch. How about using left-over cranberry sauce as the dressing too?

Soup

Turkey is great for a soup now and especially to batch freeze for later. Try adding in lime and chili for a bit of a kick.

Turkey roll-ups

Instead of bread, how about using nori wraps to make up a perfect turkey lunch option.

Turkey chili

Add some turkey into your favourite chili recipe

Refilled sweet potatoes

These Refilled Sweet Potatoes with Turkey, Mango and Lime make a perfect comfort meal

How do you use your left-overs? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments, below!

Happy Thanksgiving paleo recipes turkey healthy

Happy Thanksgiving

With a lot of my readers being American, I couldn’t ignore the fact that today is Thanksgiving in the USA. So if you’re American – Happy Thanksgiving – and if not – how about having your own international Thanksgiving day? It’s often quite hard to get hold of Turkey where I live in Australia, but I find it a little easier to obtain at this time of year, thanks to the American Expats who live here!

If you are celebrating Thanksgiving, how can you accommodate your guests while still keeping it Paleo? Fortunately there are several options out there that will be great for everyone, using a few substitutions to the traditional Thanksgiving menu.
Happy Thanksgiving paleo recipes turkey healthy

Substitution Ideas For Traditional (Non Paleo!) Thanksgiving Recipes:

  • Substituting bread crumbs. A lot of recipes will ask for bread crumbs when you are cooking. A good alternative to bread crumbs is crushed up pork crackling/ pork rinds. Just crush them to the same consistency as you would bread crumbs – or alternatively try ground nuts.
  • Instead of sugar, if you can, try to omit entirely. If you can’t, try a more natural sweetener, like raw honey.
  • Substitute starch with spaghetti squash, butternut squash, or acorn squash.
  • If you are planning on making a salad use a natural dressing like olive oil and lemon or lime.
  • If you’re making a dessert, a recipe may call for whipped cream. An alternative to whipped cream is chilled coconut milk – both healthy and delicious.
  • Instead of making a traditional desert, keep it simple with berries in coconut milk.

Cooking for a group of family and friends is a great chance to show case your Paleo diet – and show that eating healthy food does not sacrifice amazing tasting food.

Thanksgiving is a time to share thanks for the blessings in your life – a worth while thing to do if you’re American or not. Are you celebrating Thanksgiving this year?

Happy Thanksgiving!

The paleo guide to Christmas dinner lunch meal plan recipe diet-min

The Paleo Guide To Christmas Dinner

So on the face of it you might be thinking Paleo and Christmas don’t go together. Perhaps you need to have a week or two “off” your Paleo diet until the festivities are over? Not so fast! Your Christmas Dinner might just be a lot more Paleo than you realised!

Turkey

Turkey is a fantastic Paleo meat! Make sure your turkey is from a good source and fully pastured (you might need to order this in advance to ensure you get a good one!) and you’ll have a great high protein, low carb meat to base your lunch around.

The paleo guide to Christmas dinner lunch meal plan recipe diet-min

Gravy

Use the meat juices to make a beautifully Paleo gravy. Once you’ve made a proper gravy, you’ll wonder how you used to eat instant gravy mixes!

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce and turkey is an amazing combination – and of course cranberries are Paleo – just make your own sauce instead of buying a sugar laden version, perfect for Christmas dinner

Paleo Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 750ml (3 cups) of cranberries
  • Juice of two oranges
  • 1 tsp orange zest, finely grated
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Paleo Cranberry Sauce How To:

Boil the orange juice and add the cranberries. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 – 10 minutes until the berries have all burst and released their flavour. Remove from the heat and add the cinnamon and zest. Stir and allow to cool before refrigerating. Will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Potatoes

Potatoes are off the menu – but all is not lost! Just replace them with sweet potatoes which are perhaps even more delicious.

Brussels Sprouts

Sprouts are a perfect green, so pile them up high! If you’re not so keen on the taste try cooking them up with a bit of ginger for a great taste.

Christmas Pudding

Traditional Christmas puddings are often very wheat and sugar based – but who says you have to be traditional? How about chocolate avocado mousse for afters?

What is on your Christmas dinner menu , I’d love to hear in the comments below? Are you making some changes and keeping it Paleo?