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Getting Creative With Leftovers: Repeat Performance Can Set The Stage For New Favorites

DETROIT (WWJ) - If you enjoy a big spread on Thanksgiving, the repeat performance the day after doesn't have to be more of the same.

We know that one of the best parts of Thanksgiving is the leftovers and WWJ health reporter Dr. Deanna Lites offers a variety of healthy and creative options.

Beaumont dietitian Shannon Szeles says use leftovers to make soup.

"You can always use the leftover carcus from your turkey and throw that into a big pot with water with lots of herbs, some carrots, onions, and celery and make a big broth, and then you can use that to make different kinds of soup," says Szeles.

"For instance," she says, "you can add kale to the broth, some of the leftover turkey and sweet potatoes - and you have a really great hearty, healthy leftover."

Use leftover cranberry sauce as a topping. "Use that on your oatmeal, you could mix it in with yogurt, and have it be ... a yogurt parfait."

Chef Shawn Loving from the culinary program at Schoolcraft college says leftover turkey can become dry. To keep it moist, Loving recommends incorporating leftover vegetables with the turkey in the form of a strudel.

"You can take phillo dough and butter that really good - take your cold turkey along with the same vegetables that would normally be a part of a pot-pie and fold that over and build that as a long log style strudel and would work very, very well as a dinner or lunch item," says Loving.

Executive chef Drew Says from the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham says leftovers can be great for breakfast.

You can use leftover mashed sweet potatoes as a base for pancakes adds Says.

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