Turkey is good for more than naps!

“Because most cuts of turkey provide valuable amounts of protein, turkey is often regarded as a high-protein food. Skinned turkey breast will provide the most protein per serving, at 34 grams in 4 ounces. But you will still get 31 grams from 4 ounces of turkey leg and 21 grams from 4 ounces of turkey thigh.

In addition to protein, however, turkey is also rich in other nutrients. All B vitamins are present in turkey meat, including B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folate, biotin, and choline. (Because the biotin content of turkey meat is sensitive to the turkey's dietary intake, the amount of this vitamin can vary greatly, with an approximate average of 0.8 micrograms in 4 ounces of turkey breast.) Turkey is excellent for vitamin B3 (niacin) and provides over 13 milligram in 4 ounces, or over 80% of the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI). It's also a very good source of vitamin B6, at 0.92 milligrams in 4 ounces (54% DRI). By providing 22% DRI for choline in 4 ounces, turkey also ranks as a good source of this B vitamin.

In terms of minerals, turkey is richest in selenium and provides over 60% of the DRI in a single 4-ounce serving. Zinc, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and iron are also provided by this food in noteworthy amounts. “

Read more about the benefits of turkey. http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=125#healthbenefits

Thanksgiving leftovers--returning the containers

As I contemplate a counter full of odd shaped and homeless containers with lids sitting on my kitchen counter, I think about two things. 1) How long before I get them back to their own homes, and 2) What did women do about leftovers in the 1940s and 1950s, before the ubiquitous plastic container with a matching lid and plastic-wrap were invented? (I'm old--the first time I saw Saran Wrap was about 1953. I thought it was amazing because it would stick to the dish.) And I'm sure my mother didn't use Reynoldswrap when I was a child.

I think the reason I don't know the answer to #2 is when I was young, we ate holiday dinners at home and because there were six of us, people came to our house. Then later we would sometimes go to grandparents or aunts' homes of the other side of the family and eat some more. No one brought food back to my parents' home that I can remember because we already had a turkey carcass. And no one would dare compete with my mother's pies.

Also, when I started my family, we always went to Indianapolis or Illinois when the children were young, and by the time they were grown and returned occasionally to eat at our house (not very often, I guess they don't like my cooking), the plastic container for purchased food and plastic wrap had been invented. I think the so-called disposable containers came a little later.

Don't send me scare stories about storing or reheating food in plastic. There are all sorts of advice columns on that on the internet, and if I've made it this far by ingesting a few chemicals, I probably can go a few more years. But if you remember taking home leftovers in the "good old days" tell me how our mothers and grandmothers did it.

What are you doing with the turkey leftovers?

There was a box of Kraft Stove Top stuffing mix for Turkey in the pantry and a package of leftover turkey from Thanksgiving in the freezer. So I looked at the recipes on the box and decided to go with Turkey & Stuffing Skillet, only I'm going to bake it.

1 pkg of stuffing mix
1 1/2 cups hot water
3 cups chopped turkey
1 jar turkey gravy
1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables (I used green beans, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms)

Add hot water to stuffing mix; set aside.
Cook turkey, gravy and vegetables
Top with the stuffing mix.

Put in the oven at 350 around 5 p.m. for 30 minutes, and sit down to watch Glenn Beck. Serve with fresh strawberries and blueberries for dessert.