Tomorrow is the day that the Thanksgiving turkey comes out of the oven and onto the dinner table. We’ll enjoy family and friends while we eat and eat some more.
People tend to associate Thanksgiving dinner with sinful excess and guilty holiday weight gain.
Yes, it’s easy to blame Grandma’s homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes with loads of butter and gravy, and pumpkin pie for that, but leave the sexy turkey out of it!
After all, turkey is packed with lean protein that simultaneously elevates metabolism and promotes fat burning and lean muscle growth. It is also a lean protein, meaning there is very little fat in it, as long as you remove the skin.
Everyone knows that protein is the sole macronutrient responsible for building and repairing your body’s tissue stores (fat and carbs simply provide energy).
More specifically, regular protein intake is vital in accelerating the repair of muscle damage from high-intensity activities like strength training and cardio interval training. In addition, adequate protein intake every two to four hours is essential in maintaining your current levels of lean muscle mass. This is important because the more muscle you have, the larger your metabolic engine, thus the more calories (and fat) you burn on a daily basis since muscle tissue requires lots of energy to sustain itself.
Bigger muscles burn more calories!
Protein is also the least likely macronutrient to be stored as body fat and the mere act of digesting protein requires more than double the energy to digest than carbohydrate and dietary fat. So, if there is any food choice that you can truly get away with overeating this holiday season, it will be turkey.
Another key benefit to eating turkey is that it is easy to prepare in bulk and thus will save you much needed time in meal planning and preparation during the busy holiday season. You can roast a big old turkey and then have tons of meal options for days. Just think of what you can do with all those Thanksgiving leftovers!
To inspire your turkey consumption efforts I have put together some awesome “lean body” recipes that you can create with turkey as your lean protein foundation. Enjoy!
Turkey Salad
Ingredients:
- 6-8 oz. Turkey Breast chopped into small cubes
- 1⁄4 red bell pepper
- 1⁄4 green bell pepper
- 1⁄4 red onion
- 2 Tbsp canola or olive oil mayo
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and enjoy over a bed of greens.
Makes one male serving and two female servings.
Turkey Cranberry Cream Cheese Roll-up
Ingredients:
- 6-8 oz. Sliced Turkey
- 1 Tbsp Fat Free Cream Cheese
- 1 Tbsp Dried Cranberries 1⁄2 Clove of Roasted Garlic Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 Whole Grain Tortillas
Directions:
Soak cranberries in water for 20 minutes or microwave until soft if you are short on time. Mash the 1⁄2 clove of garlic. Mix cranberries, garlic, and cream cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread the mixture into the inside of the tortilla(s). Add turkey breast. Fold up sides, roll up, and enjoy!
Makes one male serving and two female servings.
Turkey Medallions With Cranberry Glaze
Turkey Medallions:
- 6-8 oz. Turkey
- Non-stick spray Turkey Seasoning
Cut Turkey Breasts into small medallions, sprinkle lightly with seasoning. Reheat in a pan sprayed with non-stick oil on medium heat until lightly browned on both sides. Drip Cranberry glaze (below) over the medallions.
Cranberry Glaze:
- 1 Cups Dry white wine
- Turkey or chicken stock, as needed
- 1 1⁄2 Cups Dried cranberries
- 1⁄4 Cup of Pine nuts, toasted
- Pinch of Salt
Add 1⁄2 cup of white wine and 1⁄2 cup of turkey stock to pan. Add other 1⁄2 cup of turkey stock, cranberries, pine nuts and pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until reduced in volume by half, about 4 cups.
Makes one male serving and two female servings.
Turkey Shepherds Pie
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cubed cooked turkey
- 3⁄4 cup turkey gravy
- 1 small can whole kernel corn
- drained 1 cup of chicken stock
- 1 cup of water
- 3 cups steamed cauliflower
- 2 cups celery, chopped 2 carrots
- chopped 1 onion chopped 2 cloves garlic
- minced 1 bell pepper, any color
- chopped Salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. First you must make the gravy. Take the garlic, 1 cup of celery, carrots, onion, bell pepper, chicken stock, water, vegetables, salt and pepper to taste. Add to a pot, boil until vegetables are soft and blend in a blender or food processor.
Next, you will take the steamed cauliflower and mash it, or place it in a food processor until the consistency is like that of mashed potatoes.
Next, in a baking dish, layer the turkey, gravy, corn, remaining celery and mashed cauliflower. Bake, uncovered at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
Makes 2 male servings and one female serving.
Turkey Florentine
Ingredients:
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
- 2 tablespoons smart butter
- 1 cup cooked whole grain fettuccine
- 2 cups diced, cooked turkey
- 1 cup turkey or chicken stock 1
- (8 ounce) package fat free sour cream and onion dip
- 1⁄2 teaspoon onion salt
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Non-stick cooking spray
Directions:
Cook spinach according to package directions; drain. Stir in smart butter. Place noodles in a non-stick sprayed baking dish; top with spinach. Combine turkey, stock, onion dip and onion salt and spoon over spinach. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes or until bubbly.
Turkey Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
- 1 bag of frozen green beans
- 6-8 oz. of cubed cooked turkey breast
- 1 can of organic cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups Kraft all natural fat free cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients into a casserole dish and bake for about 30 minutes or until completely hot. Makes one male serving and two female servings.
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