{RECIPE} 10 Ideas for Tasty Turkey Leftovers

After Turkey Day, we always seem to have leftovers. LOTS of leftovers. Are you the same? Check out these 10 Turkey Leftover Recipes if so!

Thanksgiving Leftover Salad via The Craving Chronicles

Turkey Sandwich with Cranberry Sauce via Closet Cooking

Turkey Pot Pie via Bonnie Stern / National Post

Turkey and Guacamole Quesadillas via Karyn's Kitchen

Turkey Tettrazini via My Recipes

Turkey Cobb Salad via Martha Stewart

Crock Pot Taco Chili via Redsie

Turkey Minestrone Soup via Paula Deen

Turkey Pizza via Better Recipes

Chicken and Cheese Lasagna Roll-Ups via iVillage

YUM!!!
xx Well to Do

For additional recipes, click here!

{GUEST POST} Make Healthy Living a Lifestyle

As a Health Promotion professional, I work to practice what I preach and for the most part, I succeed.  In my opinion, the best part of health promotion is that being healthy does not have to be complicated, expensive or time consuming.  For most of us, all it takes a long-term commitment to lifestyle changes that can be sustained for life.  Although everyone is different in their definition of what it takes to be healthy, these are a few of my favorite tips for optimizing health for anyone working to make the long-term commitment to healthy living.  

• Exercise is the best medicine.  Squeeze in physical activity wherever you can.  Schedule walking meetings at work, stretch during the day and don’t forget strength training.  Shoot to increase your heart rate for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.  

• Eat healthy foods and in moderation.  With all of the fad diets that bombard us in the media, I always ask, “Is it sustainable?” and often the answer is no.  Fill your plate with fruits and vegetables, lean protein and whole grains.  Stick to this for most meals and healthy snacks in between and the occasional treat or splurge is okay. Another tip is to use smaller plates for your meals.  Research has shown that a 10 inch plate is the best size to use to keep portions in check.

• Banish Bedroom Distractions. Remember, the Bedroom is for two things: Sleep and sex.  Strive for 7-8 hours each night and rid your bedroom of all distractions including pets, children and electronics — yes, this means your phone.   With adequate sleep, you’ll be well prepared for everything life throws your way. 

• Give yourself a break.  This has two meanings. Be sure to take time to do something that you find fun or relaxing and get that moment of silence to refresh.  Second, if you get busy and forget to exercise or eat healthy, cut yourself some slack and then make a conscious effort to get back on track.  

With the New Year approaching, there is no better time than now to look at your lifestyle and find small changes that you can make that will help you towards your long-term goals.  If a change feels too drastic or like something you can’t stick with, it may not be right for you.  Just remember that healthy living is a work in progress that you will want to sustain for life, so keep up the great work and don’t give up!

Willow Sherwood, MS is the Executive Director of the Wellness Council of Maine, a non-profit organization that helps businesses to build workplace wellness programs.  To learn more about the Wellness Council of Maine visit them at www.wellnesscouncilofmaine.org or follow on Facebook or Twitter @WellnessMaine.  

Willow and the Wellness Council of Maine are generously offering TWO Eat Right for Life cookbooks as a Well to Do giveaway. Two cookbooks means two winners!

For entry: Simply leave a comment here on the blog! The contest is open {today} Wednesday, November 16th through Monday, November 28th. Two lucky winners will be selected via random.org. Good luck!


xx Well to Do

{RECIPE} Weeknight Pasta

Since my husband works in the restaurant industry he is away most nights. And most days. Which means the kids and I have candlelit dinners consisting of a toddler's palate. After one too many star-shaped sandwiches, I recently decided I should start making myself something a little more "advanced." 

My friend Kate told me about a great website called Find Your Glow where I found a recipe for "Weeknight Pasta" and gave it a try. It was a cinch to make and tasted delicious! A perfect go-to pasta for sure. Here are the ingredients:

Ingredients

1 ½ cups pasta

2 slices bacon, chopped

½ onion or shallot, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped

10 cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 bunch kale, beet greens, escarole or swiss chard

Sea salt, pepper and/or red pepper flakes

Grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

I took two photos of the ingredients cooking, but unfortunately didn't snap a finished product pic because, well, motherhood called.

Doesn't it look T A S T Y? Be sure to visit Find Your Glow for step-by-step directions!

xx Well-to-Do

{31 Days of Going Green} Day 10: Fall Detox {FOOD}

A big welcome to our friend and wellness mentor: Kate Nicholson. She's here this week sharing a simple FALL DETOX plan. Hope you'll follow along! Click HERE for Day 1.
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FOOD {or lack of} is what usually comes to mind when mentioning the term “detox."  

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If you’ve been to a farmers’ market lately then you cannot help but be in awe of the beautiful abundance this time of year! As a nature-lovin’ nutritionist, a fall farmers’ market is almost more exciting than Christmas morning to me {I know, I’m a dork}.  

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Even though my body is craving balance and simplicity there is nothing in me that wants to miss out on all this amazing food in order to juice for five days straight!  My idea of a fall detox is more about nourishing than eliminating.  

However, if your idea of fall involves downing daily pumpkin lattes then I certainly recommend a little restraint.  In general, just take a break from processed, high-sugar foods and drinks and stay as whole, or close to the source, as possible when choosing food.  

To curb that sweet tooth and aid your body’s detoxification try focusing on these foods this week and see how you feel.

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APPLES

Apples are everywhere right now so trust that nature intended for you to eat a lot of them this time of year! They naturally cool late summer’s excessive heat in the body which can cause dry skin, rashes, allergies, constipation, gas and bloating (not fun!)

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WATERMELON

Watermelon is another cooling food that also hydrates like crazy. Its diuretic properties help to eliminate excess toxins that accumulated over summer.

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POMEGRANATE

Pomegranates are fun little fruits that balance both blood and lymph and are full of anti-oxidants.  All of these features will help keep your immune system strong and the sniffles at bay. 

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ROOT VEGGIES

Sweet potatoes, turnips and carrots all grow down into the ground and therefore when consumed they tend to stir the same grounding energy into our bodies. Get your mind focused and your body grounded with naturally sweet fall veggies.

Check back in tomorrow for Day 3 of Kate's FALL DETOX.
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Kate Nicholson is a mom to a 3-year old fairy princess, massage therapist, yoga teacher and holistic nutrition counselor. When she’s not sneaking kale into her daughter’s smoothies or jogging with crazy black lab she is usually found coaching other young moms into getting their body, their life and their mojo back!  Kate is available for coaching and consultation by phone or Skype.  www.KateNicholsonWellness.com  
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Craving more green goodness? Then look no further than the rest of WelltoDo's {31 Days of Going Green} series!

Looking for some simple artwork? Want to decorate for fall/Halloween, but don't have a lot of time? Go see Creative Kristi — she has everything you'll need to accessorize your mantelpiece, wall or gifts for free!

Wait, there's more? Yes, 600+ additional themes here!

A HEALTHY BITE

Packing a school lunch sounds simple, but it's not. Moms and dads are supposed to come up with something that's homemade, flashy and cold, yet nutritious. On top of that, it should be tasty enough to be scarfed down by a small, picky child in 10 minutes tops. Getting kids to eat what's good for them is not always an easy task. Impossible at times. Which is why we called our friend Samantha Saffir Barnes, culinary coach and owner of LA-based Kitchen Kid, for help with the picky eater conundrum and some lunch packing inspiration.

Samantha shared these tips for getting kids more involved in the kitchen and more interested in trying new foods:

• Encourage children to taste throughout the cooking process, introducing them to new textures and ingredients in small quantities along the way. It's okay if the ingredients are eaten before the recipe is complete!

• For pickier eaters, give them lots of healthy options, and empower them to make the choices. For example, I pour warm minestrone broth into a bowl and let the kids choose how to finish their soup. On the counter I’ll place heaping bowls of corn, kidney beans, alphabet pasta or orzo, shredded carrots, spinach leaves, green peas, tofu cubes, and Parmesan cheese.

• Sometimes I meet a child terrified of new foods, especially those that are green. Instead of sneaking them in, try giving them an alias. One of the children I cook with is an 8-year-old self-proclaimed zucchini-hater. However, she loves it when we grill “frigaloni” (a special Italian vegetable with an uncanny resemblance to the familiar green squash).

Samantha further suggested thinking outside the (sandwich) box when packing your child's school lunch. Pasta salad is a veggie-packed recipe that's a perfect lunch alternative to sandwiches.

"Allowing kids to customize what goes into their pasta gives them ownership over the recipe, and empowers them to make healthy decisions about what they are eating at home and packing for lunch," said Samantha.

With a pasta salad making activity, kids have the opportunity to prepare fresh veggies (for example: cucumbers, red peppers, olives, carrots, tomatoes, broccoli) and herbs by ‘cutting’ them with child-safe craft scissors and plastic picnic knives. Mixing the veggies with a noodle of their choice, (udon, penne, stars or even grain, like couscous or quinoa), they then get to stir in a favorite dressing.

Activities and recipes that could transcribe well at home? Sign us up! After all, if there is one thing that can unite families it's food. And a little less pressure on Mom to pack the perfect lunch recipe doesn't hurt, either.

Bon appétit!

xx S+S

Kitchen Kid believes the benefits of encouraging kids to be confident in the kitchen and excited about cooking are endless. For more information and additional recipes please visit kitchenkid.com.

Photo: kitchenkid.com

Sources: Samantha Saffir Barnes, kitchenkid.com