How to Give Your Most Fattening Thanksgiving Leftovers a Healthy Makeover

Forget the parade, the football, the small talk with relatives I see once a year. For me, Thanksgiving is about one thing: the food.

When faced with a table bursting with creamed corn, candied yams, and mashed potatoes, I eat until I can't possibly shovel another spoonful of stuffing or turkey into my mouth. And then I have a slice or two of pie (come on, there's always room for dessert, right?).

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Of course, when I have to slyly unbutton my jeans under the table and pretend to play "doctor" with my little cousins after dinner because it means I can lie down for a few minutes to digest, I make a silent vow to never -- ever -- eat pecan pie again.

And yes, it's a vow I promptly break when I spot half of that pie among the fridge full of leftovers the next day.

Rather than succumb to the usual post-Thanksgiving gorge fest this year, I asked culinary nutritionist Diane Henderiks, RD, for some easy ways to make over my leftovers. And I didn't waste her time getting advice on what to do with the turkey (because after all, turkey is pretty damn healthy as long as you don't drown it in gravy). Instead, I got her to give the most fattening leftovers in my fridge a few healthy upgrades. These are her suggestions I'll be trying this week:

Leftover: Creamed corn
Makeover: Chicken corn soup

Butter, heavy cream, and bacon grease can make anything taste heavenly, and corn is no exception. But since this delicious combo also makes creamed corn a veritable fat bomb, with 11 grams of fat and 225 calories in the average serving, it's the most important leftover for you to make over. Henderiks suggests boiling chicken stock with egg whites, chicken, and roasted potatoes. Then, toss in a scoop or two of creamed corn, which will give the soup texture, she says. Not only are you diluting the amount of fat in the creamed corn by distributing it throughout the soup, but "anything you turn into soup is instantly healthier, because soup has a lot of water," says registered dietician Joy Dubost, PhD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "Research shows that fluids help satiate feelings of hunger."

Leftover: Candied yams
Makeover: Candied yams smoothie

Any vegetable that can be "candied" is always a hit at the holiday dinner table. But, not surprisingly, it's also going to need a healthy upgrade if you plan on plowing through what doesn't get polished off on Thanksgiving day. First off, says Henderiks, scrape off the marshmallow topping. Then toss the following into your blender: a cup of yams; a tablespoon of flaxseed; a cup of low-fat Greek yogurt; a dash of low-fat milk (either skim or one percent); a dash of apple cider; and a handful of your favorite fruits (Henderiks likes concord grapes). Turns out yams are a must-eat superfood as they're bursting with vitamins A, C, calcium and potassium -- a key electrolyte that's required for cellular maintenance. See seven other must-eat superfoods here.

Leftover: Mashed potatoes and gravy
Makeover: Mashed potato pancakes

Leftover mashed potatoes make the perfect batter for the next morning's pancakes. Henderiks says to mix two cups of mashed potatoes with an egg, a handful of spinach, tomatoes, and shredded low-fat feta or cheddar cheese. Mix and form the "dough" into pancakes using your hands, then fry on a griddle for about five minutes on each side. Dubost says spinach is a great add-in since it's one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat. "Spinach is loaded with iron, vitamins B and C, and calcium," she says. "And the cooked tomatoes give you a good dose of lycopene, an antioxidant that helps fend off disease."

Leftover: Green bean casserole
Makeover: Veggie pasta

Fried onions, butter, and cream of mushroom soup do not make for a healthy dish -- even with the addition of green beans. With a calorically high casserole like this one, Henderiks says the best thing to do is "chop it all up." Then, cook whole-wheat pasta, and stir-fry the cooked pasta with some of the chopped up casserole and some olive oil. Toss in some veggies like tomatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms, and sprinkle it with some low-fat mozzarella or Parmesan cheese.

Leftover: Pumpkin pie
Makeover: Pumpkin pie ice cream topping

We thought of one way to make pumpkin pie even better: Add ice cream. How is this a healthy suggestion, you ask? Dubost says we need three servings of dairy a day, as it's an excellent source of calcium, vitamin D, and protein. And yes, ice cream counts as dairy. Just make sure you get double-churned, low-fat ice cream, she says, which whips air into the cream, making it less dense and more fluffy (read: less fattening). Top one scoop of ice cream with a couple tablespoons of pumpkin pie -- sans crust. And of course, the key to making dessert part of a healthy, balanced diet: Watch your portions.

Want to see the rest of the classic Thanksgiving dishes get a healthy makeover? Click here.

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