So much food you can’t even move…that’s how most of us feel after indulging in the gluttony that is Thanksgiving. And after you’ve finish stuffing yourself with stuffing, you then realize that there are still pounds of food left on the dinner table, now what?

You’re probably think that you’ll be full for days and that there’s no possible way you’ll be able to plow through all of those leftovers (even after sending each member of your extended family home with plates mounded with mashed potatoes, turkey and all of the fixin’s).

Well, we’ve done some googling to find out how many days you actually have to finish off all of that food; and, we’ve asked one of our acclaimed Chefs, Karen Lee, what’s the best way to turn it all into something tasty?

First things first – how long do you have to eat all of those delicious delights? According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) you should follow the following guidelines when it comes to Thanksgiving leftovers:

• Refrigerated cooked turkey should be eaten within three to four days.
• Stuffing and gravy should be eaten within one to two days.
• Casseroles and cooked vegetables should be eaten within three to four days.
• Fruit and cream pies should be eaten within two to three days.

Regardless of how many days have passed, when in doubt — throw it out.

After you’ve found the strength to peel yourself off the couch and tackle the table, here are a few guidelines for making sure those left overs are safe to keep:

Properly Cool Leftovers – As we all know, improper cooling practices can cause food borne illness. Leftover turkey, stuffing, etc., must be refrigerated within two hours. But, be sure not to pack the fridge with leftovers so tightly that the cool air can’t do its job. According to Peter DeLucia, the Assistant Commissioner of Health of the Bureau of Public Health Protection, the rule of thumb is to avoid filling containers with food deeper than 4″ and stacking multiple containers upon each other. Once the food is cooled to under 45°F it‘s safe to stack away!

Now that you know how to keep your turkey tasty after Thursday, it’s time to tell you how to make more meals. The recipe below, created by Chef Lee, is for Turkey Fried Rice. Yum!

According to Karen, the secret to cooking fried rice is to use cold leftover rice. She prefers to use whole grain brown rice for this dish and if you aren’t sure of the best way to prepare it – she’s got a recipe for that too.

While you don’t have to have all of the ingredients listed below to make a meal, the Chef recommends having at least the the spice mix, the rice, turkey, turkey skin and a few vegetables (onion, pepper, carrot will suffice). She says that sometimes she’ll add corn to the mixture of vegetables. (If adding corn, steam or boil for 4 minutes then shave off the kernels after steaming.) She also likes to mix 2 or 3 different kinds of brown rice but states that just one is good enough too. And, If you prefer you can use white rice.