Thanksgiving Leftovers in the Lunchbox: Five Ideas for the Monday After

Thanksgiving leftovers can go in Monday's lunchbox, but only if they are handled well from Thursday night. Cooked turkey keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge, and Monday, November 30 is day four. So refrigerate everything within 2 hours of dinner, and freeze lunch-sized portions on Friday or Saturday. On Monday morning, either pack them cold with two ice packs or heat them to steaming and pack them in a preheated insulated food jar.

Do that, and the Monday after Thanksgiving is the easiest lunchbox of the year. Here are five combinations kids actually eat, and how to pack each one safely.

Prep time: 10 minutes on Monday morning (plus 10 minutes on Friday or Saturday portioning) Kid-friendly: familiar holiday foods in small portions; easy for most school-age kids Allergens: see each idea; nut-free options flagged for school.

The weekend plan

1. Thursday night: get leftovers into shallow containers and into the fridge within 2 hours of the turkey leaving the oven.
2. Friday or Saturday: pick out lunch portions. Put about ½ cup (70 g) of turkey into small freezer bags or containers, with a spoonful of gravy or broth so it stays moist. Freeze them, and label them with the date.
3. Sunday night: move Monday's portion from the freezer to the fridge to thaw.
4. Monday morning: pack it cold, or heat it to 165°F (74°C) for a hot lunch.

Anything left in the fridge by Monday that was not frozen is at the end of its 3 to 4 days. Use it for Monday's lunch at the latest, and do not save it for Tuesday.

Five Monday-after lunchboxes

1. Turkey and cranberry pinwheels (cold)

• 1 large flour tortilla, 10 inch (25 cm)
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon (20 g) cranberry sauce
• 2 oz (55 g) thinly sliced turkey
• A few baby spinach leaves, optional

Spread the tortilla with cream cheese, then a thin layer of cranberry sauce. Lay the turkey over it, add the spinach, and roll it up tightly. Slice into 6 rounds. Add apple slices and a few cheese cubes on the side.

Allergens: gluten (tortilla), dairy (cream cheese). Use a gluten-free wrap or dairy-free spread to swap. Nut-free.

2. Thanksgiving bowl (hot)

• ½ cup (70 g) turkey, diced
• ½ cup (105 g) mashed potatoes
• ¼ cup (60 ml) gravy
• 2 tablespoons (15 g) peas or corn

Heat it all in a covered dish in the microwave until steaming hot all the way through, stirring once, or until a food thermometer reads 165°F (74°C). Pack it in a preheated insulated food jar. Add a small container of cranberry sauce and some clementine segments on the side.

Allergens: dairy (in most mashed potatoes), gluten (in most gravies). Nut-free.

3. Turkey and cheese cracker stackers (cold)

• 2 oz (55 g) turkey, cut into cracker-size squares
• 1 oz (30 g) cheddar, sliced
• 8 crackers
• Cucumber rounds and grapes, quartered lengthwise for under-4s

Pack the pieces separately so the crackers stay crisp and kids build their own stacks at lunch.

Allergens: dairy, gluten (crackers). Gluten-free crackers work; check crackers for sesame. Nut-free.

4. Sweet potato and turkey "dip box" (cold)

• ½ cup (120 g) leftover mashed sweet potato, cold
• 2 oz (55 g) turkey strips
• Pita triangles, cucumber and pepper strips for dipping

Kids dip the turkey and veg in the sweet potato, which works like a dip when cold. Leave off any marshmallow topping before packing, since it turns sticky.

Allergens: gluten (pita), and dairy if the sweet potatoes were made with butter or milk. For under-4s, steam the pepper strips and cut cucumber into thin half-moons. Nut-free.

5. Turkey noodle soup (hot)

If you made soup from the carcass, Monday is a good day for it. Heat a portion until it boils, pack it in a preheated food jar, and add crackers and a muffin on the side. Our freezer mini banana muffins go straight in from the freezer.

Allergens: gluten and egg (egg noodles). Nut-free.

Packing it safely

Cold lunches: perishable food needs to stay at 40°F (4°C) or below until lunch. The USDA recommends an insulated lunch bag with at least two cold sources, such as two frozen gel packs, or one gel pack and a frozen juice box or water bottle. A frozen portion of turkey also helps keep the rest of the bag cold. Our guide to keeping a packed lunch cold has the full setup.

Hot lunches: fill the insulated food jar with boiling water, put the lid on, and leave it for a few minutes while you heat the food. Empty the jar, add the steaming food and close it tightly. Hot food needs to stay at 140°F (60°C) or above, so do not pack it lukewarm. The step-by-step is in our guide to packing a hot lunch in a food jar.

Do not mix hot and cold in the same container: pack a hot jar and a cold box separately, so neither drifts into the danger zone between 40°F and 140°F (4°C and 60°C).

What to leave out

• Leftovers that sat out for more than 2 hours on Thursday. If you are not sure, leave it out of the lunchbox.
• Anything older than 3 to 4 days in the fridge that was not frozen.
• Pumpkin pie, which needs to stay cold and does not travel well. Pack a pumpkin muffin instead.
• Nuts and pecan-topped dishes, if your child's school is nut-free. Candied pecans on sweet potatoes count.
• Choking hazards for under-4s: whole grapes, cranberries that are not cooked, nuts and chunks of hard raw vegetables. Cut, cook or skip them.