Not Your Average Thanksgiving Leftover Doggie Bags
Despite all of the work that goes into hosting a holiday, perhaps the biggest perk is having all of those leftovers in your fridge! However, there are only so many leftovers one can eat (right?!), and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, it is always a nice gesture to send guests home with a doggie bag so they can at least have a yummy lunch for the next day.
Now I tend to use glass food storage containers when packing our lunches for work, so I have a pretty skimpy plastic food storage collection. With that being said, I think it is important to plan ahead when you are hosting and consider grabbing some food storage containers that you are willing to part with. In today's post I am offering a few different suggestions that I think are practical in sending your guests home with leftovers, as well as a festive (and a little bit more special) way than just some plastic boxes in a plastic grocery bag.
Option 1: Mason Jar Leftovers
What inspired me for the mason jar leftovers was seeing those different soup and cookie mixes in mason jars, which are now for sale all over the place for the holidays. You can buy a case of mason jars pretty inexpensively at stores like Wal-mart, Target, and the craft stores. Mason jars have been quite the craze for a while now, and chances are you may have extra laying around. This is definitely a great opportunity to pass them along. Have your guests layer up whatever leftovers they would like in the mason jar and they are good to go! In addition to their leftovers, I made little mini pumpkin caramel trifles in mini mason jars for a take home treat. You can get the recipe for those HERE, they are super easy and delicious. Pack up the dessert, the leftovers, throw in an extra dinner roll and your loved ones will be VERY thankful!
I also decided to use paper bags ( I bought a pack of them at Michael's) which I decorated using some rubber stamps. I feel that the paper bags look nicer than just using plastic and are sturdier to transport.
Option 2:
A less expensive option, and equally adorable, is to use those tin foil take out containers. You can find them at restaurants supply stores and some places like Wal-mart or maybe even the dollar store may carry them. These are a great option if people don't want all of their food kind of blending together (like they clearly would using the mason jars). Also, they serve as a fun little craft project!
I suggest putting the covers out on a table with crayons, markers, stickers, etc and have the kids decorate the covers! You could even make the activity more structured and have the kids write a few things they are thankful for on them! This would certainly be a sweet and charming thing to look at as your guests enjoy their leftovers the next day.
Option 3:
If you are someone who knows that they are going to host, I suggest trying to plan ahead and save those take out food containers! If you get those good ones (you know the plastic ones) save them up and have them ready for the holidays. I must say that we are going to my Aunt's house for Thanksgiving and she ALWAYS has a mountain of them spewing out of her cabinets! Not saying you need to keep that many, but it's always nice to be prepared!
Option 4:
My friend Heather told me that she always reminds her Thanksgiving guests to bring their own food storage containers. Also a great option! If I were hosting I would likely send out a reminder text, because honestly I know I would be that person who would forget to bring them!
Whichever doggie bag packing method you use, one can be sure that your guests will truly appreciate the yummy goodies.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!
xo,
Nicole
