The holidays are always a crazy time of year, and it always seems like we are short on time and money. So this week we are keeping meal prep simple and keeping it stress free, especially since we are probably overwhelmed with what we are already going to make for the holiday meals. To save time and money, we used pantry friendly ingredients that we already have on hand. We also incorporated seasonal ingredients that we will be using in our classic thanksgiving meals such as cranberries, pecans, and green beans.
Menu Breakdown
Breakfast Recipe: French Toast Muffins with Strawberries
French toast is such a classic breakfast and easy since you can use things that you already have in your pantry. For this week, we decided to change it up and make it into muffins. After all, who doesn’t love french toast or muffins? With this recipe, we get the best of both worlds in bite-size form. The great thing about this recipe is that you can use any choice of bread, even gluten-free options. All you need is eggs, milk, and your choice of sweetener. If you want to keep this dairy-free, you can also use coconut milk. This is definitely a great recipe for holiday mornings that are quick, delicious, and fun for the whole family. Serve it with your choice of fruit and top it off with pecans or your choice of nuts.
Lunch Recipe: Cranberry Pear Chicken Salad
This recipe is a classic traditional mayo chicken salad with a holiday twist using seasonal ingredients loaded with the best seasonal flavors such as pears, cranberries, and pecans. Chicken salad is a staple in our weekly meal prep because you can easily use it as a salad topper, make a sandwich with it, or have it as a snack with crackers. This is a great light lunch option with seasonal flavors that you can enjoy right before the heavy Thanksgiving meals.
Dinner Recipe: Meatloaf Patties & Roasted Green Beans
While a classic meatloaf is baked in a loaf pan oven, we opted for hamburger patties and baked them flat on a sheet pan which took less time than traditional meatloaf. This method is a huge time saver, but you still get the classic flavors of meatloaf that we enjoy. You can serve these with your choice of sides. This week we kept it simple with roasted green beans. If you have leftovers, you can also enjoy these in-between toasted bread or hamburger buns.
Leftover Suggestions
- If you have leftover cranberries, you can use the rest for cranberry sauce or make a cranberry vinaigrette for salads.
- Since you are already purchasing green beans, go ahead and buy a large batch and prepare the green bean casserole which is a traditional Thanksgiving side dish.
This week can be a bit hectic with cooking, so if you need some ideas for holiday meals, be sure to check out our Easy Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas.
