Meal-Planning Strategies for Thanksgiving
Plant-based eaters are fortunate not to have to worry about cooking a turkey (the turkeys are fortunate as well!). But there’s still too much to do on a single day. I use as many meal-planning tips and tricks as I can to distribute the work out over a week (or longer). This relieves the pressure on the last day and lets me enjoy the holiday more.
I’ve put together the wisdom of my own experience and others’ to provide the countdown below to help you brainstorm your own Thanksgiving schedule.
More than a week ahead of time (preferably at least two weeks ahead)
Plan your menu, collect your recipes, and make your shopping list
4 days or more (up to a month or two!) ahead of time, you can make and freeze these foods: *
Homemade cranberry sauce
Gravy (if you make my oil-free gravy, when you defrost and heat the gravy, you may need to blend it)
Most kinds of soups (except soups with potato chunks)
Many kinds of main dishes (e.g., quinoa cakes)
Yeasted dinner rolls
Pie crust (uncooked in disk form)
Freezer pies (e.g., frozen cheesecake, ice cream pie)
Cookies
Most cakes
* Once you are within a 3-day window of Thanksgiving, there’s no need to freeze; just store in the refrigerator, except for freezer pies!
2-3 days ahead of time
Make any pre-dinner nibbles (e.g., special spiced nuts)
Prep steamed or roasted vegetables – scrub, peel, cube, slice, or dice the vegetables (do not cook them). There may be spices or garnishes you can also prepare early.
Assemble the ingredients for special drinks or cocktails; chill the wine
Make refrigerator pies (e.g., chocolate cream pie)
Make the pudding for any pudding pies (e.g., for coconut cream pie)
Make sweet cashew cream for topping
1 day ahead of time
Prep the green salad or other fresh vegetable salad; clean and dry the ingredients and get the dressing ready
Make or partially make vegetable casseroles (e.g., green beans, sweet potato puree)
Prep the ingredients for bread stuffing/dressing
Make baked pies with flaky crust (e.g., pumpkin, pecan pie, apple pie) **
Set the table, unless you have to use the table in the meantime; get out any special place settings or silver
Get out all the serving bowls and spoons early, write on a scrap of paper what will go in each one, and put the paper in the bowl so you’ll know what goes where at the last minute.
** Some people bake and freeze pies like pumpkin, pecan, and apple. I prefer freshly baked.
The day of Thanksgiving
Finish any desserts
Finish any salads
Finish any entrees, casseroles, bread stuffing, or other hot dishes
Roast or steam vegetables so they are crispy (roasted) or tender (steamed)
Make your mashed or whipped potatoes (some people are fine making them early and heating them up – I prefer fresh, just-made potatoes)
Get a lot of help before dinner to heat things up and get them into serving bowls
Of course, don’t forget these two strategies!
Get others to bring a dish or two. Don’t feel you have to make everything yourself.
Don’t stress any mix-ups or mistakes. Those will make the best stories in the years to come.