How to meal prep your Thanksgiving for a stress free holiday

Meal prep your thanksgiving dinner to make time for the important things like spending time with loved ones and actually enjoying that big feast! Many aspects of the meal can be made in advance without affecting quality (or even improving the quality) read on to see what dishes you can meal prep, and what things you really should for that day!

Do you get stressed just thinking about hosting Thanksgiving? 

From thawing, to brining, to cleaning your house, to all the side dishes, making sure everything goes off without a hitch can be stressful! 

The last 9 years I have made it my mission to create the perfect Thanksgiving timeline complete with delicious traditional recipes and exactly what to do and when to do it. 

I can honestly say that it has taken this long to find the perfect combination of recipes and I'm beyond excited to share this free resource with you that will simplify your Thanksgiving Day allowing you to spend time with your family being grateful. 

Instead of running around the kitchen like a turkey with your head cut off. 

This free resource is a gold mine of information and will simplify your Thanksgiving Dinner by a mile because you don't have to hunt down recipes, or even write your own grocery list (it's all done for you!)

FREE Stress-Free Thanksgiving Dinner Guide

I've included links in this post to recipes already on the blog, but a few are available only in the freebie so you'll definitely want to be sure to sign up below. [oceanwp_library id="5587"] 

How to meal prep your Thanksgiving for a Stress Free holiday

What to outsource to meal prep your Thanksgiving

Some Pies-I save pumpkin and apple to make myself because to me they are the must-have Thanksgiving Day pies!

Drinks-It’s so fun for guests to pick up a fun specialty drink for everyone to try, I love the specialty drinks at Trader Joes!

Appetizers-You definitely want something for your guests to munch on as they arrive to tide them over until the meal begins and keep them out of your hair.  But making appetizers the day of is an added stress that I never want to deal with.  I like to make a dip or spread and then ask each guest to bring crackers or veggies to go with it to keep everything cohesive but also to take most of the work off of me and onto someone else

Someone’s specialty-If you know someone has a really great recipe for any of the rest of the dishes on your list feel free to have them bring it and take one thing off your list of things to do!

What to prepare in advance for your Thanksgiving Day Meal 

When you meal prep your Thanksgiving you can actually enjoy your holiday instead of beiing stuck in the kitchen all day. These are my favorite things to prepare at least partially in advance to relive stress and overwhelm. 

Gravy -You can absolutely make Gravy the day of, but I find it so stressful trying to get the hot broth to cool enough to skim the fat off of and making one more thing in that last hour before dinner.  I choose to make my gravy ahead from turkey parts and keep it in the freezer so on the day of all I have to do is thaw and serve

Stuffing-Stuffing is magical and it turns out it tastes BETTER when made partially ahead of time.  Put the whole casserole together the day before and let the broth really soak into that bread and all you have to do the day of is throw it in the oven. 

Rolls (Maybe)-Fresh rolls are absolutely amazing, but Rolls are the bane of my existence on Thanksgiving day.  They never seem to rise in the correct amount of time and planning the oven around t