Quickly Turn Thanksgiving Sales into Healthy and Inexpensive Plant-Based Dinners

While we’re all busy planning and shopping for our Thanksgiving dinners next week, we have the reality of a week’s worth of dinners we need to eat before then. And even though it would be nice to let someone else do the cooking all week so I don’t have to think about anything but the big day, November seems to be the month that we catch our illnesses for the season. So I want to keep our meals as healthy as possible so we can enjoy the holidays!

That’s why my mind is turning to super easy AND healthy weeknight meals. With some of the BEST grocery sales of the year, it’s a great time to stock up for the winter. I’ve stocked up on vegetable broth (my Costco has 8 qts for under $10–it’s the lowest I ever see it!) and Vegetable Better than Bouillon, Muir Glen Tomatoes that are perfect for salsa, soups and sauces, organic celery (chop it and keep it in the freezer), onions, white potatoes, sweet potatoes and spices.

All of these already low-cost items can make delicious weeknight dinners. Chances are good most of us will be indulging a little more here and there during the holidays, but why not save time and money eating super nutritious food during the nights we need something quick and easy at home! We could probably all stand to save a little on the grocery bill for all the great Amazon Finds that may be coming our way.

So I have several simple soups/stews for you. All are vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free (with noted adaptations) and can be made in the Instant Pot or on the stove top. They require about 15 minutes of active prep work in addition to 30 minutes or less of cooking time. All are easily made earlier in the day or frozen (why not double it and pull some out the night before Thanksgiving so you can focus on making other things?).

So while you are doing some last minute Thanksgiving shopping, grab a few extras to save yourself time, money and sickness this holiday season!

Sweet Potato Soup

I came up with this last week on the fly, just putting together what I had in my fridge. It’s a great formula for turning whatever you have on hand into a delicious dinner in minimal time.

Vegetable Chili

This is one of those recipes that does not appear to be anything special–all the same ingredients any other chili recipe you’ve used has. But somehow the flavors are combined perfectly to make a quick and delicious chili, even without the meat.

We love this recipe with sweet potatoes and corn!

Creamy Vegan Potato Soup

You know we love our potato soup! When you can get 20 lbs of potatoes for under $7 at Costco, this is a delicious, healthy and easy way to use those babies!

I made a triple batch of this Sunday, killing two birds with one stone by taking some to a potluck lunch and using the rest to feed 9 of us Sunday night. Once the potatoes are chopped you can walk away and let it simmer on low. Everyone loves it!!

7 Ingredient Smoky Butternut Squash Soup

This soup is our favorite way to eat Butternut Squash. It’s quick and easy (especially if you buy pre-cut squash cubes, either fresh or frozen). The leftovers are delicious in this “Cheesy Rice” recipe and my kids like it even better that way.

I hope you enjoy these simple recipes as much as I have. Being able to quickly put together a soup in the morning has left me with so much time to enjoy and help my family during the evening. And balancing out all of the indulgence of the holidays with some quick, healthy and inexpensive meals is the perfect way to maximize the Thanksgiving grocery sales.