Get a simple Thanksgiving meal plan including printable recipes and some vintage Thanksgiving meal plans you can get inspiration from as well. And find the best places to buy your Thanksgiving food!
I have shared a lot of Thanksgiving advice over the years. This is because since getting married I have cooked the full meal for my husband, myself, and my in-laws.
I came from a family that always did a huge Thanksgiving potluck with my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins, even my 2nd and 3rd cousins. This meant a TON of food. Going into marriage I wasn’t really sure how to do a small Thanksgiving and would spend days cooking so much food.
Over the years I’ve learned how to still have a lot of food but a more reasonable amount that is manageable for me and lets me still enjoy the day as well.
I will say I don’t actually celebrate Thanksgiving. I’m a member of the Choctaw tribe and over the years I have become increasingly uncomfortable with celebrating Thanksgiving. I personally do not decorate for Thanksgiving and while I do make a meal on Thanksgiving for my family I will have already decorated my home for Christmas and just consider it part of the Christmas season. Generally I call it turkey day or Macy’s Parade Day.
I do post content about Thanksgiving because so many other do celebrate and I’m not asking that others don’t. It is a good time to learn about the history of the day and what it has meant for indigenous people but you can also just use it as a day to be grateful for what you have and your family and friends.
No matter how or what you are celebrating this Thanksgiving meal plan can help! It’s what I have done the last few years and I can get it all done in two days without getting up at like 4 am on Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Meal Plan
Above is my meal from last year, I took this photo for myself and not for my blog so it’s not the best photo but this is how we actually had the food set up, other than dessert.
This is what we have had the last few Thanksgivings. Over the years I’ve found what everyone’s favorite dishes are and have a meal we all enjoy and that isn’t too much work. Dessert does vary from year to year so for this menu I just included one we’ve had and that is a fun vintage addition to Thanksgiving.
- Instant Pot Ham
- Smoked Turkey Legs
- Green Bean Casserole
- Mashed Potatoes
- Dinner Rolls
- Cranberry Sauce
- Vintage Cranberry Noel
If you want printable versions of all of these recipes plus the meal plan you can sign up below and get them for free. You will also get a blank Thanksgiving menu that you can fill out with what you are making.
These printables are a great addition to my Thanksgiving planner which is printable and available for you to buy right now.
Where I Shop for Thanksgiving Food
Shopping for Thanksgiving dinner can be as stressful or at least close to as stressful as making the meal itself. The stores are so busy, they are always out of things and it’s just a man rush!
I’ve done a lot to get rid of these stress as well! For one thing I do all the shopping well in advance. Even if you have a few things need to buy the week of, get everything you can ahead of time, at least 2 weeks before.Ordering online and using delivery has made my Thanksgiving shopping even easier.
Buying Thanksgiving Meat
I buy my meat including the already smoked turkey leg from Crowd Cow. It comes frozen so I buy it well in advance and just make sure I have reminders to thaw everything in time. I make my ham in the Instant Pot so I don’t even have to thaw that part.
I have ordered from Crowd Cow for years now and it’s where we get most of our meat and seafood all year. You can read my full Crowd Cow review to see if it’s a good fit for you.
Pantry Staples for Thanksgiving
I like to stock my pantry with ingredients for Thanksgiving by using Thrive Market. They have great quality products for a reasonable price and it’s all shipped to you.
You can also buy meat from Thrive Market and I have done that a few times and it’s been really good as well. So if you want to shop just one place for both meat and pantry items Thrive Market is a great option.
You can also read my full Thrive Market review for more information and to decide if you want to give it a try.
Other Thanksgiving Food Items
Anything I can’t get from Thrive Market or Crowd Cow I usually will get through Instacart from Aldi. While Instacart makes it more expensive it saves me a lot of time and by using Aldi the prices aren’t too bad.
If you haven’t used Instacart before now is a great time to try. You can get free delivery for your first 3 orders over $10.
Vintage Thanksgiving Meal Plans
If you want more ideas for your own Thanksgiving meal plan you will want to check out these vintage Thanksgiving meal plans. They are a fun look into the past and can help inspire your Thanksgiving meal.
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