Thanksgiving. A time known for eating your family's weight in food, football and gratefulness. One day, you'll be in a relationship or won't be able to go home for Thanksgiving so you're going to have to make a Thanksgiving dinner allllllll by yourself.
Okay, stop thinking about the elaborate dishes and pricey looking centerpieces, that's not what you're going to do. As a college student, or a young adult in the workforce, it's no secret you won't be rolling in the dough yet and there's no shame in doing things as cost effectively as possible. And you know the best way to figure all of that out? Pinterest. Seriously, how did we survive without it before? Just click on the picture and it'll take you to the recipe!
1. Main Dish
This is the most daunting task but did you know you DON'T have to make a whole turkey?
You can easily get a turkey breast for less than $10 at Publix or get individual turkey breasts for the same price and they won't take as long to cook. Here's the turkey breast recipe I'm making this year. Super easy and super cheap. My favorite words.
2. Potatoes
A Thanksgiving meal isn't complete without some kind of potatoes. Whether you like sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes or baked potatoes, you can't go wrong. Plus, they're cheap and a little goes a long way. It's a win-win.
When it comes to sweet potato casserole, I prefer the pecan streusel topping but my boyfriend likes marshmallows. Luckily, I found this gem that gives us the best of both worlds.
And if you don't want to deal with a casserole, you can just do something like this.
3. Veggies
Sorry, you can't escape the veggies but that doesn't mean you can't make them so delicious that you forget they're actually good for you! Try one of these recipes and you'll find yourself guarding the bowl like a momma bear.
4. Stuffing/Dressing
Apparently, it's only called stuffing if you actually cook it inside a bird and it's called dressing otherwise but let's be real. Regardless of if you call is dressing or stuffing, we all know what you mean. You've got a few options for this dish. You can go the super easy route and buy pre-packaged or you can make your own from scratch. Either way, it'll be easy and delicious.
5. Dessert
And now for the best part of Thanksgiving: The desserts! Pecan pie is my absolute favorite and I'm indifferent about pumpkin pie so I'm only making pecan but that doesn't mean you can't make both!
The Pioneer Woman's recipe for pecan pie is super easy and soooo yummy! I just bought a frozen pie crust instead of making one and voila! Perfect.
Pumpkin pie is also pretty easy to make. Just make sure you have enough whipped cream!
With a little planning, budgeting and effort, you'll be able to pull off a Thanksgiving meal just like your mothers. Just make sure you have enough containers for all the leftovers!
