What to Eat the Day Before Thanksgiving

Sharing a one-day meal plan and recipes so you know exactly what to eat the day before Thanksgiving AKA the biggest eating holiday of the year! Your menu includes easy make-ahead meals, a one-pot dinner, extra veggies for good measure, and tons of fall flavor!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by SideChef and Walmart. Thanks you for supporting the brands that make the Chelsey Amer Nutrition blog possible.

I’d love to know… what do you eat the day before Thanksgiving? Or any holiday for that matter.

If you’re busy cooking and preparing for the holiday, do you pause to prepare other meals for the days leading up to the holidays?

So often I know we hyper-focus on the holidays that we completely neglect what to eat the days prior.

Growing up, whenever my mom hosted a holiday like Thanksgiving, we were on strict orders of what we could and could not eat. We couldn’t eat the “company food” after all!

To be honest, a lot of the time we’d order takeout the night before, but with just a little prior planning you can make nourishing meals for you and your family to feel good.

After all, Thanksgiving is the biggest eating holiday of the year, so it’s a good idea to add a little extra nutrition the day before…

Guidelines for What to Eat the Day Before Thanksgiving

If you’re anything like the old me who was stuck in a dieting mindset, you probably ate as little as possible the days leading up to a big holiday. I thought I had to “save up” for my big splurges. Now, as a registered dietitian, I know better than that!

I know and teach my clients that under-eating before a big meal only sets you up to eat MORE. It sets you up to feel ravenous and out of control. And that’s not a great feeling to have… especially when there’s so much yummy food around.

So, here’s what to eat the day before Thanksgiving instead:

Focus on well-balanced meals throughout the day

Eat a combination of the three major macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. For good measure (and extra vitamins and minerals), add in some veggies. Catch up on how to balance your plate HERE!

By eating a combination of nutrients throughout the day (instead of, let’s say, a big bowl of pasta on its own, which is all carbs) you’ll better balance your blood sugar, keep your energy elevated (which is much-needed to cook Thanksgiving dinner!), and stay satisfied so you’re not grazing all day.

Add extra veggies

Why not?! Your Thanksgiving dinner may not have as many vegetables as you’d typically like, so adding extra veggies the day before Thanksgiving will help you boost your vitamin and mineral intake, plus contribute to your daily fiber needs.

Stay hydrated

When you’re under-hydrated it’s easier to overeat. Aim to drink enough water so that your urine is pale yellow to almost clear.

Sit down for meals instead of grazing all day

This is a biggie! Did you know that you’re more likely to eat MORE and FASTER when you eat standing. Yeah, I’m talking to you eating standing over the counter or in front of the open refrigerator.

Instead, take a pause on your holiday cooking and sit down to eat your meals. Your body will thank you!

Eat when you’re hungry!

Diet culture often tells us to skip meals to save calories… especially if you know you have a large meal coming up. Instead, I want you to EAT when you’re hungry. Contrary to what we’re always told, being hungry is not a bad thing! Eating consistently tells your body to trust you.

Pre-Thanksgiving One-Day Meal Plan

I am so excited to team up with SideChef and Walmart to share this one-day meal plan I designed for you purposely for the day before a big holiday. You can sign up to be a Walmart+ member, start a 15-day free trial today! Even better, you can shop for all of the ingredients for this entire one-day menu or use some of the recipes to meal plan on SideChef as a Walmart+ member!

From breakfast through dinner, you’ll love these simple and easy recipes. The best part: two out of the three recipes can be made 100% in advance (and even frozen). You’ll feel confident knowing you can feed your family nourishing meals the day before a holiday.

Breakfast: Make-Ahead Cranberry Baked Oatmeal

This one-bowl make-ahead breakfast recipe has a hint of fall in every bite as you taste a burst of dried cranberries and a hint of orange weaved throughout. You can make this recipe in advance and freeze it in individual portions as well. I suggest pairing it with a generous dollop of Greek yogurt for an extra boost of protein in the morning.

If you’re not a breakfast person, this baked oatmeal also makes a great snack. Get the full recipe here.

Lunch: Warm Quinoa and Lentil Salad

Although this is a warm salad by name, you can make this recipe the night before and serve it cold too (or warm it up). Instead of lettuce this salad uses shredded brussels sprouts for a crunchy green. Adding the warm quinoa and lentils on top lightly wilts the brussels sprouts, making it absolutely delicious with a sweet bite of apples and dried cranberries in every forkful!

You only need 10 ingredients (plus salt and pepper) to make this recipe. Shop for the ingredients here.

Dinner: Pumpkin Lentil “Bolognese”

This plant-forward dinner is perfect for the night before a holiday that tends to be meat-heavy. Although it’s a vegan meal, pumpkin lentil “Bolognese” is hearty, satisfying, and so flavorful, you won’t miss the meat. Plus, in every bite you’ll get a hint of pumpkiny goodness!

You can make the sauce in advance and freeze it, defrosting the night before to serve with pasta. And yes, you can eat pasta the night before Thanksgiving! Opt for whole wheat pasta for a punch of fiber.

Get the full recipe HERE!

How to Meal Prep for the Day Before Thanksgiving

There’s a reason there are some overlapping ingredients throughout these 3 recipes… it will make your life SO MUCH EASIER! To make your life even simpler, you can meal prep these recipes in advance too.

Here’s a sample meal prep schedule:

2-3 days in advance:

• Cook a big batch of lentils for the salad and Bolognese. Alternatively, you can add canned lentils to your shopping list to skip this step. Add it to your cart here.
• Prepare quinoa for the salad
• Make dressing for the salad and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container
• Make the Cranberry Baked Oatmeal. You may want to under-bake by ~5 minutes to finish cooking the day you plan on eating it.

1 day in advance:

• Make the pumpkin lentil “Bolognese” sauce. Once cooled, store in the refrigerator. To reheat, you may want to add additional broth to thin out the sauce.
• Shred the brussels sprouts and cut apples for the salad. Store in individual containers in the refrigerator.

Day Before Thanksgiving:

• At breakfast: Finish cooking or warm up the Cranberry Baked Oatmeal
• For lunch: Assemble the Warm Quinoa and Lentil Salad
• When dinnertime: Make pasta for the Pumpkin Lentil Bolognese

I hope you found this tutorial for what to eat the day before Thanksgiving helpful! View all recipes and shop via Walmart+ on the SideChef website or app. Happy holidays!

XO