Classic Meal Plan (Free PDF)
This menu includes an appetizer soup, special roasted chicken, veggie-loaded twice baked potatoes, and a crispy phyllo apple tart. Try it as a non-traditional approach to serving a holiday meal or any other time you want to dazzle your friends or family with classic recipes with a twist. Here I share the idea and give you the option to email me, join my list to get the free pdf.
Comforting classics like mushroom soup, roasted chicken, twice baked potatoes, and an apple tart are given new life with more veggies, easy techniques and amped up flavor. This festive meal will bring comfort and joy to any gathering, and I can assure you, serving these four recipes together at the table will be delightful and delicious. You can simply access the recipes through links below, or email me to download a 7 page pdf that outlines everything you need to make it happen with ease.
What you’ll love about this holiday menu!
🍽️ It’s based on classic meals with a twist! If you love classic recipes around the holidays but are looking for something new or just a little updated or different, these recipes deliver.
🍽️ Organization: I’ve spent the time organizing the shopping list, including on-hand pantry items, with quantities, costs, and substitutions all in one easy to use grocery list, saving you hours. I’ve also spent the time creating the work flow for prepping and cooking all the recipes in a coordinated manner, down to the minute, so you can make a special meal with ease and confidence.
🍽️ Flavor: sometimes holiday meals can be comforting but a bit bland. Here I’ve included lots of flavors, from a simple but full of flavor mushroom soup, to a miso herb pesto rubbed chicken served with a tangy and spiced blueberry vinaigrette, to veggie loaded twice baked potatoes and topping it off with a new classic – apple tart with a thin and crispy phyllo crust.
🍽️ Serves 4: often holiday recipes feed a crowd and are huge! To minimize waste, and fit what I think is a more common trend of smaller gatherings, this meal plan serves 4. Feel free to double for 8 if you are entertaining a crowd (or triple it for twelve). The timing to prepare will increase, of course.
🍽️ Timing: this meal comes together in 2 hours 40 minutes (your active prep time is 1hr 25min) with an hour and a half spent prepping three components ahead of time (45 min of that time is pre-baking potatoes). The tart cooks while you eat, or you can delay for eating a later dessert.
🍽️ Quick shop option: in each recipe card there is a link to purchase the ingredients from Instacart, if you like. Super convenient, super quick (I do earn a small affiliate fee if you use the link to shop in the recipe card)
🍽️ It’s free!
The recipes for this menu
Click through below the bulleted list to access the four recipes as follows:
- Appetizer Soup: 3-Ingredient Vegan Mushroom Soup with crispy mushroom topping
- Main: Miso Herb Roasted Chicken with Spiced Blueberry Vinaigrette (One Hour Roast)
- Side: Veggie Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes (Light & Herby)
- Dessert: Easy Phyllo Apple Tart
The cost of this meal
- Based on shopping at a basic grocery store, the cost of this meal that serves four is $68 ($17 per person). You can see how your costs compare in the pdf.
- Chicken- if you are not inclined to buy the more expensive birds (organic, pasture raised, etc), then the cost of this meal would be more like $58 ($14 per person). Roasting chickens vary in price from $1.46/lb. for a Perdue bird to $3.99/lb. for an organic Wholefoods bought chicken.
- I used Instacart and Wholefoods prices before the fees were added in. You may likely get the ingredients for less (or more if you shop at a smaller bodega in the city or farmer’s market).
- The pantry staples and squash cost the least.
- The most expensive ingredients for this meal tend to be the chicken, mushrooms (4-types, optional), basil, apples and creme fraiche.
- Remember that I offer substitutions for many of the ingredients in case you want to choose a less expensive option.
What’s included in the meal plan
If you are ambitious, you can simply access the four recipes above and make them together for a great meal, or get the free pdf to save yourself from stressing over how to organize the meal prep to bring it all together and to save hours organizing the ingredients for all four recipes. My meal plan includes:
- One alphabetical grocery list organized by department, for all four recipes that includes quantities and substitutions all in one place.
- Meal cost by ingredients, based on how much you’ll likely have to buy as well as how much you’ll actually use (i.e. if you need to buy an entire bag of frozen blueberries but only need 1/4 cup for the vinaigrette recipe). This can help you further plan if you have any of the ingredients on hand already.
- Pantry essentials and their quantities so you know if you have enough on hand of the everyday items like spices and condiments.
- Meal prep details, down to the minute with step by step instructions of what to make when in order to have all four recipes ready to serve at once (3.5 hours total, with 1.5 hours active time).
- Make ahead prep details for 3 components (vinaigrette, yogurt topping, cookies) that can be prepared 1-3 days ahead of time.
- The equipment and serving dishes you will need to make and serve this meal!
Don’t forget to grab the free PDF!
Take the stress out of your holiday gathering and infuse it with joy by making these delightful classic recipes ~ fit for a foodie!
