Family traditions, delicious turkey, pumpkin spice, and everything nice come to mind when we think about Thanksgiving. Yet, for those who work during the holidays, such as nurses, Thanksgiving can be a bit stressful. That’s because nurses may not necessarily have the time to prepare everything they need or would wish to have for a Thanksgiving feast, especially if they work rotating shifts. The good news? If you are a nurse and are planning on either hosting a Thanksgiving meal at your house or bringing a healthy dish to a friend or family’s place, there are plenty of easy thanksgiving recipes you can whip up in a flash. So turn off the pressure cooker, get back in the kitchen, and try not to sweat the holiday season. Below are some last-minute Thanksgiving meals perfect for busy nurses on the go.
Easy Thanksgiving Recipes
If you are planning on being a super host for Thanksgiving but don’t have the time to prepare the turkey, don’t worry; we happen to know of a few easy turkey recipes that will impress your guests and are fast to make. Moreover, while turkey may be the main dish of choice for most US families, a surprising study from 2018 showed that 65 percent of Americans preferred an alternative dish to turkey that year. In other words, turkey does not have to be the star of your table setting this holiday season unless you want it to be. In that case, make sure you check out this ninety-minute stress-free turkey recipe. But, if you are looking for an alternative dish to turkey, below are some fast and fantastic simple Thanksgiving dinner ideas:
Glazed Ham
A tender, sweet, and juicy glazed ham is about as close as you can get to an impressive Thanksgiving main dish. Heck, this glazed ham recipe may even steal the show! Honestly, we love the idea of cooking up a glazed ham because it is tasty and a very simple Thanksgiving dish. And so, we scoured the web for the quickest and tastiest glazed ham Thanksgiving recipes and became enamored by this brown sugar mustard glazed recipe by Cafe Delites. It’s quick; it’s delicious, and we think a glazed ham is an ideal centerpiece for your Thanksgiving feast.
Super Easy Roast Chicken
Chicken on Thanksgiving? Oh, the treachery! Okay, we get it; while having chicken on Thanksgiving may seem like a cop-out at first glance, chicken is actually making a comeback on Thanksgiving tables across the country. That’s because these easy but mouth-watering chicken roast recipes are sure to delight the taste buds of family and guests. With that in mind, we like this super easy roast chicken thanksgiving recipe by Downshiftology with Liz Bryan. In Bryan’s own words, this chicken roast is ridiculously easy to make with just three ingredients! Moreover, this simple thanksgiving dinner recipe requires no stuffing and is crisp and ready to eat in just an hour and a half.
Easy Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes
Being vegan or vegetarian around the holidays has never been easier. That’s because there are so many last-minute Thanksgiving meals that don’t involve meat or animal products. Below are our top picks of some of the best and most delicious easy vegan recipes for this Thanksgiving season.
Butternut Squash Lasagna: Vegetarian
Who says only meat eaters can have all the fun on Thanksgiving? There are so many wildly tasty vegetarian dishes that have nostalgic fall flavors and serve as great Thanksgiving food centerpieces. A dish we love is this vegetarian butternut squash lasagna by Ambitious Kitchen. It’s comforting, and it’s cozy—this butternut squash recipe is an ideal vegetarian thanksgiving recipe to make this Thanksgiving that much sweeter.
Sweet Potato Casserole: Vegan
There is something about sweet potato casserole that warms the heart and the belly. That’s why a sweet potato casserole dish earns a top spot as one of the easiest and best vegan recipes for Thanksgiving. With that in mind, we think this sweet potato casserole recipe by Love & Lemons is the perfect fall Thanksgiving recipe for vegan nurses. So if you are looking for a scrumptious and people-pleasing vegan dish for Thanksgiving, you should definitely give a sweet potato casserole a space in your oven!
Easy Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes
If you have a sweet tooth, you already understand that dessert is just as important as the main dish on Thanksgiving day. That said, baking one or more delicious desserts on Thanksgiving day can take a while to prep and bake. Therefore, to save you some time, we found a couple of the easiest and quickest Thanksgiving dessert recipes. Read on for the goods!
Pumpkin Brownies
If you like pumpkin pie and you like brownies, you will go nuts over this pumpkin brownie recipe. This easy fall dessert recipe is made by the Cookie Rookie and makes for a creative and tasty autumn treat for any fall holiday, including Thanksgiving. The best part about this recipe is that the main ingredients can come from a brownie mix box, cutting preparation time down to a minimum.
Shortbread Cookies
As we know, a Thanksgiving without turkey can go on, but a Thanksgiving without cookies? That’s a deal breaker! For this reason, we believe every Thanksgiving meal should end with a few good cookies. That’s why we like this classic shortbread cookie recipe by the Preppy Kitchen. The coolest part? Per the chef’s words, this shortbread cookie recipe is made with just five ingredients that you may already have in your pantry! Moreover, if you want to make these cookies extra kid-friendly, you can transform the dough into turkey shapes by using a Thanksgiving cookie cutter.
Eat, Drink, and Be Thankful
Thanksgiving is about family, gratitude, and—of course—good food. So if you are a nurse looking to host a feast of treats, meats, or savory eats, you may want to start planning now. That said, don’t fret if you have a busy holiday nursing shift schedule. As you can see, there are a bunch of easy Thanksgiving recipes that you can cook up in no time. Cheers or “Salud” to a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
