I always enjoy the Christmas holiday season.  It is a special time of year with traditions and quality time with my family.  Since all three of my kids live in different cities, it is one of the only times of year that we are all together.  If you need any last-minute gift inspiration, I have several great newsletters with links galore!  I hope you have a meaningful and joyous Christmas and/or Hanukkah this week.  I am grateful for each one of you and look forward to sharing more in the new year!

For those of you who take my monthly online cooking class, the new December class is up and the recipes are designed to be holiday-worthy! I’ve already taught all these recipes in person and they received rave reviews!!  Just an admin note, I always upload the new class on the 1st of the month, but when the 1st is a holiday or on a weekend, I may upload the class the following day.  

I may or may not be alone on this but I have yet to buy one gift (and I even published a gift guide on Substack!!) nor have I put away all my serving pieces from Thanksgiving.  Send help!! 

Here’s your dinner planner for the week:

Meatless Monday: Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash from Vegan Huggs + sauteed swiss chard with dried apricots and pine nuts 

Tuesday: Crunchy Kale Salad Recipe with Almond Vinaigrette with protein of choice (I like rotisserie chicken or roasted salmon)

Wednesday: Porcini, Greens, and Bean Soup + Parmesan biscuits from Leite’s Culinaria

Thursday: Tasty turkey burgers + Grain-Free Cauliflower Tabbouleh 

Friday: Chicken adobo, steamed rice, garlicky broccoli  

Saturday brunch: Slow cooker apple pie steel cut oats + vanilla and chocolate chia seed pudding (I’m doing the vanilla) 

Sunday: Cod Acqua Pazza + Radicchio Salad with Olives and Parmesan

I have LOVED seeing all your creations of my recipes on Instagram. If you make any of my recipes, please tag me @pamelasalzman #pamelasalzman so I can check them out! I have a free Monday newsletter with my thoughts, new recipes, and things I’m loving lately. Subscribe here!

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! I had a great time with my daughters and Anna’s fiance. Definitely missed Mr. Picky, but my family on the East coast took good care of him. 🙂 It was such a joy for me to see all your creations on Instagram for those of you who tagged me – thank you!!  If you have a minute, I would love it if you would leave any comments or feedback on the website under any recipes you tried.  Ok, onto the next – holiday shopping! 

Here’s your dinner planner for the week:

Meatless Monday: Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie (you can use leftover mashed potatoes if you have any) + a green salad 

Tuesday: Greek Sheet Pan Chicken with Lemon and Potatoes + sauteed cabbage 

Wednesday: Quick Asian-Inspired Tangerine Chicken, Black Rice Salad with Edamame (or keep it easy and just do steamed black rice), steamed carrots 

Thursday: Turkey and brown rice stuffed bell peppers, big chopped salad with everyday salad dressing #2

Friday: Garlic Salmon with Butter and Lemon from Well Plated by Erin + Basmati rice with roasted cauliflower 

Saturday brunch: Whole Grain Pear-Cranberry Buckle + scrambled eggs with spinach 

Sunday: Onion-braised grass-fed beef brisket, egg noodles, roasted brussels sprouts

I have LOVED seeing all your creations of my recipes on Instagram. If you make any of my recipes, please tag me @pamelasalzman #pamelasalzman so I can check them out! I have a free Monday newsletter with my thoughts, new recipes, and things I’m loving lately. Subscribe here!

Hi Friends!  We’re in the Thanksgiving home stretch!  I hope you’re excited, organized, and looking forward to a beautiful holiday with loved ones.  Don’t go for perfection or bite off more than you can chew (so to speak).  Ask for help, prep in advance, don’t stress, and roll with the punches if something doesn’t go according to plan.  See Monday’s Substack newsletter for my exact timeline for Thanksgiving day.

Here’s your dinner planner for the week: 

Meatless Monday: Chipotle Cauliflower Tacos, refried beans, Guacamole and baked tortilla chips

Tuesday: Slow cooker white bean soup with sausage and collard greens 

Wednesday: Easy One-Pot Pasta recipe From My Bowl, I’ll add either cubed smoked mozzarella or some cooked chickpeas or both!

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving! If you’re still searching for recipes and tips, my Thanksgiving e-book is here.

Friday: Thanksgiving Leftovers Reuben Wrap, Leftover Mashed Potato Croquettes, any vegetables you have left or broccoli. If you are feeling like you want something lighter, my Thanksgiving Leftovers Salad with Cranberry Sauce Vinaigrette!

Saturday brunch: Leftover Stuffing and Egg Bake + yogurt with berries 

Sunday: Any leftover meat you have or roasted chicken, The Best Root Vegetable Gratin, sautéed spinach

I have LOVED seeing all your creations of my recipes on Instagram. If you make any of my recipes, please tag me @pamelasalzman #pamelasalzman so I can check them out! I have a free Monday newsletter with my thoughts, new recipes, and things I’m loving lately. Subscribe here!

I’ve been getting busy prepping for Thanksgiving!  15 minutes here and there adds up to a lot of help on the big day.  If you are feeling like you are not well organized yet for Thanksgiving, my Thanksgiving e-book is a LIFE-SAVER!  No scouring my site for every recipe or searching for trouble-shooting turkey tips.  It’s all in one handy PDF and it’s only $15.  A few of you have asked me if I am doing a gift guide this year and yes, I am planning on it for the Monday after Thanksgiving! 

Here is your dinner planner for the week:

Meatless Monday: Cozy Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup + Fall Market Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette and Savory Granola

Tuesday: Quinoa and Jicama Salad with Avocado Dressing + rotisserie chicken (or any protein that you choose)

Wednesday: Parmesan Baked Tofu (I’m going to skip the cherry tomatoes) + Roasted Fall Vegetables with Italian Agrodolce

Thursday: Quick and Easy Pistachio Crusted Salmon, Crunchy Kale Salad Recipe with Almond Vinaigrette, roasted carrots 

Friday: Minestrone Soup from Love & Lemons (I might add precooked or browned sausage to this) + Cornbread (with quinoa!)

Saturday brunch: Individual baked oatmeal cups, Pumpkin Spice Yerba Mate Latte, and fruit 

Sunday: Turkey Bolognese Spaghetti Squash Casserole, roasted cauliflower, Sweet Potato Brownies (for a sweet treat!) 

I have LOVED seeing all your creations of my recipes on Instagram. If you make any of my recipes, please tag me @pamelasalzman #pamelasalzman so I can check them out! I have a free Monday newsletter with my thoughts, new recipes, and things I’m loving lately. Subscribe here!

I used to post my weekly to-do list for Thanksgiving on my site, but now I’m putting it all in my Substack newsletter. Not to sound like a broken record BUT the sooner you commit to a menu, the sooner you can start prepping ahead.  I do most of my grocery shopping for Thanksgiving THIS week.  You can buy canned goods, frozen items, spices, baking supplies, nuts and dried fruit, winter squashes, sparkling water and booze, even butter, and many dairy products.  Now is also a good time to get your knives sharpened and check your serving pieces.  If you need a guidebook to help you figure out which recipes to include in your Thanksgiving menu, troubleshooting tips, how to plan your timeline and more, you can order my Thanksgiving e-book here!

Here’s your dinner planner for the week:

Meatless Monday: Split Pea and Barley Soup, Thanksgiving Salad with Homemade Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Tuesday: Easy Balsamic Chicken from The Mediterranean Dish, Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Wednesday:  Mediterranean fish stew, fennel and green bean salad with olives

Thursday: Deconstructed stuffed cabbage casserole (you can swap lentils for the meat to make this vegetarian), baked parsnip “fries”

Friday: Turkey meatballs with pasta or polenta, sautéed spinach

Saturday brunch: Pumpkin Pancakes with Yogurt and Homemade Applesauce

Sunday: Spicy Salmon Sushi Bake + cucumber and avocado salad with creamy miso-ginger dressing 

I have LOVED seeing all your creations of my recipes on Instagram. If you make any of my recipes, please tag me @pamelasalzman #pamelasalzman so I can check them out! I have a free Monday newsletter with my thoughts, new recipes, and things I’m loving lately. Subscribe here!