Sometimes it feels like holidays are more about F O O D than anything else! What to cook, what to bring to the neighbors, what to have on hand for when the family comes into town, and what to do with all those leftovers. 

It's all fun and games until your pants don't fit and the kids are tired of eating weird casseroles! Do yourself a favor and plan out a few simple meals to serve before the big holiday meal, and a few to have on hand afterwards. 

We think there should be four components to any meal you prepare before or after a big holiday feast:

Meals should be...

 We don't want to be doing a ton of dishes at this point. We might even bust out the paper plates.

Honestly, we don't even want to follow a recipe! Meals should rely on just a few ingredients that we probably have on hand. 

Save the heavy roasts, sauces and cheese-laden veggies for the main holiday meals. 

Meaning...you should be able to use leftovers to make it, or it will provide yummy leftovers after you make it. Either way, you just made your life easier. 

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Pear & Walnut Salad

This salad is light and easy to prepare but also suitable for your holiday table if you are so inclined. It includes favorite holiday fruits (pears & dried cranberries) and nuts are always a great, crunchy addition. We also like this salad made with creamy goat cheese instead of feta, or pecans to replace the walnuts. Store-bought poppyseed dressing is fabulous on this salad (try Ken's).

Thanks to Onion Rings and Things for this recipe. 

Protein Platter

Frittatas

You can seriously just grab random stuff out of your refrigerator, mix them all together with some eggs and cheese, and have yourself the most amazing meal you never expected. A frittata is a one-pan meal that is a cinch to put together. We are linking you to a recipe that calls for salami, artichokes, tomatoes and mushrooms, but you can use ANY veggies, meats or cheeses you want. It's magic! 

Thanks to All Recipes for this recipe. 

Tomato, Mozzarella and Pesto Sandwiches

Sheet Pan Chicken & Veggies

Sheet pan meals are kind of a thing right now, and for good reason. Preparing your entire meal on one pan is pretty awesome, clean-up wise. You can chop up your veggies for this recipe ahead of time (and just look at those beautiful fall vegetables like brussels sprouts, sweet potato and garlic). This meal is healthy, easy, and would be great the next day, too. 

Thanks to Some the Wiser for this recipe. 

Will you be visiting Sunset Beach this winter? Or perhaps you have already booked your trip for this summer? It just occurred to us that these meals would also be perfect to prepare in a vacation rental! Since they don't require any special appliances or fancy ingredients, keep these ideas in your back pocket for your next vacation.