The holidays are a magical time filled with happiness, kindness, gratitude, and love. They are also filled with hustle and bustle, chaos, planning, shopping, and hectic schedules.

It is hard enough to get everyone together for a good meal throughout the year, it is even more difficult to accomplish this during the crazy holiday season.

With that in mind, here is something to be thankful for this season - a great list of recipes to help you out on those especially busy nights. There are recipes to help with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can prepare these meals ahead of time and when you are in a pinch, throw them in the oven or crock pot, and they will be sure to simplify your hectic schedule during the holiday season.

 

Butternut Squash Baked Ziti

This delicious butternut squash baked ziti is a crowd pleaser. It gives you the chance to showcase butternut squash. The best part about this dish is that it is hearty and filling, but it is healthy - and it is vegan, which makes it a great meal to have on hand and bring out when unexpected company arrives.

The butternut squash baked ziti can be thrown together in right under an hour. However, even better, you can prepare this ahead of time and put it in the freezer for one of those crazy nights where time gets away from you. All you have to do is pop it in the oven, and enjoy.

Spinach and Beet Quiche

The spinach and beet quiche is a fun twist on the classic. It is creamy and delicious. This quiche is a great vegetarian option that can be served for breakfast or paired with a salad for dinner.

Another perk of this dish is that it holds very well and is a great to have in the freezer, and simply put it in the oven and you will have a great prepared meal in no time.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

In order to experience the full fall season flavors, you need to give this roasted pumpkin soup a try! It is nice and creamy and has a beautiful pumpkin flavor.

The recipe makes two servings, so eat a bowl now and put the rest in the freezer to have at another time. You could even increase the batch so you can enjoy it whenever you like, because believe me, you will want to have this over and over again.

This recipe can be made vegetarian or vegan, with toasted pumpkins seeds on top. It can also be served with a dollop of burrata cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds, and fresh sage leaves to really elevate the flavor of the soup.

Game Time Chili With Chili Garlic Sauce

This hearty chili recipe is perfect for both cool autumn evenings and cold winter nights. Although chili can take all day to cook, this recipe for chili with chili garlic sauce packs a lot of flavor in a little bit of time. The robust chili has rich flavor with a nice spicy kick. This meal can be prepared in less than an hour. You can also prepare it ahead of time and put it in the freezer. For a night you know you are going to be especially busy, take this out and put it in your crockpot for a nice hot meal waiting for you when you arrive home!

Spicy Egg Salad

There are many recipes for egg salad, but once you try this one you will never make it another way again. The spicy egg salad really brings the heat in the best way. 

This recipe is so simple, it can be put together in twenty minutes, with no cooking! It is a perfect dish to have for lunch. Eat this delicious spicy egg salad with crackers, as a sandwich, or even just as it is. The recipe makes six servings, so make up a batch and put it in the fridge and you have a delicious, stress free lunch for the entire week!