November has a way of sneaking up on us. One moment we’re carving pumpkins and snacking on mini Snickers, the next we’re Googling “Thanksgiving side dishes that travel well,” then staring at a fridge that looks…disheveled.
This is the season when time speeds up and appetites grow heartier simultaneously. It’s when healthy habits can slip through the cracks faster than you can say “peppermint mocha.” But this year, you don’t have to let the holidays run the show.
Let’s meal prep like it’s self-care.
When your fridge is stocked and your healthy meals are ready, you feel ready to handle the errands, the holiday shopping lists, the spontaneous cookie swaps, and even that Thanksgiving cooking.
Think cozy soups simmering while you fold laundry, sheet pan dinners that make leftovers exciting, and grab-and-go breakfasts that taste like fall mornings. We’ll make this busy season feel just a little easier, a little calmer, and a lot more nourishing.
Here’s your November Meal Prep Playbook. It’s built on a few guiding principles, a practical game plan, and a handful of seasonal recipes that check every box: quick, satisfying, macro-friendly, and deliciously cozy.
Your November Meal Prep Principles
🎃 Start with Soup Sundays
There’s something grounding about starting the week with a simmering pot of soup. It fills your house with warmth and gives you several meals’ worth of comfort.
For November, pick four soup recipes that fit your mood and your family’s favorite flavors. We love:
- A turkey and white bean chili when we want cozy and hearty
- Lentil and vegetable soup for a fiber-rich, veg-heavy option
- Chicken pot pie soup when we’re craving that nostalgic, creamy comfort
Double the recipe and freeze half. On those nights when the week gets away from you, you’ll have a warm, balanced meal ready in minutes (no drive-through needed).
🎃 Get Ready to Roast
If there’s one kitchen trick that feels like cheating, it’s roasting. Sheet pan meals are your secret weapon this season. They take minimal prep and give maximum payoff in flavor.
This month, plan to roast dinner 2-3 times each week. It’s the perfect time of year for warm, seasoned dinners (and fewer dishes to wash).
Here’s the formula:
- Protein: Chicken thighs, salmon fillets, and turkey meatballs are all big winners
- Veggies: Sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, carrots, and cauliflower roast beautifully
- Seasoning: Olive oil, salt, pepper, and one flavor booster (think balsamic glaze, garlic herb butter, or curry powder).
Toss it all together, roast at 425°F for 20-25 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked and veggies are tender. Roasted dinners reheat wonderfully, and they mix-and-match easily for quick lunches later in the week.
🎃 Batch Breakfasts for Peaceful Mornings
Dreamy, slow mornings with a cozy cup of coffee and a hearty breakfast ready—that’s the goal in November. Prepping breakfast ahead of time is the easiest way to start your day nourished and unhurried.
This month, try your hand at these batch-friendly recipes:
🎃 Double-Duty Proteins
Cook once, eat twice (or three times). That’s the no-stress November way.
When your protein is prepped, weeknights stay simple. Each week, I look at my menu and see how many times I’ll cook each protein. Then, I pick two or three to batch cook (usually in my pressure cooker) on Sunday. Here’s how it can pan out:
- Grilled or baked chicken: Serve hot with roasted veggies one night, then slice over a fall salad later in the week.
- Turkey meatballs: Enjoy with marinara and spaghetti squash for dinner. Toss the leftovers in grain bowls for lunch.
- Baked salmon: After dinner, flake into a high-protein scramble or add to a salad with a quick Greek yogurt and dill dressing.
Building meals around flexible proteins saves you both time and mental energy—two things we all need more of this month.
🎃 No-Fuss Flavor Boosters
Meal prep doesn’t need to mean bland chicken and plain rice. Keep a few simple flavor boosters on hand that make even basic ingredients taste special:
- Homemade vinaigrettes (a quick mix of olive oil, dijon, vinegar, honey, garlic, and salt)
- Greek yogurt dips or sauces (tzaziki, chipotle, or herbed ranch)
- Toasted nuts and seeds for crunch
- Pickled onions, kimchi, olives, and sauerkraut for brightness
Think of these as your flavor shortcuts without adding extra prep time.
Your November Meal Prep Game Plan
Now that you know your principles, let’s put them to work.
📌 Pick Your Prep Flow
Meal prep doesn’t have to look like seven identical containers lined up in the fridge. There are three main “flows” you can choose from. Which one matches your lifestyle best?
- Full Prep: You cook full meals ahead – soups, casseroles, complete bowls ready to heat and eat.
- Partial Prep: You batch-cook building blocks (proteins, grains, roasted veggies) and mix-and-match through the week. (This is our family’s style.)
- Prep Light: You simply chop, marinate, or pre-portion ingredients so cooking is quick and effortless later.
Choose the flow that fits your week and goals for your kitchen. If you’re traveling or hosting, feel free to go lighter. If you’ve got a full calendar of weeknight commitments, fully prepped meals could come in handy. Remember, flexibility beats perfection every time.
📌 Pick Your Recipes
A handful of recipes that check your boxes (simple, nourishing, macro-balanced, family-approved, etc.) is all you need.
To keep menu planning simple, we follow a meal pattern throughout the week – soup on Sundays, pasta on Mondays, tacos on Tuesdays, etc. Of course, if we’re all craving subs on Friday, we can deviate from the plan. This structure, though, saves me hours of time each week.
Here’s a meal pattern example with possible recipes perfect for November:
- Soup Sunday: Triple-batch this cozy Creamy Chicken Pot Pie Soup. Serve one batch for dinner. Freeze a batch for later. Eat a batch throughout the week for lunches.
- Pasta Monday: If you haven’t tried the feta tomato pasta bake, you’re about to find your new favorite weeknight dinner. Make yours with organic lentil or edamame pasta for more protein. Serve with chicken, either thrown into the oven at the same time to roast or pulled from your batch of prepped chicken.
- Taco Tuesday: If you crave tacos all year round, like us, you’ll love these fall-inspired Chipotle Roasted Butternut Squash tacos. To make them macro-friendly, add 4oz of shredded chicken breast to each serving.
- One-Pan Wednesday: One pan dinners make weeknight cleanup quick. Start with this comforting One Pan Chicken and Rice to test whether this style of dinner fits your flow.
- Roast Thursday: With a dutch oven at the ready, Thursday dinner can feel elegant, like this whole roasted chicken.
- Free for All Friday: Grab scraps from the fridge, make a simple protein smoothie and popcorn, or eat out this night.
- Sheet-Pan Saturday: Keep Saturdays simple with a sheet pan meal, like this fall-forward harvest dinner.
📌 Pick Your Prep Day
Sundays are classic, but if your weekends are chaotic, try Mondays after work or Fridays before the weekend begins.
The key is consistency. Even two focused hours can change your entire week. If time is short, schedule how long you’ll meal prep instead of how much you’ll meal prep. Any progress you make will save you time later in the week, even if you don’t prep your entire menu.
Could Meal Prep Be Simpler?
If all this sounds great, but you’re still thinking I don’t have time to plan and prep all that, that’s exactly what the LEAN Monthly Membership covers this month.
We’ll deep dive into meal prep practices—everything you need to keep you nourished, energized, and sane through the busiest season of the year.
We’ll talk about meal-prep strategies so you can find the exact flow that works for you instead of adding another task to your to-do list. No overwhelm, just real food that fits real life.
So before the holiday madness begins, take an hour this weekend to set your kitchen (and your mindset) up for success. A calm, healthy November starts with a stocked fridge and a plan that works.
And, if calm mornings, cozy dinners, and crushing your health goals sounds like the kind of November you want, join the LEAN Monthly Membership. We’ll get you there.
