What’s on the menu for Christmas dinner? Dining out for Christmas dinner or on Christmas Eve is a tradition for some families, but others prefer to stay in. Staying in and cooking a meal at home can be more relaxing and save you a ton of money.
Christmas is not a cheap holiday for most, so cutting corners when it comes to spending can help your budget out tremendously.
Here are a few Christmas dinner foods you can prepare easily so your family can enjoy a relaxing evening together.
Turkey Tenderloin with Cranberry Sauce
Pick up a turkey tenderloin at your local grocery store to roast. They usually add up to be about $2 per serving and depending on the brand, you can choose what flavor or marinate seasoning you’d like.
You can cook the tenderloin in the over or in a slow cooker throughout the day so it’s nice and tender. You can serve cranberry sauce on the side along with some vegetables like a delicious blend of Brussel sprouts, bacon and onions.
I love this brussel sprouts recipe in particular because it’s easy to prepare and so tasty that even kids will enjoy it.
Rotisserie Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Carrots
If you’ve had enough turkey on Thanksgiving to last you a while, you can try cooking some rotisserie chicken instead. You don’t have to go to Boston Market to get delicious, flavorful rotisserie chicken.
You can purchase a whole chicken or two halves at your local grocery store. The main secret to cooking tender rotisserie chicken is using a baking bag. A baking bag is an oven-safe bag that you seal the chicken in when it goes in the oven to lock in moisture and flavor. Some baking bags come with a pack of seasoning as well. One of my favorite brands for rotisserie chicken is McCormick Bag ‘N Seasoning.
Using this product is super easy, not to mention cheap since the baking bag is only about ranges from about $2.50 to $3.50 at the store and can hold up to 2 lbs of chicken. Once you sprinkle the seasoning on your chicken and seal it in the bag to bake, just set your timer and leave it be. I’d recommend cooking it on a lower oven temperature like 375 degrees. It will come out tender and perfectly cooked each time.
For side dishes, you can prepare some hearty mashed potatoes and fresh boiled carrots. For the mashed potatoes, you can prepare them from scratch or choose from Idahoan’s wide variety of flavors including Roasted Garlic, Four Cheese, and Buttery Homestyle. These little packs cost about $1.25 each and give you perfect mashed potatoes in minutes.
For your vegetable, cut up fresh carrots (they taste wayyyy better that the frozen kind) and boil in a saucepan with water, sale and a little herbs like parsley.
Meatless Loaf Topped with Gravy and Spinach and Feta Casserole
For a yummy vegetarian dinner option, try to prepare a meatless loaf with vegetarian burger crumbles, a packet of beef and onion dry soup mix, bread crumbs, two eggs, and some salt and pepper to taste. Mix all the ingredients up and put it on an oven safe pan while shaping the mixture into a loaf. Bake your meatless loaf for 40 minutes on 400 degrees and top with brown gravy when it’s fully cooked.
Casseroles are the ultimate comfort food. For your side, check out this tasty spinach and feta cheese casserole recipe that you can prep easily in just 20 minutes.
What will you be preparing for dinner for the holidays or who will you be visiting?
Chonce is a freelance writer who’s obsessed with frugality and passionate about helping others increase their savings rate, eliminate debt, and work toward financial stability. She chronicles her journey to becoming debt-free on her blog, mydebtepiphany.com.
