I remember a couple years ago, I made a batch of soup for a friend who had a baby. She returned my plastic containers to me not long after. Side note: when you bring a meal to someone, if possible bring it in a container that doesn’t need to be returned. The last thing someone who’s sick, stressed, or caring for a newborn needs is to keep track of Tupperware.

I should have taken my own advice, of course, but this particular time that faux pas turned out well for me. My friend returned those containers stocked with her own homemade soup. It was an unnecessary but delightful surprise.

I tend to overcomplicate things. While researching a recipe using bread I thought, “Well, why not just make the bread myself?” That’s all fine and good. Things with homemade bread taste better. But while I daydreamed about the smell of dough in the oven, a pile of laundry sat in my bedroom, dishes from two meals ago filled my sink, I had yet to shower, and I watched my one-year-old running by with a diaper about to explode. I don’t have time for homemade bread—but I bookmarked the recipe for another day. Maybe tomorrow. Or next week. Or when my kids drive off to college. For now, I need to simplify.

Many of us will gather around the table to celebrate Thanksgiving in a couple days, and if your family is anything like mine, there will be an abundance of food. We’ll talk and eat and laugh and eat some more. We’ll all go home with leftovers for a week, and you’d better believe I’m already thinking about the turkey sandwich I’ll make the next day. 

Thanksgiving dinner is the quintessential feast. 

This Mixed Berry Chia Pudding is creamy, nutritious, fruity, and dairy-free. Whip up a batch for breakfast or a grab and go snack!