It’s time to start planning your Thanksgiving meal and Meals Matter can help. Planning ahead is one of the easiest ways to avoid becoming overloaded during the hectic holiday season.

To help families take some of the stress out of preparing a Thanksgiving feast, we've selected some of our favorite make-ahead holiday dishes. Several of them can be made ahead of time so you’ll have plenty of extra time to spend with your family, instead of preparing food, this Thanksgiving.

For a festive family feast that’s relatively stress-free, plan on Maple Roasted Turkey with Stuffed Squash with Bulgur and Feta and Maple-Pumpkin Custards with Crystallized Ginger. Both the squash and the custard can be made in advance, leaving you with plenty of time for the turkey.

Here are some delicious holiday appetizer and side dish recipes that can also be made in advance: Spinach Balls, Caramelized Apples with Toasted Walnut Brie, Triple Cranberry Sauce and Thanksgiving Giblet Gravy.

Turkey needs to be carefully stored, thawed and cooked to prevent foodborne illness.

Turkeys are large, often purchased frozen and typically filled with stuffing, which makes it more difficult to thoroughly cook the bird to a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees.

We’ve put together Tips for Cooking a Turkey to help you purchase, thaw and prepare your turkey safely.

Daylight Saving Time ends today, with most of the country falling back an hour to return to Standard Time. This time change marks the end of the harvest, and store shelves and road side stands offer wide varieties of squash, apples and pumpkin during this time.

Celebrate with a Fall Harvest Family Meal of Squash and Leek Lasagna, Apple Salad with Yogurt Honey Dressing and a Light and Creamy Pumpkin Mousse.

Warm your family as the weather cools with other hearty Fall Harvest recipes, including Roasted Fall Vegetables, Slow Cooker Fall Pork Tenderloin, Fall Ratatouille and Cinnamint Cappuccino.

If you haven’t already, register now to add these and other healthy recipes to your own personalized meal plan and shopping list. It’s free!