The holidays can be an extremely stressful time of year. There are so many activities to participate in, such as holiday festivities, parties, and other events. You open your kitchen to family and friends, cooking tons of food. You travel to visit your loved ones. In the hustle and bustle of holiday season, preparing meals during your regular week becomes a difficult task. Here’s how you can stay on top of your meal planning and get ahead this holiday season.
Think Ahead for Thanksgiving
The major way most people fail during the holidays is by not planning ahead. Whether your family and friends are always on schedule, or waiting until the last minute, if you do your best to plan ahead, Thanksgiving will be a much more smooth time.
Get the head count for whomever you have invited over for the holiday meal. That way you can create a shopping list and know how much food you will need to prepare ahead of time. It’s never too early to plan out drinks, appetizers, and the main dishes. Avoid the lines at the grocery store and get ahead of the game!
Don’t Take Full Responsibility
Enlist others to help you during the holidays. You don’t have to have a nice warm, home cooked meal every single night. Go out to eat when the task of cooking meals seems to overwhelming. Ask your spouse to take a turn cooking if the work falls primarily on you. Another thing you can do if your children are old enough is teach them how to follow recipes and let them make a meal.
One of the best ways to avoid burnout when it comes to meals during the holiday is not handling it alone. Your holiday shopping list is your best friend during this time of year. It’s essential to keep a well-stocked pantry to ensure you have easy-to-make meals that don’t require an extra trip to the grocery store.
Ask People to Bring a Dish
If you have plans to invite people over for a holiday meal or something along those lines, don’t be afraid to ask them to bring a dish. This is another way to ensure the responsibility doesn’t fall completely on your shoulders. It also gives you extra time to prepare the main meal and other snacks.
During a holiday meal, if you have multiple family members, ask that they each bring a specific dish to eat. Things such as drinks, salad, sides, and snacks are easy to ask others to bring, while you focus on the main meal.
Designate a Day to Meal Prep
During the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it’s easy to lose track of everyday meal planning. It’s easy to plan out meals and make them all on one day. Pinterest is full of meal prepping recipes, where you can make meals that last all week. You simply need to designate one day to make your meals out for the rest of the week and freeze them until you’re ready to eat them.