Let’s not forget that with school out and a few extra days
out of the office, there will have to be some eating at home. If you have a
large gathering to attend, you are likely relieved from meal duty for at least
one meal. But what happens if you’re hosting? What happens after the festivities?
Let’s start with the party. . .
If you’re hosting,
say "yes". That is, say yes to the offers of help you are likely to receive. No matter how
great or small the contribution, it all amounts to less stress for you. Someone bringing holiday napkins and Christmas
crackers means two less things on your shopping list and at least one less line
to stand in.
Make it easy to help.
Even if you like to prepare the entire meal yourself, you can’t possibly
like doing all of the clean-up. Have a
few zip loc baggies or disposable food storage containers on hand. If you offer guests the opportunity to take
some leftovers home, everything needed will be within reach, with less left for
you to deal with.
Also, try to have extra rubber gloves and tea towels in the
kitchen, for those good Samaritans who want to help with the dishes.
Don’t strive for perfection. Holiday gatherings aren’t about trying to impress one another (I hope). Let’s put the focus on enjoying the celebration and each other’s company. A glass may break, a side dish may get overdone. These are just minor details to be added to the holiday annals.
Embrace catering. Just because you have graciously offered to host an event, doesn’t mean that everything has to be prepared from scratch. Ordering a dessert, side dishes, savoury pies or even a cooked turkey is perfectly acceptable. Just be sure to place your order far in advance to avoid disappointment.
And once the party’s over . . .
Plan for lighter
meals. Everyone worries about putting on a few extra pounds during the
holidays. All that home-baked goodness is
too good to resist. To combat the effects of over-indulging, stock your fridge
with greens. Bagged salads are healthy and easily turned in to a quick and healthy meal. Grilled chicken is
readily available in supermarkets and provides a lean source of protein. If you’d rather have
soup on these cool evenings, you can stock the pantry with your favourite
store-bought variety, or shop for the ingredients that will allow you to
prepare a homemade soup with your leftovers.
Freeze. Cooked
meat or poultry can be frozen. You’ll
likely want to use it for pot pies or some type of dish that has a sauce or
gravy, but it beats throwing it away.
Check out some
recipes. Knowing what you want to make in advance is half the battle. I’m
including some recipes that I plan to make over the next few weeks, as
well as a link to some new ideas.
Turkey
Pot Pie (I use a pre-made crust)
No matter how you spend your time over the next couple of weeks, I wish you all the best of the season and health and happiness in 2015. See’ya next year!
