Once the holiday season is in full swing, it can feel really hard to balance the everyday “life stuff”. You know what I mean… simple things like getting dinner on the table can feel like an impossible task! We all know that time is tight during the busy holiday season. If you’re feeling stretched thin this month, come along and check out some of my top tips for maximizing your time in the kitchen. Not only will these help you maintain a more nourishing eating pattern, but they’ll save your sanity too!
Take Stock of What Matters
First things first… if you’re feeling the pressure of a tight timeline and packed schedule, let’s take stock of what really matters. I know we all have lots on our schedules this time of year, but I encourage you to think about which things you’re participating in because you want to and which things you’re participating in out of obligation. I did this same exercise in my own household and I can speak from experience in saying there’s a wonderful freedom in “minimizing” your holiday commitments to prioritize your mental health and the well-being of your family.
Sticking with the activities that bring you and your family holiday joy and opting out of those that don’t will help ease the burden of holiday stress! We all know that added stress is bad for sleep, increases inflammation, and can even have a negative effect on overall health. Taking some time to “lighten the load” is worth the effort.
While you can certainly skip this step, I think it’s a valuable exercise in paring down to the essentials. Because at the end of the day, it is really hard to take care of yourself and your loved ones when you’re burning the candle at both ends.
Time-Saving Tips
Okay, now that we’ve got that covered – let’s dive into the tips to save you time in the kitchen and help you and your family eat healthy over the holidays. With a few simple tweaks, you can still have fresh, wholesome meals on the table and stay on track with your health goals. Even during the busiest (and most wonderful) time of the year!
Go Semi-Homemade
As someone who LOVES cooking, you might be surprised to hear that I frequently use shortcuts in the kitchen to save time. While I love cooking from scratch, sometimes it’s just not feasible with my schedule. Opting to take a shortcut can turn a potential take-out night into an opportunity to get a healthy meal on the table FAST and save you a lot of money too. For example, here are a few options to try….
- Stock up on frozen stir-fry vegetables, fully cooked brown rice and quinoa, canned beans, and other proteins like salmon and chicken. Having these “building blocks” for quick meals in your fridge and freezer will make it simple and easy to whip up a meal in a flash!
- Grab a rotisserie chicken and incorporate it into soups or chilis so you can reap the benefits of protein without spending extra time cooking it. Shred the chicken and use it as a salad topper for lunch too!
- Buy pre-chopped produce, especially those hard-to-manage vegetables like squash that are more time-intensive to prepare. Toss with a little olive oil and dried herbs and roast for a side dish or added to salads during the week.
Cook Once, Eat Twice
Batch cooking is an efficient way to keep up with your healthy eating goals even when you’re super busy. Essentially, this simply means cooking more than what you need in the moment so you can take advantage of having all of your cooking tools and gadgets out. This is especially helpful because you’re already going to be cleaning after cooking, so you might as well make double and have some extra food to use throughout the week.
The good news is that you don’t need to give up your whole weekend for cooking either… simply be strategic with your batch cooking in ways such as the following:
- Need rice or quinoa for your Monday night meal? Make a large batch so you can easily incorporate it in salads and grain bowls all week long.
- Making hard-boiled eggs? It takes the same amount of time to make six as it does to make two. Enjoy the extras as a snack, or crumble into salads.
- Baking sweet potatoes? Make a few more than you need and you’ll have the base for an easy, customizable lunch ready to go. Add the protein of your choice and green veggies and you’ve got a complete meal in minutes!
- Roasting veggies? Make two trays so you’ll have extras for lunches and dinners throughout the week!
Sheet Pan and One-Pot Meals
If you’re not already doing this, prepare for a total game-changer! For so many of us, our least favorite part of cooking is the clean-up. Make it easier on yourself by using one-dish meals to seriously cut down on time spent doing the dishes. These recipes tend to be less complicated and use simple ingredients too, which is a total win in my book! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Create baking pockets by lining foil with parchment then crimping for perfectly roasted fish that stays juicy, never dry.
- Roasting your favorite protein with seasonal produce is a tasty no-fuss way to incorporate a few servings of vegetables into a meal. Try roasting chickpeas + sweet potatoes + broccoli + bell peppers and drizzling with tahini after cooking for a delicious weeknight meal.
- Make soups and different types of chili! There are so many great options out there and many of them use pantry staples like canned beans, dry pasta, tomato sauce, and broth.
Still need some more ideas? Click the links below to check out a few of my favorite easy recipes for cold winter nights:
- Pizza Soup
- Vegetarian Taco Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Mediterranean Roasted Chickpeas and Vegetables
- Chili 5 Ways Recipe Pack
- Corn and Potato Chowder
- 5 Ingredient Sanity Saving Meals
Meal Plan to Save Time!
My last tip friends is to meal plan! Yes, really! Simply mapping out your meals for the week can save you so much time, decision fatigue, and money. I like to take a look at my pantry, fridge, and freezer before the week starts and see what I can come up with.
Remember, simple meals with pantry staples are where it’s at. Choose meals that have 5 ingredients or less and come together quickly to make this a sustainable habit you’ll want to stick with. So, as we navigate the busiest time of the year, remember to keep it simple. Plan easy, healthy, family favorites and use what you’ve already got on hand. I promise, once you get into a rhythm, meal planning will be a game-changer!
