During extremely busy times, like the holidays, I like to remember these five tips. Remember to plan the menu, use appliances, rely on the freezer, make food convenient and switch out breakfast for dinner.
1. Plan the menu: Ideally, your meals should be planned out for the week. But, not everyone is "there" yet. So here's a fall-back plan. If you know you'll be shopping in the afternoon or out doing some kind of holiday activity, make sure you have planned what you will be having for dinner the night before by 10 p.m. You need to also plan for enough time to make it.
If, on the other hand, you know you'll be home all day, but busy with baking, crafts, decorating, etc., make sure you have decided on dinner by 10 a.m. Pull out something to thaw, check ingredients - make sure you're ready to roll before the dinner hour and before you're forced to call the pizza guy again.
2. Use appliances: We all have them - those forgotten appliances that live in the back of our cupboards in the kitchen. You know, the appliances that were going to make our lives easier, that we all just had to have? For example, the crock pot is the ultimate lost appliance, sleeping on the shelf - unused - waiting to whip up culinary wonders while we are out all day at work, shopping or whatever.
Plan a little time to get everything in the crock pot in the morning and leave the rest of it up to your appliance, the crock pot or slow cooker. It'll take care of everything and promises not to burn it, too. What more could a busy person want?
3. Go to the freezer: Next time you are making dinner, try doubling or even tripling that meatloaf recipe and freezing the extra portion. It really doesn't take much extra time, and believe it or not, if you stock your freezer this week, by the time the holidays are going full throttle, you should have a mini-mother lode of dinners just waiting to be thawed and heated. Now that makes freezer cooking a breeze! Get more help with freezer meals here.
4. Make it convenient: Once upon a time, I wouldn't normally buy lettuce in a bag, already washed and ready to go. Times sure have changed! In my opinion, this kind of convenience really pays off - like during the holidays, for example. Make a list of convenience foods you might not normally buy, and make sure you have a few on hand to use "just in case."
5. Try breakfast for dinner: Scrambled eggs and toast really are substantial and take all of 10 minutes to make. If you put a little cheese on top of the eggs and pour orange juice into wine glasses, and maybe even light a few candles, no one will suspect you didn't have the time to do your normal dinner "thing"- and the kids will love it!
Now, these are not unique tips or even surprising. It's just common sense. Most likely, you already know about and do one or all of these tips. I know I do, but sad to say, I forget to do the little extra it takes to make my life easier in the future. Like storing second meals in the freezer, or using appliances that are stored somewhere on a back shelf. But… even one of these tips can carry you through the holidays with ease.
Essential ingredients for life... When planning your next menu, once a month pick a day to invite a friend or family member to sit at your table.
LIFE IS SHORT, EVEN WHEN IT'S LONG. Yes, time goes by so fast. Be social with the people in your life who mean so much from love to love, hugs and kisses, squeezes and smiles. Get together with your family often.
I know I should be better at socializing myself. I used to be. I loved getting together and celebrating good times, but now for me life isn't what it used to be. I focus too much on life's challenges, and I forget to appreciate today. Don't let this happen. The clock is ticking. Make the menu of your LIFE amazing every minute of every day.
That's it for today, blog.