3 Time-Saving Holiday Cooking Strategies

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'Tis the season for joy, twinkling lights, and the promise of shared feasts with family and friends. Between shopping, decorating, and social engagements, time becomes a precious commodity, and preparing weeknight meals can become a stress-inducing task. This blog is a guide through my favorite time-saving holiday season meal hacks to help you can enjoy the next few weeks with less frazzle.

Time-Saving Holiday Cooking Strategies

1. Start with Pre-Prepped Ingredients

Embrace the semi-homemade approach to ease the load without sacrificing that homemade touch. Utilize high-quality store-bought items and add a personal flair. Consider these hacks:

• A store-bought rotisserie chicken can be a game-changer. Use it for a hearty chicken chili or quick lettuce wraps like this Chicken Hummus Lettuce Wrap.

• Begin with frozen pizza dough, then customize it for an easy, quick, and personalized pizza night.

• Don't shy away from pre-chopped produce. Perfect for roasting or tossing into salads, they save you the hassle of battling with a squash. These shortcuts focus your efforts where they count the most.

2. Cook Once, Eat Twice

Batch cooking is the name of the game to streamline Monday through Friday meals during the holiday season. This doesn't mean eating the same meal repeatedly but preparing components for various dishes. For instance:

• Cook a batch of rice or sweet potatoes at the week's start, serving as the foundation for different meals, from stir-fries to salads. Try this Fall Wild Rice Salad, my FAVORITE recipe to repurpose leftover rice (it doesn't have to be wild rice, any rice you make will be perfect) and potatoes.

• Hard-boiled eggs are versatile; make them in bulk for snacks, salads, or mashed sandwiches.

3. Sheet Pan and One-Pot Meals

Minimize cleanup with one-dish wonders. Sheet pan and one-pot recipes save time and treat your taste buds to amazing flavors.

• Create "baking pockets" with parchment-lined foil for moist, perfectly roasted fish. Try this Mediterranean Salmon Packet Meal

• Combine protein with seasonal veggies on a sheet pan for easy serving and cleanup.Try this Balsamic Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan Dinner.

• Instant Pot owners, rejoice! With minimal effort, whip up delicious meals like Instant Pot/Crockpot/Stovetop Chicken Cacciatore

As the festive lights twinkle and carols play, remember that the holiday season is a brief interlude meant for joy, and making memories with loved ones. Start reducing your stress around meal prep, and time management by experimenting with these time-saving holiday cooking tips. Enjoy the season!

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Additional Helpful Resources On This Site:

• From Frozen to Fabulous E Book: 5 best cooking hacks with frozen fruit and vegetables

• Grocery Shopping Brand Guide -We checked all the nutrition labels to save you time when you are shopping. This guide includes clickable links to healthy food brand names for you to check out before heading to the store.

Sign up for a FREE trial of my meal plans, no no credit card required. The Simple Eats plan is filled with recipes with a short list of ingredients. Perfect if you are living in an off campus apartment. Search through the library of recipes to find your top 10 favs that you can cook with your eye's shut. Perfect for those weeks when your workload is high.

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*Disclaimer: Ellen Petrosino Consulting has no affiliation with any of the mentioned brands on this website.

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