How to reduce food related holiday stress

Holidays are often as stressful as they are joyful and food is a significant part of it. With Thanksgiving just over, you probably know what I mean unless you had a plan that worked and keep your stress levels down, like I was lucky enough to. With more holidays on the way, here are my tips to make food the not-so-stressful part of the holiday.

1. Have a go to dish that you bring to potluck events. This dish should be a simple one and it should travel well. I went to a potluck event on Saturday and I brought pasta with an avocado pesto sauce and it was a hit. Even I like it, and I'm not exactly known for liking avocados, and I do intend to make it again, especially for potluck events. It's a good way to get your greens in (which may be difficult at potlucks) and pesto is good hot or cold so if it gets cold on the way (or before it's served), it's fine. Pasta in general travels very well as long as the container it's in is not breakable. I just used a 9x13 aluminum foil casserole dish to avoid worrying about it breaking or having to do the dishes.

2. Along the same lines of the aluminum foil dish, don't be afraid to use them. I normally don't encourage that because they're bad for the environment but holidays are known for bad traffic, both on the roads and in the dishwasher! If you bring a dish somewhere else, you may not get it back. Don't be afraid to use disposable dishes to cut down on these very problems.

3. Serve a salad as an option at your holiday meal. It may be unheard of to have salad be the holiday meal but it's always a good idea to have some raw food at each meal. Cooked food in and of itself is not a bad thing at all but moderation is important to eating healthy. Healthy eating on holidays may help you to manage your holiday stress, so it's definitely worth it. It can also make it easier to maintain your healthy habits post-holiday when you can no longer use the holidays as your excuse.

4. Speaking of the holiday meal, DO NOT FAST IN THE HOURS LEADING UP TO IT. Unless your holiday in question is some religious holiday that requires fasting, then you do you. Who am I to tell you not to practice your religion? I discourage the practice of fasting for non-religious reasons because fasting can lead to a blood sugar drop, causing crankiness, a bad mood, headaches, dizziness, nausea, the works! It can also lead to overeating at the holiday meal. Don't be afraid to serve some hors d'oeuvres. And let go of everything you were ever taught about not eating while cooking. Let yourself have a snack like everybody else.

5. Any foods consumed until the holiday meal shouldn't require any utensils. You already have to do enough dishes as it is. The best snacks to serve are finger foods that take minimal prep work. Raw fruits or veggies with hummus are great options. So are chips, dip, and crackers. Definitely serve things to drink as well but nothing that requires a blender. Water is a great choice but I'd advise against making smoothies or juices. If you have store bought ones like from Trader Joe's, that's a good choice too because it's already prepped for you. Just don't DIY them the day your dishwasher is already the highway during rush hour.

6. Have a plan. Don't feel like you must do all the cooking the day of. It's okay to do some the day before to save stress. However, don't start cooking too soon because you don't want items to go bad on the actual day. It's also a good idea to work on eating thingsthat are already in the fridge before you go grocery shopping for holiday food so you have a place to put the groceries. Bonus: you'll then have a place to put the leftovers after you use the groceries!

7. If you plan to have leftovers, have a plan to use them. Don't let yourself make so much food that your leftovers go bad before you're done using them. Have some ideas for recipes that use up leftover ingredients. After awhile, eating them as they are. Gets. Really. Darn. Boring. Doing something different with them is a great way to give your leftovers some new life, even if all you do is throw some stuff in a casserole dish.

8. Know about people's diet restrictions. If you're hosting, this is something to be aware of. Some diet restrictions could be life or death. Being vegan generally is not but please take them seriously too. They have reasons they hold as close to their hearts as religion and that needs to be respected. On the other hand, don't stress too much. You are not their nutritionist but make sure the person has options. It's okay if it's not how the person normally eats (no one else will be eating like always either) but if they have some variety of things you know they like, you've done your job. At the potluck I mentioned earlier, the hosts know that I am vegan gluten free so they always make tofu when I'm there. They also served chips and salsa, which is a very good vegan option. And the pasta dish I brought used a homemade sauce with a gluten free pasta, so I had four options of things I could eat.

9. If you have diet restrictions and are not hosting, bring something you can eat. Don't bring special food just for you but if you bring something to share that is safe for you, you're both included and have an option.

10. For heaven's sake, please do not put serving dishes on the table! I see people put all the food on the table on TV shows and it happened at most of the sleepaway camps I went to as a kid, so I'm guessing some families probably do it. This is a very bad idea. It makes for a cramped table and it's hard to enjoy a serene holiday meal atmosphere when the table is just as cramped as the plane some of you may have taken to get there! Instead, dedicate a counter in your kitchen and that's where you'll set up all the food and serve it buffet style. My family always takes this approach and I wouldn't do it any other way.

11. Most importantly, prioritize! You may have a million things you want to get done but be realistic about what you can realistically accomplish. They may all be nice things to do but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. Your family and the true meaning of the holiday are much more important.

I hope these tips help you to enjoy the holidays a little more this year and gives you some guidance about how to handle what may be the biggest part of the celebration.