Top 3 Tips for Mindful Behavior in Your Holiday Prep
The days are getting a little shorter, our clothes are a little warmer and it’s time to gear up for our next holiday season. It's a time for tradition, celebration, and creating cherished memories.
The winter holidays are a great time for gathering with family but they are also very food centered. Food evokes wonderful feelings of comfort and tradition but it can also bring on mindless eating, grazing and feelings of shame.
What is your holiday mindful behavior plan this season?
Between shopping, decorating, and social engagements, time becomes a precious commodity, and preparing holiday meals can transform from a joyous occasion into a stress-inducing task.
The abundance of rich foods and the atmosphere of indulgence can lead to overeating, making it difficult to listen to our body's cues and maintain the balance we strive for in our health and wellness.
Yet, the holidays shouldn't have to be a choice between savoring the moment and staying true to our wellness goals. With a sprinkle of strategy and a dash of planning, it's entirely possible to revel in the joys of the season while engaging in mindful behavior.
I want to share my favorite time-saving hacks for efficient holiday meal prep and mindful techniques to enjoy the festive feasting without overindulgence. Let's unwrap these holiday hacks to ensure a season that's both merry and light.
Time-Saving Strategies
In the heart of the holiday hustle, time becomes as coveted as the secret family recipes we cherish. To ensure you can enjoy the festivities without the frazzle, let's explore some effective time-saving strategies for holiday meal prep and cooking.
A holiday strategy, either written on an excel spreadsheet or kept in your head, can be a form of self-care and part of our mindful behavior plan.
Start with Pre-Prepped Ingredients
Go semi-homemade
Embrace the semi-homemade approach to give yourself a break without sacrificing the home-cooked feel of your meals. Utilize high-quality store-bought items and give them a personal touch. Here are some semi-homemade hacks you might consider:
Frozen diced vegegtables (these are crying to go on a sheet pan for a fast meal)
Frozen diced onions (it’s not cheating)
Dorot frozen garlic and herbs
Diced fruits or vegetables in the produce section
Cooked lentils at Trader Joe’s
Most grocery stores will offer fresh prepared foods from their store or from local chefs. My area has products such as Table and Twine, Reids, Beverly’s Gourmet Food, Something Classic and many others.
These shortcuts are not just about cutting corners; they're about smartly allocating your efforts where they count the most.
Keep Recipes Simple and Repeat
Cook Once, Eat Twice
Consider the principle of batch cooking to streamline your meal prep. This doesn't mean eating the same meal repeatedly but preparing components that can be used in various ways throughout the week. For instance:
Cook a large batch of rice or quinoa at the beginning of the week. This can then serve as the foundation for different meals, from stir-fries to salads. Roasted Butternut Squash Try this squash recipe (or any veggie). Roast it once and add it to eggs, salad and wraps over the next few days.
Hard-boiled eggs are another versatile ingredient that can be made in bulk and used for snacks, to enhance salads, or mashed for sandwiches. How to Hard Boil Eggs
Sheet Pan and One-Pot Meals
Minimize cleanup by focusing on one-dish meals. Sheet pan and one-pot recipes are not just a boon for your time but also for your taste buds, as they allow flavors to meld together beautifully.
Try your hand at creating "baking pockets" with parchment-lined foil for moisture-rich, perfectly roasted fish. Mediterranean Salmon Packet Recipe
Combine a protein with seasonal vegetables on a sheet pan for an easy meal that simplifies serving and cleanup. Tofu Sheet Pan Recipe
And for those who own an Instant Pot, it's a perfect time to experiment. With minimal effort, you can have a delicious meal like Chicken Cacciatore or Chickpea Stew ready in no time. IP Chicken Cacciatore
Hosting Strategies
Quantity over Variety
If there is one person I know can host and entertain, it’s my mom. Here are some strategies I have gained from her. If you are hosting a holiday gathering, prepare larger quantities of a few foods instead of going overboard with a variety of recipes. This will simplify your work, you can balance the meal and everyone will still have plenty of food.
Delegate!
It is completely acceptable to have guests contribute to the meal by bringing a dish. You may have a game plan of the meal and offer suggestions of “a green side”, “a potato dish” or “root veggies” to help churn their creative juices for favorite dishes. Their dishes will compliment the gathering and be fun to share. It can help with the day of prep for you as well!
Navigating Holiday Treats
Holiday treats are so abundant and so delicious.
Is it easier to avoid these all together? All or Nothing.
Do you restrict all day to allow for these goodies?
If you have one, does the “what the hell” effect happen and you have really made a dent?
What is a mindful behavior approach to these goodies?
Don’t restrict!
This goes back to our diet restriction mentality. When we put the rule in our head that we aren’t allowed to have any or that if I allow some I can’t control myself; we lose trust with our bodies. Hello, inner teenager!
How would it look to add in some holiday treats with your meal?
Selecting Wisely
When faced with an array of holiday treats, it can be challenging to choose wisely. A good tactic is to be selective and prioritize treats that are special to the season, ones you truly love, rather than those you could have at any time of the year. When you do indulge, savor the flavor and eat slowly to increase your enjoyment and satisfaction.
Homemade Over Store-bought
·Opt for homemade goodies when you can. Not only are they often more satisfying, but they're also usually made with more whole ingredients than store-bought versions, which often come with added preservatives and artificial flavors. I love to bake and this may be my favorite site for baking…see what you think! Sally’s Baking Addiction
Savor your food
·Take your time and really enjoy that treat that you selected, without guilt. One mindful behavior I encourage when eating a fun food is to take a deep breath and think of your 5 senses while you eat the food. How does that food smell, what is the texture like in your mouth, appearance, how do you feel eating it? Take your time to enjoy the food.
I hope that by adding in a few of these mindful behaviors this holiday season you will feel better armed to enjoy family, friends AND the food this year. In the next blog, I will dive into more holiday strategies.
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