Thanksgiving is a beautiful time to spend with loved ones. However, it can also be a stressful time for some. With meal planning and setting up your home for guests, there are a lot of details to plan for and it can be a bit overwhelming. Don’t worry—we have some tips for you so you can have a stress-free Thanksgiving:
Simplify the meal prep
While traditional Thanksgiving dinners may call for freshly made goods, if you want to avoid the stress of trying to cook multiple dishes to perfection, consider simplifying the process. Whether you order Thanksgiving treats so you can avoid pie and cookie preparation or you get your dinner catered, there are several ways you can simplify your meal prep.
You can still provide your loved ones with a great dinner, minus all of the stress involved with cooking every single dish on your own. Another alternative is to prepare a delectable one-pot meal in a Crock-Pot.
Plan ahead with a head count
The last thing you want to do is not have enough food for everyone. While last-minute guests do tend to come up, you can still prepare by getting an idea of the total number of people coming to the dinner, so you can make sure you have plenty to share. Of course, if there’s one thing we love about Thanksgiving, it’s that there are plenty of leftovers.
So, while you’re probably used to cooking more than enough, having an estimate of guests can make sure there’s enough to go around and more. Not only that, but if you’re preparing a potluck dinner, you can use an online app to schedule and plan the meal, so that there are no repeated dishes.
Schedule down time on Thanksgiving Day
One reason why Thanksgiving can be a bit stressful is that you may feel like you have to cook everything yourself the day of. However, if you schedule treats or food to be delivered, you can eliminate that stress. Of course, if you do want to prepare the food yourself, try to plan ahead so you still get to have some down time with your loved ones, instead of working hard in the kitchen all day.
Consider a potluck style Thanksgiving
You could help to make the food preparation a bit less stressful by asking your loved ones to prepare dishes for dinner. A potluck Thanksgiving helps to ensure there’s enough food to go around and eliminates the pressure on one person to cook all the food.
While you may be the best cook in the family, you can always cook the dishes you love best while inviting others to bring the Instant Pot side dishes you’re not crazy about preparing.
Make the meal prep a party in itself
Why not get the whole family or circle of friends involved with the preparation and make it a part of the Thanksgiving party? You can play music, enjoy cocktails together, or watch a movie while you do the nitty-gritty part of preparing a Thanksgiving meal.
Fun snacks in the morning can get everyone ready for the cooking part of the Thanksgiving celebration. More hands preparing the food will help to ensure that the meal is on time and takes the stress off one person’s shoulders.
In Conclusion
Whether you throw a huge party for Thanksgiving that includes a party planner, or you do something more laid back with a new take on the traditional meal, your Thanksgiving prep doesn’t have to be stressful. From working with a professional catering company to asking all of your loved ones to bring a dish, there are ways to make your Thanksgiving dinner a success, with minimal stress and a whole lot of food and fun.