There are two ways to combat the crazy-busy whirl that is the holidays.
- Let things go. Don’t try to do it all, or anywhere near all of it.
- Plan ahead.
We’re going to focus on the second one this week. I’ve got some ideas here for foods that can be made ahead and frozen. And on Saturday, we’re getting together on Facebook for a Virtual Cooking Party for holiday prep. If you’ve got time, I’d love for you to pop in over there to cook and visit with us. We’ll gather on the main Facebook page. I’m looking forward to getting a lot of prep work done myself! On November 16, Liz from Hoosier Homemade is hosting a Virtual Baking Day so you’ll have another chance to get some prep work done for the holidays.
Anything you do now will be a help later.
One way to help yourself out during the holidays is to stock your freezer with some everyday foods. Knowing you’ve got pre-cooked meats, soups and casseroles stashed away will free up mind space, time and sanity when you’re trying to fit in all that shopping, wrapping and decorating.
Check out all of my freezer recipes and tips. I’m going to be focusing on cooking up chicken and other meats and making some soups. I love being able to pull a container of frozen soup out and pop it into the crock pot in the morning. Homemade soup for dinner with no work is fantastic!
Bake & Freeze Bread, Quick Breads and Muffins
All of these can be used for guests, taking to parties, quick gifts or just feeding your own family. You don’t even have to have a plan for it when you put it in the freezer. It will be there for when you need it.
- Check out 28 Muffins You’ll Want to Try.
- Bake up a batch of Depression Era Bread.
- Make some Cranberry Braid Bread, Pineapple Carrot Bread or Cream Cheese Banana Bread.
Make some gifts in a jar.
Last week, Liz featured Hot Cocoa jars with chocolate spoons and marshmallows and Tea Jars too.
I posted 4 no bake, no cook snack mixes, including the Hollywood Mix with a free printable you see above. On Friday, I’m posting homemade seasoned salt and Italian Herb Salt mix.
Set aside time to put some of these easy gifts together. You’ll be happy to have something to give to teachers, neighbors and friends.
Cookies and Cakes
Nearly any kind of cookie is a good candidate for freezing. I have a lot of cookie recipes. I won’t link them all, but here’s a link to the cookie category, if you’re looking for some new recipes. I like to freeze cookies in ziploc bags. If they have icing on them, you can freeze them with wax paper between the layers.
Cakes can also be frozen, if you’ve got the space in your freezer.
What do you make ahead to get yourself ready for the holidays?
Love the cocoa in a jar from earlier and the snacks in a jar in this post. When my baby sister was younger, her friends (or their mothers) used to drop by the house unannounced to deliver an unexpected present. Instead of thanking them empty-handed (and later rushing to prepare an in-return gift), Annie and I prepared around ten hot cocoa jars to hand back to the sweet doorbell-ringing gift-givers.
Love the idea of soup in the freezer. Hoping I can pop in on Saturday!
~Liz