It is that time of year again. The school year has begun and we are hurtling toward Rosh Hashanah. And for an entire month, beginning with Rosh Hashanah, including Yom Kippur (while we don't eat on Yom Kippur, we do have nice meals before and after), and heading all the way through Sukkot and Simchat Torah, we will be cooking and eating. Throw in all of the Shabbat meals that fall in between and we can all assume that for a solid month, we will just be cooking and eating and doing it all over again on repeat. This can feel overwhelming for those of us who are in charge of preparing those meals. Over the years, I have found several ways to alleviate some of that stress and pressure from my Yom Tov preparations. Here are some of my favorite ways to get through all of those meals and hopefully still be sane. Well, as sane as possible. I guess that is all relative, and around Yom Tov time, it is relatives that might lead anyone to the brink of insanity. Anyway, these techniques help get me through:
Make a list of ALL meals that need to be planned. I include meals like seudat shlishi, food for little kids to eat early if they can't stay up for the meal, afternoon snacks, etc. You will use this list to actually plan out your meals, but this way, you won't forget the little extras that are more likely to be forgotten.
Mark down any meals that you will be eating at someone else's house. This will remind you that you don't need to plan food for that meal, but probably need a host gift.
Plan to use certain dishes multiple times. I will plan to make a double or triple batch of certain desserts and side dishes, or even main dishes and freeze them. There are three main groupings of meals for Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah. You can make, for example, a triple batch of apple cake and serve it once during each of those three weeks. If you plan enough dishes to double or triple, it will reduce the amount of time you are cooking and the number of dishes you need to plan.
Plan on some dishes that use up leftovers. Serving deli meat at a meal? Plan to use leftovers to make a deli roll for the next shabbos. Or a chicken pot pie out of leftover roast chicken. You get the idea. If you plan it out, you can save money and time with this technique.
Write your menu plan in a notebook or on the computer. Keep this for the next year. I have a notebook that has all of my Yom Tov menus since 2011. This makes it so much easier for the planning process. That first year, I had to really think about what I was making. But the next year, I could use the same menu, with some minor adjustments based on changes in diets or preferences or extra dishes needed for guests. The year after that, you will have two years to go back and see what you planned, making the process even easier. Just swap a dish or two and you are ready.
Once I have my menu ready, I make two lists. One is a master list of all of the dishes that need to be cooked. That way, I can cross them off as I prepare them and I hopefully won't forget anything. The second list is a grocery list, so I can hopefully get all of shopping done in as few trips as possible. I do this for each group/week of meals.
And coffee. Just kidding. I do love coffee and drink it almost every day, but as I can only drink decaf, it actually doesn't help me get through any of the food prep process for Yom Tov. It just tastes good, which makes me happy. So maybe it does help after all. A good outlook and enjoying your preparations for Yom Tov is always the best way to make it less stressful.
Hopefully, some of these tips will help make planning the massive menu that is the month of Tishrei a little easier. I use the same methods when planning my Pesach menu and any other major holiday or family event. Please comment down below with any of your favorite tips for menu planning for Yom Tov.
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