~A guide to navigate the busiest time of the year from weekly dinners to parties!😊👍~
icture this: There’s a chill in the air and you see that first flicker of Halloween decor in your local stores. It’s here. The holidays are upon us: the gatherings, the parties, and most importantly the food. Now more than ever time is the enemy.
So, where to start? And what about the other weeks between the holidays? As we know, every night the dinner bell must toll. In this guide, we will let you in on our favorite tips to not only save time on your weekly dinners but ideas to ensure your next Halloween party is stress-free!
icture this: There’s a chill in the air and you see that first flicker of Halloween decor in your local stores. It’s here. The holidays are upon us: the gatherings, the parties, and most importantly the food. Now more than ever time is the enemy.
So, where to start? And what about the other weeks between the holidays? As we know, every night the dinner bell must toll. In this guide, we will let you in on our favorite tips to not only save time on your weekly dinners but ideas to ensure your next Halloween party is stress-free!
The Ol’ Dinnertime Grind
Everyone has to eat and as we know dinner is the all-star meal of the day. How many times have we heard the horrifying: “What’s for dinner?” line. Well, the ingredients are a no-brainer, you got that part handled. You take a stroll to your freezer to peruse your usual Heartland spread, but now what?
Here’s some of our favorite ways to avoid dinnertime woes form sneaking up on you:
-
- Plan a Weekly Menu: This part is undoubtedly the most fun part and you don’t have to do it all on your own! Sit down with your family and discuss what all of your favorite meals are. Pick the recipes based on cook time or skill level, adjusting for your schedule and how busy you will be that day. Get the whole family or the kids involved too and discuss preferences. It’s also a perfect opportunity to spend some more time together!
-
- Get the Whole Family Involved: Everyone eats, everyone helps! Assign and delegate nightly cooking duties to each family member to speed up prep and cook time! You can also prep veggies the night before together too, especially if the meal requires lots of chopping or peeling. Remember that you can batch prep your fresh ingredients for the whole week and seal them in containers for easy access.
-
- Use a White Board to Organize Dinner Duties: Pin recipes and keep track of meals for the week on a board. We know plans change, so an erasable and magnetic white board allows for last minute adjustments to your dinner plans and is also a kid-friendly (and adult friendly) way to keep track of exactly who’s doing what that night so there is no “forgetting.”
-
- Waste Not, Want Not: Double your favorite recipe nights and cook double batches to ensure one night of your week is a delicious leftover night. Especially on days when your schedule is packed, we know this could shape up to be one of your favorite days of the week!
Don’t Let the Perfect Party Prep “Haunt” You:
You got dinners prepared, what’s next? Halloween parties are a fun and creative way to express your love for the season all while partying with all your friends or making memories with family. There’s games, costumes, decorations, and most importantly: FOOD! We know there’s a lot on your checklist already. Guest List, Spooky Decor, Party Playlist, and more! So, we wanna help take the holiday party food prep off your plate.
Here’s some tips to de-stressify your next ghoulish gathering:
- Don’t OVER Prepare: We hear you! It’s better to have more of something than not enough, right? But, to save precious time you should carefully analyze your guest list and inquire what kinds of food your guests prefer. Narrow your menu down to a few core favorite crowd-pleasers. No need to over-stress yourself cooking for a large group when the party ends up being a small gathering. Find out exactly who’s coming and portion your party treats accordingly!
- The More The Merrier: If you do plan to have a large guest list, why not suggest a potluck? Encourage each guest to bring their favorite snack or home-cooked dish! It’s a chance to collaborate and share your favorite Heartland foods and recipes with your loved ones. And as a bonus, you get to sample new delicious treats with none of the extra work! Potlucks are always a fun and special way to share memories with friends and family, so encourage your guests to spread their love of food!
- Take a Page out of Our Book: One of the many benefits of being a Heartland family member is the delicious, delicious benefits. Let us do the hard work for you and take a page out of Heartland’s recipe blog. We have a treasure trove of recipes as well as ebooks! Try some of our favorite time-saving Halloween themed apps. We promise your guests will remember your party for the rest of the year!
Finally, whatever you decide to do this October, just know that we got your back. Here at Heartland, we want to ensure that this holiday season you get to spend as much time with your family as possible by giving you one less thing to worry about.For more ideas, check out the rest of our blog and social media below! And if you want more delicious Farm-Raised goodness try our special 🍁October Harvest Boxes!🍂 for our selection of USDA Organic harvest veggies and succulent cuts of our favorite Farm-Raised meats!
