Getting ready for the holidays for some people is like getting ready for a root canal: Even the anticipation is painful.
It totally does not have to be that way. If you will baby-step your way through the holidays and bring your expectations (and those of your family) down a few notches, you can get through them and do it with style and not sweat! Doing things in baby steps always, always, ALWAYS works! Anyone who has blessed their homes (got them cleaned up) 15 minutes at a time understands exactly what I am saying. As FlyLady says, you hit a lick at a snake.
Why shouldn't dinner time during the holidays be equally as simple? And even though our routines usually get stretched and pulled during this time, we still have the ability to get dinner on the table and get everyone fed. I'm not talking drive-through, either!
Let me challenge you by starting to think of your freezer as your own personal "food bank," where you throw an extra casserole in the freezer for a rainy day, or you double a meatloaf or main course soup recipe so you're never without a back up plan OR you have the ability to bless someone else (like when a neighbor has a baby, etc.). This little "food bank" of yours will pay off big time once we're under the holiday gun.
Now is the time for all good women to come to the aid of their freezer. Let's get that thing stocked! It's really easy — if you're going to go to the trouble of making a favorite casserole, why not make two and freeze one? Making two or even three meat loaves isn't any more work than making one. Lasagna freezes beautifully, as does one of my favorite recipes from the original "Saving Dinner" book, "Saving Dinner" (Ballantine), Mexican Torta (recipe included).
So get cooking! Get that freezer stocked. If you do just ONE casserole or main dish a few times this week, you can have four to six extra meals on hand. Keep this kind of double-thinking in place, and you can be completely covered during the holidays and beyond. Isn't that great?
Think "doubly" hard about your dinners these next few weeks (get it?) and keep dinner happening at your house during the hectic holidays.
Mexican Torta
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 envelope taco seasoning (low-sodium, if available)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies, drained
16 corn tortillas, cut into wedges
2 cups shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
1 (16 oz.) can refried beans (use fat-free)
1 (7 oz.) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
salsa
low-fat sour cream
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat and cook onions till translucent. Add garlic and cook another minute. Then add turkey and cook until browned, breaking into small pieces, as you go. Add the taco seasoning according to package directions, mixing well and allowing to simmer for a couple of minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the chilies and set aside.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 10" pie plate. Place one fourth of the tortilla pieces on the bottom of the pie plate (till covered). Spread with half of the turkey mixture; sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese. Place another one-fourth of the tortillas on cheese; spread with beans. Place yet another one fourth of the tortillas on beans; top with roasted peppers. And finally, place the remaining tortillas on the roasted peppers and spread with remaining turkey mixture. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover and bake 30-40 minutes or until cheese is melted and center is hot. Let sit 10 minutes before cutting into your masterpiece. This can be served with salsa and sour cream, if desired. Serves 6.
Per serving: 339 calories (kcal); 9g total fat; (25 percent calories from fat); 20g protein; 42g carbohydrate; 4g fiber; 34mg cholesterol; 942mg sodium. Food exchanges: 2 1/2 grain starch; 2 lean meat; 1 vegetable; 0 fruit; 1 fat; 0 other carbohydrates.
Serving suggestions: Serve with brown rice, steamed broccoli and a bowl of baby carrots for the table. (Vegetarians: Substitute TVP crumbles for the turkey.)
Leanne Ely, a k a Dinner Diva, is the author of the best-selling "Saving Dinner" and "Saving Dinner the Low-Carb Way" (Ballantine). What's for dinner? Go to www.savingdinner.com and find the solution!