A Trim Healthy Mama Christmas does not need to be stressful. Preparing for Christmas dinner even if you are not living around health parameters does not need to be stressful. You can make a lovely Christmas dinner that is healthy and stress-free! Here are eight tips for preparing for Christmas dinner in an elegant and beautiful way.
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8 Tips on How to Make Christmas Dinner Easy
I have a problem; I love Christmas. There have been all sorts of accusations over the years that I like Christmas a wee bit too much. Everything from the music, decorations, cooking, baking, hustle, and bustle; it all feels like a magical season.
If you live any type of dietary lifestyle that is different from the mainstream American diet, you will benefit from these tips. Eating keto, paleo, gluten free, or the Trim Healthy Mama way can add some extra stress to the holiday meal planning. Add being the hostess on top of that and a mama can truly meet the end of her sanity!
It’s time to make Christmas dinner easy. Use simple tips to prepare and plan your Christmas dinner in a way that does not add extra stress to your life but allows you to enjoy the magical holiday season!
Can Christmas dinner every be easy? It seems like any meal around Christmas time is destined to be a complicated process! However, there are ways that we can simplify and work on making this easier so we can enjoy the holiday season with our families!
Plan in Advance
The number one thing to do for preparing for Christmas dinner is to plan. If you’ve never used a Christmas planner, that is the place to start. Of course, I’m partial to my own because it has everything that I’ve ever wanted or needed. From planning presents, budgets, trees, and Christmas dinner, it has everything you need for your ultimate and organized Christmas.
You can get it on Amazon or the digital copy through my etsy shop.
Especially when we are preparing for Christmas dinner there are a lot of pieces at play. How many people are you going to have? Are there any dietary needs? How much food will you need?
Even if you don’t use a Christmas planner, you can write these questions out and start by thinking through all the possible scenarios to make your Christmas dinner successful.
Use Tried and True Recipes
Remember, we are trying to keep preparing Christmas dinner simple and easy. Don’t complicate things by using new recipes. Use the tried-and-true recipes that you’ve made before and know are good.
Sometimes it’s just as simple as writing out breakfast, lunch, and dinner and making a shopping list! You can use this sample page from the Ultimate Christmas planner by downloading it here.
For a few years now I have made this coffee cake for Christmas breakfast. It’s delicious and everyone loves it. Why break away from something that works?
This recipe is from the Trim Healthy Table cookbook.
Use Christmas Recipe Roundups
On this same line of thought, make sure to use up those Christmas roundups from your favorite bloggers or content creators. The bulk of your Christmas dinner recipes should be ones that have been tested and true over time, but we all know how much fun it can be to try those tasty Christmas recipes we see flooding the internet from November to December!
Favorite Trim Healthy Mama Christmas Roundups
Last year I partnered with a bunch of THM content creators to bring you 12 Trim Healthy Mama Desserts !
A Pre-Planned Low Carb Christmas dinner by Northern Nester
21 Christmas Recipes from Joy & Simplicity
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner planned out by the Well-Planned Kitchen
Favorite Keto Christmas Roundups
If you are planning for a keto Christmas dinner, here are a few of my favorite roundups to help you plan.
Mammoth Creations Keto Christmas roundup. Be sure to check out that Christmas dinner steak!
Keto Christmas recipes from ChocZero. If you are planning to eliminate the toxins of sugar from your Christmas celebration, ChocZero is a great safely sweetened chocolate that can be used in many of your favorite Christmas recipes.
Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help
Now this one might get a little tricky depending on your personality! Busy moms tend to think they can do it all, don’t we? Especially if you are taking on planning Christmas dinner, you need to be prepared to ask for help!
What recipe items can you pass off to another guest? If you are making all of dinner, you can ask someone else to make the desserts! How about those side dishes? Ask someone to bring a crockpot of potatoes instead of making them yourself.
Pull up your big girl pants and ask for help!
Make Ahead Christmas Dinner
When we are preparing for Christmas dinner, one overlooked step of simplicity is to make some of the dinner or appetizers ahead of time. Most people will naturally make the dessert items ahead of time. Cookies, cakes, and bars are naturally easy to make ahead of time. However, there are plenty of other appetizers and side dishes that can be made ahead of time. Here are just a few ones to consider.
Keep in mind some of them you might have to do the last step on Christmas day.
- Twice Baked Potatoes. Make ahead and then warm up for Christmas dinner.
- Artichoke or spinach dip.
- Cheeseballs. Make sure to check out my favorite Cranberry Cheeseball!
- Sauces! So many sauces can be made ahead of time and then either served cold or quickly heated up!
Make Cookies and Treats throughout December
This seems to be obvious! Make sure you are creating your favorite cookies and treats throughout the entire holiday season! Starting in November I like to freeze one-half any Christmas cookie or treat I make. Then for Christmas gatherings or when I’m preparing Christmas dinner, I already have a variety of treats to share for dessert!
Don’t Stress about all the Christmas Traditions
Do you end up with too many Christmas traditions that you want to do every year? Me too. There are often not enough days for all the fun activities that I hope and wish to do with my family.
This is another reason I created the Ultimate Christmas planner. There is an entire section on writing down which Christmas traditions are a priority for your family. Then you can list and plan which ones you are actually going to do instead of just wishing and hoping that they happen.
The same is true of when we are preparing for Christmas dinner. When you are taking on the stress of the biggest Christmas meal of the season, don’t worry about all the insignificant details of traditions. It’s okay to let go of somethings so you can do the more important things well. Keep it simple and sane so you can enjoy what is right in front of you!
Keep it Simple, Keep it Sane
One of my favorite mantras throughout the Christmas season is ‘keep it simple, keep it sane.’ This couldn’t be truer than for Christmas dinner. If you are trying to create a healthy Christmas dinner that follows you diet standards, don’t be afraid to keep it simple and sane!
Tips for Preparing Christmas Dinner
What other tips would you add to this list of preparing Christmas dinner?
Christmastime can be a lovely season with family and friends enjoying each other and those traditions and meals. Make the most of preparing for Christmas dinner by using these tips and tricks for making the most of the season without losing your mind!
Here are your words for the secret message to be entered into the drawing: “your savior.”
The next post is: The Busy Mom’s Complete Christmas Planning Guide + Free Checklist