Column: Tips for a stress-free and budget-friendly Thanksgiving meal

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and that means you might be starting to think about what you are going to have for your Thanksgiving meal. Often, we get caught up in all the hustle of the holiday season that we forget to reflect on the meaning. Take time to pause, slow down and spend time with family and friends.

Cooking during the holidays doesn’t have to be stressful. Here are a few suggestions from the University of Minnesota Extension to help cook your holiday meal.

—Plan for dishes that you can make ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze for later use.

—Prepare something in a crockpot, which will allow you to make it in the morning (or evening) and not require any additional prep until it is time to serve.

—If you are making a time-consuming menu item, plan for other easy-to-prepare items to round out the meal.

—Consider turning one or more of your meals into a potluck. Each person (or family) can bring a dish they enjoy, you save time (and money) in the kitchen, and everyone is happy in the end.

—If everyone you are spending time with lives relatively close to each other, consider a progressive meal. As a group, you can travel to each person or family’s home to share a dish, which saves on any one person needing to prepare and cook an entire meal. For example, you could have an appetizer at one family’s home, a casserole at the next family’s home and a dessert at the third family’s home. This can also add variety and a sense of fun to a meal.

—Consider turning some traditions upside down, and host a gathering for family and friends that isn’t focused on you preparing a full meal. For example, host a card writing, cookie making, present wrapping or sledding party and provide cookies and hot chocolate. You’ll still get to enjoy time with loved ones while saving the stress (and dollars) it takes to prepare a full meal.

Another stressor that might come with planning your family’s Thanksgiving meal is your budget. Here are a few helpful tips to help you prepare a meal within your budget.

—Shop your pantry. Look in your refrigerator, freezer and cupboards for food you might already have. Sometimes things get pushed to the back or forgotten about. This is a great time to use up canned items.

—Look for sales in the weekly flyers for grocery stores near you. If an item is shelf stable, you can start looking for sales weeks in advance.

—Plan a menu for your holiday meal, keeping in mind what you already have and what might be on sale.

—Make a grocery list.

Check out this low-cost recipe from https://celebrateyourplate.org/ — creamy green beans and potatoes:

Ingredients

—2 cups frozen green beans

—2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

—1 tablespoon corn starch

—1/4 teaspoon dried basil

—1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

—1/4 teaspoon salt

—1/8 teaspoon black pepper

—1 cup low-fat milk

—1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

—2 cups small potatoes, roasted and quartered

Instructions

—Before you begin, wash your hands, surfaces, produce and utensils.

—Cook frozen green beans according to package directions. Set aside.

—Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Stir in corn starch until evenly blended for three to four minutes.

—Slowly add basil, rosemary, salt, pepper, milk and mushrooms, stirring constantly until the mixture has thickened for about five minutes.

—Add green beans and potatoes, and stir until heated through and mushrooms have fully cooked.

Kaitlynn Tonn is a family and consumer sciences educator at OSU Extension Wayne County. She can be reached at 330-264-8722 or tonn.13@osu.edu.