Last year I wrote a post before the holiday with tips for how to get through Thanksgiving without hating yourself afterwards for overeating. Here is the link: https://kosher-fitness.com/2019/11/27/how-to-eat-healthy-at-thanksgiving-dinner/.

The advice still holds, but this year there is an added wrinkle to take into account. Most years we are accustomed to having a large crowd, which calls for a large turkey, large casseroles, large stuffing, large, large, large…. In the pandemic, most of us are finding ourselves dining within our “COVID-19 Bubbles.” Generally, this will mean much smaller crowds. What to do?

I learned the lesson the hard way at Rosh Hashanah when we prepared large meals for just the two of us. It was not a pretty picture (although a delicious one)! We ate more than we should have–not a good idea during a time in the Jewish Year when we are aware of our transgressions!

As always, the key is to plan ahead. We’ve got several weeks to plan to downsize the festivities or commit to a plan with what to do with the leftovers.

Here are some suggestions:

–Do not purchase an entire turkey, but rather a turkey breast instead.

–Take out the family recipes now and start halving or quartering the amounts to fit the number of diners at your meal.

–Investigate now places to donate meals for Thanksgiving. There is a good chance that a neighbor or relative or friend may be eating alone this year; how about giving a small part of your meal to them (put together a few plates). Remember to be especially cautious about following hygiene standards.

–Get some freezer-friendly storage containers. If you can only prepare large, right after making everything, divvy it up and put it in the freezer, leaving only enough for the Thanksgiving meal. The leftovers can be used for future meals.

Hopefully this gets the wheels turning and gives you some ideas for how to stay on track. An early Happy Thanksgiving!