Get Ready for the Holidays {Low-Stress Holiday Prep}

‘Stress-free holiday prep’ would be a ridiculous title, right?  Because no matter how much I try to laugh off the stress, there’s going to be at least one point this season where I’ll be wide awake at 3AM thinking: ‘but I still need to buy-the-gifts-wrap-the-presents-make-the-cookies-send-the-cards-and-move-that-creepy-elf-on-the-shelf-before-the-kids-wake-up…’

So here’s an idea.  Why not make the holiday preparations fun for the whole family?  Make it so everyone chips in and has a great time while still checking a few things off the old to-do list?  Take it over the top with some easy food and you’ve got a festive family work share party!

First up: The Project.  We needed to make gifts for our neighbors, teachers, and babysitter.  One of my favorite food gifts is chocolate dipped pretzels.  Simply dip, dip, and dry {check out the holiday chocolate dipped pretzel recipe here}.

Once dry, place in tins or brown takeout boxes and wrap with ribbon or twine.  Add a tag, and someone’s getting something delicious!  Easy gift idea + keeping the kids busy = happy mommy.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Get the fam involved with gift wrapping, sending Christmas cards, putting up the decorations, cookie baking, holiday crafts… so many ideas, so much time now that you can multi-task.

Next up: the food.  Why make things complicated when they can be simple?  These new Flatout flatbread pizzas are about as easy as it gets, and I have to say, THEY ARE DELICIOUS.  As someone who counts Weight Watchers points, I’m a huge fan of Flatouts and these Flatbread Pizza Crusts are no exception.  An entire Flatout pizza (with some cheese and veggies) is about the same amount of points as a small slice of restaurant pizza.  Can you believe that?

Even the kids loved them.  Really loved them.

They are so easy to make.  Simply bake (or grill) without toppings for a few minutes.  Then add your toppings, and bake a few minutes more.  For the kids I cut the flatbread in half let them add their own toppings (can you spot the veggie lover?)  I made one for myself, of course.  Goat cheese and tomato drizzled with balsamic vinegar.  OH YES I DID.

You’ll spend about 6 minutes TOTAL baking your pizza!  Is that the perfect solution for hungry kiddos (and tired mamas) or what?

Oh my oh my, I ate mine in minutes flat!  These thin crust flatbreads taste almost the same as the ones at our favorite gourmet pizza place, for about $10 cheaper.  In fact, here’s a few gourmet pizza combos you can make with the Flatout crusts (the flatbreads come in 6 flavors, so you can pick the one that best matches your preferred toppings):

• Cranberry & Brie (appetizer pizza)
• Rustic Pear and Balsamic (salad pizza)
• Tomato, Basil, and Fresh Mozzarella
• Rotisserie Chicken, Spinach and Cheese
• Ricotta, Honey, and Black Pepper
• Sausage and Peppers
• Prosciutto and Gruyere
• Ham and Pineapple
• Philly Steak, Cheese, Onions, and Peppers
• Nutella with Raspberries (dessert pizza)

There’s nothing like crossing items off your to-do list while still eating delicious (and healthy, and QUICK!) food.  If you’re looking for more easy holiday food ideas, check out the Holiday Entertaining Pinboard and the Walmart Holiday Guide.

While I can’t wave a magic wand and make the holidays no stress, I can certainly make them lower stress with easy ideas like multi-tasking holiday prep to make it fun for all!  What’s the biggest holiday timesaver you’ve found?  Is there a task with which you could get the whole family involved?  And any favorite pizza topping combos to share?

* shhhh… Santa’s going to help you with your holiday shopping in a generous giveaway next week so stay tuned!   😉

 Many thanks to The Motherhood and Flatout for sponsoring this post.  As always, all opinions are my own.