Stress-Free Holiday Tips

The holidays are all about good food, great gatherings and plenty of gratitude. It can be a time of extended budgets, overflowing trash bins and wasted leftovers.

How does one plan with precision to maximize savings, guarantee food safety and minimize waste? Meet the experts at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), who shared their top tips to stretch budgets, cut waste and enjoy a safe and delicious holiday season with ease:

• Brenda Marty-Jimenez, a UF/IFAS Extension Broward family and consumer sciences agent, brings guidance on planning and budgeting for holiday meals.
• Josey Pearce Keener, a UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County family and consumer sciences agent, shares food safety advice to help families store, serve and enjoy holiday dishes with confidence.
• Mica McMillan, an assistant professor of environmental horticulture at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, offers simple, at-home composting strategies to keep food scraps out of the trash.

Plan and save

“The secret to planning that meets your budget is to think ahead,” said Marty-Jimenez. “This is necessary because, when people fail to plan, they plan to fail, as the saying goes.”

Here are the top three rules she follows to maximize her savings during the holidays:

Plan your menu: Cook some food and invite others to share and bring a favorite dish or other item. This will offset costs for the host.

Shop from a grocery list: Shop in advance from a prewritten grocery list to ensure you have the ingredients and items you need. You won’t have to waste time on extra trips back and forth to the store. Purchase as much as you can in advance, taking advantage of sale items. Make your list and check it twice!

Have a leftover strategy: Don’t let good food go to waste. Before the event, decide how you will manage leftovers. Plan how you will incorporate leftovers into meals for the next few days. Looking to share the love? Pack up portions for guests to take home. Don’t forget to freeze your extras for a quick, stress-free meal later. What is your leftover game plan?

Keep your holiday meals safe:

Food safety is another key part of preventing waste, adds Keener.

“According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, (USDA) one in six Americans will experience food poisoning this year,” she said. “Food poisoning can be a result of improperly thawing, undercooking or improperly chilling food. Below are three recommendations to save your food from being wasted due to potential food poisoning.”

Proper thawing techniques explained: When defrosting meat and poultry, it is recommended to thaw them in the fridge, submerge them in cold water or in the microwave. You can read more about how to safely thaw poultry from this UF/IFAS website. If you are preparing other types of meat, the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service advises against thawing frozen meat, poultry or egg products on the counter or in hot water. Instead, use one of the three safe methods: refrigerator, cold water or microwave – and cook immediately after thawing if not done in the fridge. The USDA has more on this process on its website.

The right cooking temperature matters: It is important to properly cook your poultry and meats to the proper temperatures. Always follow cooking instructions on the label. When in doubt, poultry products should be cooked until they reach a minimum internal temperature of 165°F. Hams and other cuts of meat should be cooked to 145°F. Now is a good time to also consider getting a meat thermometer if you don't already have one.

The two-hour rule: Follow a two-hour rule after cooking food. Within two hours, ensure you place your food in the fridge after properly storing it. During this two-hour period, rapid cooling is the goal. To help the food cool quickly, cut cooked meat into smaller portions and place food items like soups into shallow containers. After the two-hour period, cover or seal and place the food items into the refrigerator.

Compost for a Greener Holiday

According to the USDA, about 30% of the U.S. food supply goes to waste each year. Cutting down on waste during the holidays not only saves money but also helps conserve the natural resources used to produce and transport food.

Composting basics: Composting is the process of recycling organic matter like food scraps and landscape waste into compost.

“By composting the scraps of your meal, we can help divert food waste from the landfills and create a closed, sustainable system that provides a beneficial end-product for container gardens and landscapes,” said McMillan.

Toss these into your compost bin: Typical fixings from your holiday dinner that would make a great addition to your compost pile are vegetable peels like potato, green beans and squash. Corn cobs and melon rinds are also a great addition to the pile but should be cut into smaller pieces to speed decomposition.

Serving apple pie and coffee for dessert? Apples and coffee, as well as fruit scraps, are excellent for your compost piles.

Organic food scraps can be rich in nitrogen, to stimulate microbial activity to aid in decomposition, as well as other nutrients to improve soil health and enhance plant growth.

McMillan recommends that in addition to food scraps, toss in landscape waste like grass clippings into your compost bin because they are high in nitrogen. To balance compost, add dead leaves, small branches and saw dust which are high in carbon.

Do not compost these: “Avoid MODS - meat, oils, dairy - as well as foods that are high in salt,” she said. “Microbial decomposition is the key to good composting and high salts can harm the beneficial microorganisms that are essential in making the best working compost.”

High-salt compost can damage plants in the long run.

For more information: To learn more about composting or to find a local compost resource, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension office.

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By Lourdes Mederos, rodriguezl@ufl.edu

ABOUT UF/IFAS

The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.

ifas.ufl.edu | @UF_IFAS