Thanksgiving 2017 wasn’t at all what I imagined it would be. It was my first Thanksgiving with two newly walking toddlers, which I was prepared for. It was also my first Thanksgiving cooking and hosting in a tiny one bedroom apartment that we were living in temporarily due to Hurricane Harvey. Needless to say, I had to figure out how to get it all done with limited time and space to cook in. Here are a few of the hacks I used.

#1: BEAT THE CROWDS! Shop early and take advantage of curbside and grocery delivery service. Skip the lines, the lists, and the kiddos tossing stuff out of your cart. These services are a godsend to moms and luckily most of our local grocery stores like H.E.B. offer curbside pickup and some even offer home delivery through apps like Shipt and Instacart. Also, clean out your fridge before you do your big grocery shop!

#2: SKIP THE ROASTING! Pick up a fried or smoked turkey from a local restaurant instead of roasting one. Last year, roasting a whole turkey was just not an option for me in that tiny apartment kitchen and to be honest, I have no desire to roast one in my home kitchen either. It’s a long, laborious process and I don’t even like roast turkey so it’s just not worth the effort for me. I made a few calls around town and settled on a smoked turkey breast from our local Rudy’s BBQ. It came in an oven ready aluminum pan and I warmed it up about a half hour before dinner. I added a little turkey stock to the pan before I put it in the oven just to make sure it stayed moist. The smoke flavor was mild but just strong enough and we enjoyed it so much that it’s officially our new Thanksgiving turkey tradition!

#3: NO CHOPPING! Buy pre-chopped fresh or frozen veggies and herbs. I prefer frozen because I usually do my shopping at least a week or two early. These save so much time and aren’t that much higher in cost. If your dressing recipe includes hard boiled eggs like mine does, you can buy them already boiled and peeled thanks to the popularity of keto and paleo diets. While you can make your dressing and freeze it ahead of time, dressings that include eggs should not be.

#4: USE COUNTERTOP COOKERS! Make your mashed potatoes in advance and transfer them to a slow cooker on low up to 2-3 hours before serving. Use an Instant Pot for your gravy. Not only does it save you space on the stovetop, the pressure cooking feature on the Instant Pot helps develop a richer more flavorful gravy in a short amount of time. If you’re not a turkey roaster like myself, you can buy fresh or frozen turkey giblets to make gravy with. Just ask someone at the meat counter where you can find them. You can also make your gravy ahead of time and freeze it! It may separate when freezing but will recombine when stirred while reheating.

#5: MAKE AN ASSEMBLY LINE! Assemble your casseroles and sides the day before and add the toppings just before baking. This works great for our favorites: green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, and macaroni and cheese. Most pies can also be assembled ahead of time and frozen. Pecan pies can be baked fully, then frozen for up to a week. Defrost the night before in the fridge and warm it up in the oven at 225°F for about 20 minutes to give it that from-the-oven taste. Fruit pies, like apple, can be assembled and frozen unbaked. Wrap once in plastic, twice in foil and freeze. On Thanksgiving, put them right into the oven from the freezer. The pies will take a little longer to fully cook, so keep an eye on them. You can also bake the crust and make the filling for a pumpkin or sweet potato pie, then store them separately. Put them together and bake on Thanksgiving or the day before.

#6: DELEGATE! Let your guests take some items off your prep list. Create a private group or event on Facebook and start a thread for what items you need or want people to bring. Assign someone to the wine, bread, desserts and other simple things. For rolls, I suggest they bring the ones that come in a ready to bake pan that can go right into the oven when they arrive. If a guest is nervous about making a dessert, assure them there is no shame in a store bought dessert! I have never made a pie, cake, or pastry that was even close to as good as the ones from a professional bakery.

#7: SIMPLIFY THE DRINKS! Keep the drinks simple with a signature cocktail that you can make a big batch of ahead of time. This Fall Spice Sangria can be made the day before and this Texas Red Mule can be made and chilled the morning of. Keep it even simpler with beer or wine.

#8: NO-COOK BREAKFAST AND SNACKS! Plan a pre-made breakfast for Thanksgiving morning like pastries, pumpkin bread, or fruit & yogurt. Also, have some snacks on hand for a lite lunch for your littles ones (and husband). If you’re going to do some of your prep the day before, plan an easy meal or order take out so you don’t have any additional cooking or dish washing.

#9: STAY ORGANIZED! Have your recipes and lists taped to the front of your cabinets with painters tape so they are always visible. Also, strategize how you will use your oven space and warming drawer. Things that are more dense tend to hold heat longer so start with your turkey and dressing and keep them covered after you take them out. Next bake your pies, then your casseroles and sweet potatoes. Bake your dinner rolls last along with anything else that needs a little warming up just before serving.

#10: GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK! Schedule some time for yourself to take breaks throughout the day to rest, shower and get ready. Take some time in the morning to relax, eat some breakfast, and organize your to-do lists. Take another break while your pies and casseroles are baking since they usually take 30-45 minutes in the oven. The more you can get prepped and organized ahead of time the more time you’ll have to relax and spend time with your family on Thanksgiving day.

#11: MINIMIZE THE CLEANUP! Use recyclable aluminum baking pans or pans that can go directly into the dishwasher for easier cleanup. Eliminate even more dishwashing with recyclable dinner plates. These Chinet Platters are elegant and sturdy enough for Thanksgiving dinner with plenty of room to try a little of everything.

#12: MAKE RESERVATIONS! If you’re just not feeling it this year, there’s no shame in taking advantage of local restaurants that are serving Thanksgiving dinner. In 2016, I was 8 months pregnant with twins. I was unable to travel for the holidays and in no condition to be on my feet all day cooking a meal at home so we made reservations at a local French restaurant. The food was amazing but the best part was zero cooking or clean up.

Happy prepping and cheers to a relaxed and satisfying Thanksgiving!