Holidays & Seasons

The best tip I can give you for make-ahead main dishes is to buy ahead. My stepmother routinely serves beef tenderloins and veggies at Christmas. Turkey and sometimes ham are on sale around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Beef isn't. Every year she finds beef tenderloins on sale during the summer. She buys them, wraps them well, freezes them until the day before Christmas, and saves a bundle. It's too late for this year, I suppose, but don't forget this tip next summer.

The worst thing about preparing holiday meals is... preparing the holiday meals. It really is difficult timing everything to be ready to serve at the same time, especially when you want to socialize with your family and friends and not be isolated in the kitchen silently (or not so silently) tearing your hair out by the roots. Included are 10 Low-Carb Appetizers, Salads & Beverages recipes for a successful holiday meal.

In "Low Carb Cooking 101" CarbSmart presents meal plans complete with a menu, a shopping list, a game plan, and recipes. The meals will not be too time-consuming or complicated, and the recipes will be ones that inexperienced cooks can make successfully.