By Monita Buchwald

When a two-day Jewish holiday like Sukkot is followed immediately by Shabbat, cooking can feel like running a marathon. That’s why planning and cooking ahead is the best way to turn that meal-athon into a series of easy-to-manage laps.

1. Sketch your menus two weeks ahead. As you plan each meal, try to choose some recipes that can be made ahead and frozen. For example stews, kugels, soups and briskets freeze well. Include them in your menus.
2. Choose dishes that can be made earlier in the week and keep well in the fridge, like poached salmon, roast chicken or blanched green vegetables.
3. Then select some items that only need a few last minute steps, like dressing a salad. Make them on the day you are serving the meal, along with just a few other dishes that require being made fresh.
4. To ease the cooking burden, buy some prepared foods. It’s OK. We all do it.
5. Mark on a calendar which items you are going to make when, and keep that posted on your kitchen wall. Items that can be frozen should be prepared as early as possible.
6. Go through each recipe and create a shopping list first by recipe to ensure that when you start to cook everything is at hand. Then organize the list by category– produce, dairy, grocery etc.–to make it easier once you get into the store.
7. If your head’s still swimming from all the details and prep, consider partnering with one or two other families to share the meals. It may mean preparing larger amounts of food for two meals, but then you can sit back and relax for the other four.