​Celebratory dinners during a quarantine may look a little different from the norm. With fewer people, your traditional large turkey and multiple stuffing plans will need to be altered. There are many good resources and recipes for pairing down meals. Consider one-dish traditional meals, like this one from All Recipes that incorporates Cornish game hens, green beans and stuffing. Designing your meal around steaks can allow you to tailor a meal based both on preference and quantity. Items such as flank steaks and ham steaks can be purchased by the pound at your grocer’s meat counter. If you want traditional turkey, consider recipes like a roasted turkey drumstick recipe that proves both delicious and cost effective. Scaling down sides may seem daunting at first, but combination items, such as stuffing muffins have been slowly making their way onto tables over the past few years. Stores have even been catering to such needs with ready-made half pies, like these ones from Lowes Foods.

Physical activity does not have to take a back seat as cooler months set in. While exercise may seem even more limited with gym closings related to the recent pandemic, there are many benefits of taking movement outside or online.
 
Getting outdoors can offer that extra dose of Vitamin D and mood improving chemicals that seem even more challenging to get with the recent time change and simultaneous temperatures dropping. In order to make outdoor movement successful, you must have the right gear. Layering clothing is important. The three core layers include wicking (this is worn closest to the skin), insulating and repelling layers (this is the exterior layer). Obvious outdoor activities including running and biking, but things like raking leaves should also be added to activity lists.
 
At-home work outs can provide many of the same benefits as gym and outdoor experiences. Scheduled online social movement experiences can be especially helpful during times when there may be greater isolation.
 
Some good resources for movement include:

• “How to Stay Active Outside When the Weather Gets Colder” by Health Essentials
• Yoga with Adriene You Tube Channel
• Obe Fitness Live Online Classes
• 18 Fun Active Outdoor Games for Kids