The holidays can be exciting for families, but per Loudounnow, they can also bring added stress for parents who are divorced, separated, or adjusting to a new co-parenting arrangement. Food sits right in the middle of that stress: who cooks, what the kids eat, which dinner counts as "the" dinner.
If you cook Paleo-inspired meals, there's a practical way through. Loudounnow lists five co-parenting tips. Below, each one is applied to the kitchen, with doable ideas for your own table. The tips are the outlet's; the food applications are my own suggestions.
1. Make your holiday schedule early, then plan the menu around it
The first tip is to set the holiday schedule early. Once you know which days and meals the kids are with you, the food planning gets much easier.
- Write down your meal slots. Note which breakfasts, dinners, and travel days are yours.
- Plan only those meals. You don't need a full holiday menu, just the ones you're hosting.
- Shop and prep ahead. Batch-cook a soup or a sheet-pan dish and freeze it so a busy handoff day doesn't turn into a scramble.
A simple holiday-week plan: one make-ahead breakfast (like an egg-and-veggie bake), one easy dinner (a one-pan chicken and roasted vegetables), and a snack tray of fruit, nuts, and sliced veggies.
2. Keep your children's experience at the center
Loudounnow's second tip is to keep your children's experience at the center. In the kitchen, that means the meal should feel welcoming, not like a project or a statement.
- Let kids choose. Ask them to pick one side dish or dessert for your house.
- Skip the food rules lecture. If kids eat differently at the other home, don't quiz them about it. A relaxed table matters more than a perfect one.
- Give them a job. Stirring, rinsing produce, or arranging a fruit platter gives kids a sense of ownership.
3. Be willing to create new traditions
The third tip is to be open to new traditions. Food is one of the easiest places to start, because a new dish feels like fun rather than a replacement for something lost.
Ideas that fit a Paleo-inspired kitchen:
- A holiday breakfast ritual. Sweet potato hash with eggs, or banana-and-egg pancakes made without wheat flour.
- A build-your-own night. Lettuce-wrap tacos or loaded baked sweet potatoes, where everyone customizes.
- A fruit-based treat. Baked cinnamon apples or a berry crumble with a nut-and-coconut topping, made together.
Pick one tradition and repeat it. Repetition is what makes it a tradition.
4. Communicate about the details
Tip four is to communicate about the details. When food is involved, details are practical: allergies, what the kids already ate, and what's being served.
Keep messages short and specific. A few examples you can adapt:
- "The kids will have had a big lunch at my house before handoff, so dinner can be light."
- "I'm sending leftover soup in a container if they're hungry on the drive."
- "Here's the allergy list again so we're both on the same page."
These are my own sample phrasings, not quotes from the article. The point is to stick to logistics and avoid commentary on how the other household feeds the kids.
5. Give each other some flexibility
The final tip is to give each other some flexibility. Holiday meals run late, travel gets delayed, and a pot of soup can't always be ready when the schedule says.
Build flexibility into the food itself:
- Choose forgiving dishes. Soups, stews, and sheet-pan meals hold well and reheat easily.
- Keep a backup. A frozen batch meal or a simple scramble kit (eggs, spinach, leftover roasted vegetables) rescues a delayed dinner.
- Let go of one rule. If the kids arrive with a dessert from the other household, enjoy it. One non-Paleo treat won't undo your holiday.
A simple one-page holiday food plan
Put it together on one page:
- Your confirmed meal days and times
- One make-ahead breakfast, one easy dinner, one snack tray
- One new tradition to try
- A short list of details to share with the other parent
- One freezer backup meal
That's enough. The goal isn't a perfect holiday spread. It's a calm, predictable table where your kids feel at ease.
This week, pick your one new tradition and put its ingredients on your shopping list.
