The weeks before Pesach are often fraught with anxiety and pressure to get everything finished on time. There are never-ending to-do lists. And we are all being pulled in multiple directions.

Here are some tips to help you as you prep for Pesach.

• Remember to fuel yourself properly from now until Pesach. It’s easy to skip meals when there’s so much to do.
• Move your body. Go for a short walk outside. Take an online class or go to the gym.
• Mindset shifts: The goal is not perfection. Not with cleaning. Not with planning your menu or cooking.
• Don’t judge yourself. No one is judging you.
• In terms of food choices for Yom Tov, there is no such thing as “I was good today” or “I was bad today.” Similarly, no shame or guilt should be attached to your food choices.
• I do recommend adding more plants to your menu. The goal is to feel good by fueling yourself in a way that feels right to you.
• Plant-based foods are full of fiber, which everyone needs, especially on Pesach. We aren’t used to eating so late at night at the sedarim, nor are our bodies used to eating so much matzah.
• Fiber is gold! We all need more of it. It helps detoxify your body, fuel your healthy gut microbiome, support your digestion, and prevent heart disease and diabetes.
• Focus on adding more plant food to your meals as opposed to eliminating anything.
• How does one add more fiber-filled plant food? Start each meal with a vegetable soup, such as zucchini, mushroom or carrot. The next course is a variety of salads — a leafy green salad, a cabbage salad and a beet salad. For the main course, in addition to your chicken or meat, add a fun plant-based dish such as BBQ pulled mushrooms. Side dishes can include a classic potato kugel with confetti quinoa and a rainbow-roasted vegetable board. For dessert, serve your family favorite cake or cookies along with apple compote or mango sorbet.

Here are some practical tips:

• Before I start cooking, I prepare a few ingredients that make the actual cooking process infinitely easier. I like to use fresh ingredients whenever possible but I also want to make cooking as easy and time saving and efficient.
• Saute large quantities of onions in advance: There are three methods, oven method, crockpot method and stovetop method.
• I peel and process eight heads of garlic and then freeze the cubes in silicone ice cube trays.
• Stock your freezer: Buy bunches of bananas, allow to ripen until they are brown-spotted, peel and freeze. You will be able to make delicious smoothies or decadent chocolate banana ice cream.
• Double everything you make for the first days and freeze for the second days. What freezes well? Desserts, mango sorbet, banana “Ice cream,” soups, kugels, meatballs, roasts, schnitzel — trim, bread and freeze raw between layers of parchment paper. Cook schnitzel fresh as needed.

I hope you found this information helpful and that you feel less stressed and more organized with your Pesach prep. Additional helpful tips plus over 60 delicious, healthy recipes can be found in my e-cookbook, “Plant-Powered Pesach,” at buy.stripe.com/6oE7ww9dS3S3ca428a. (The link is easier to access on The Jewish Link’s website)

Wishing you all a Chag Kasher v’sameach!

Coach Gila

Coach Gila Guzman, JD CINHC, specializes in helping busy women find food freedom and achieve their health goals by guiding them to shift their mindset while focusing on health promoting behavioral changes, creating sustainable healthy habits and incorporating plant-strong nutrition. For nutrition tips and easy healthy recipes, follow her on Instagram and Facebook @coachgilaapproved. Coach Gila works virtually and can be reached at [email protected] or (917) 647-1788 to schedule a free consultation.