Two thoughts:

First, the catering isn't really that special on Etihad, and it's more of a glorified business class service.

Second, they tend to run out of things, so eating early is the right strategy I'd say. You can also ask them to hold dishes for you for later, but reports are that that doesn't always work on a full flight.

As far as being wiped out on boarding, only you know your endurance levels. Flight time is something like 6p New York time departure, so if you can stay up 3-4 hours, you might be on a more "normal" cycle upon arrival.