This month’s Eat Well, Spend Less is focused on the kids and the process of getting them in the kitchen to cook and eat. With summer vacation looming, this is the perfect time to tackle the terrain. When I was seven I cooked my first meal. I opened up a worn copy of my mom’s Betty Crocker Cookbook for Girls and Boys, and I made roast chicken, green bean almondine, and yeast bread shaped like a turtle. (The turtle actually came from Alpha-Bakery Gold Medal Children’s Cookbook.... more

Get your grill ready for a perfectly grilled steak sitting on a bed of bourbon caramelized onions and topped off with blue cheese butter. This weekend we finished our patio. Well, that’s not entirely true. We finished the main structural pieces that pull the patio space together. There are still plenty of other pieces that need to come together before the project can be signed off on. Still, we have an actual outdoor space to occupy for the first time in the last five years, and it’s... more

A look at how we use a string trellis system in our garden to guide indeterminate tomato plants upward. Plus, what is the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes, why it matters, and companion planting. This week is planting week. The last frost date happened this week. The rain has stopped. I can see the sun. The stars are aligning, and it’s time to get these seedlings in the ground. The first to hit the dirt were lettuce seeds, which went directly in the dirt, but after... more

Leftover fish and rice find themselves transformed into a cilantro-lime fish cake topped off with a spicy sriracha lime mayonnaise. Do you ever feel like you’re walking around with a sign on your back that says, “Not cool enough?” I suppose it may just say, “kick me,” and the “not cool enough” factor is inferred. It is on my back. I can’t see it all that well. I like to imagine the sign changes with each person who sees it. While one person may look... more

An easy on-the-go lunch or dinner, this ranch chicken salad is a great way to repurpose your leftovers, make lunch grab-and-go, and ensure you’re eating right even when life feels like it’s running a marathon. I roll over, kicking the covers off and lying there in my bed, letting myself adjust to the temperature difference. The cold air washes over me. Slowly, I open my eyes, daylight streaming in through the windows feels far too bright for the time of day. Closing my eyes again, I... more

It has been one year since we started the Eat Well, Spend Less series (big thanks to Jessica!), and we’re taking a look at how our food budget, menu, shopping habits, and diet may have changed in the last 12 months. Last April we kicked off the Eat Well Spend Less series by looking at the way we eat. I went over several meal planning tips and guides, and then I broke down an actual week of our food budget and a sample menu for that week. To date, those are two of my favorite posts of the series... more

Large cannellini beans, barley, and arugula mix together to become an easy salad for bringing to the park to enjoy on a warm spring day. April 22nd is Earth Day. Get involved. Have a Picnic for the Planet. The weather has been kind lately. Too kind, almost. Where I live the weather can change quickly, from sunny and warm to cold and snowing overnight (as it did Sunday to Monday this week). The changing seasons and shifting temperatures remind us to take advantage of the good weather while it’s... more