One of the things we strive for when planning our menus is making everything fit together. We look to use ingredients in different ways throughout the week so that we are making the most with what we have. We also benefit from a well-stocked pantry. P.S. We don’t always stick to the menu, but it helps get good food in the house on hand to create with, which is often half the battle. Halloween, Halloween. The trick-or-treating hasn’t even started (last year’s up above), but if... more

This month I’m participating in October Unprocessed on Eating Rules. Today’s menu is a look at school lunches and what to pack for kids when avoiding fruit snacks, packaged cookies and juice boxes. Plus, how to manage busy home and work lives. I admit that Friday is not the day to be planning a menu, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll be doing your grocery shopping sometime this coming weekend, so consider it a gift to get you thinking about what to put in those lunch... more

This month I’m participating in an unprocessed challenge hosted by Andrew Wilder of Eating Rules. The October Unprocessed Challenge The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to avoid processed foods. You can read the October Unprocessed Rules over on Eating Rules. Andrew defined unprocessed food as “any food that could be made by a person with reasonable skill in a home kitchen with readily available, whole-food ingredients.” You can check out a list of potential ingredients... more

A look at this month’s Eat Well, Spend Less series on emergency preparedness and making a menu from it. This month we’re talking about emergency preparedness. Interestingly enough, I’m having my own bit of a faux emergency this week, trying to keep dinners as quick and simple as possible as I finish up work on my first book (more on that later). I laid the groundwork for the beauty of whole grains with my post, looking at what a whole grain is, how to store it, cook it and recipes... more

A look at how we eat late in the summer, a menu of sorts. We look to use ingredients in different ways throughout the week so that we’re benefiting from the ability of do-aheads and being able to buy in bulk. We also benefit from a well-stocked pantry. This time of year is my favorite at the farmers market. I walked through crowds of people, my kids trailing behind me, sometimes running ahead and stopping to buy their own produce and flowers. We came home with armfuls of sweet corn, peppers,... more

One of the things we strive for when planning our menus is making everything fit together into one nice, neat little package. We look to use ingredients in different ways throughout the week so that we’re benefiting from the ability of do-aheads and being able to buy in bulk. We also benefit from a well-stocked pantry. I have what I lovingly refer to as “canoe burn.” It’s that red knee from sitting on a big, open lake with the sun reflecting off the shimmering surface... more

One of the things we strive for when planning our menus is making everything fit together into one nice, neat little package. We look to use ingredients in different ways throughout the week so that we’re benefiting from the ability of do-aheads and being able to buy in bulk. We also benefit from a well-stocked pantry. We have something we’d like to share with you. The little man here is pretty excited about it. We’ve been asked by the folks at Alexia Foods to participate in... more