You gotta cook
Dinner Diva column by Leanne Ely
www.savingdinner.com
I grew up in the ’70s, where wide bell bottoms, Richard Nixon and Charlie’s Angels reigned supreme. And even though Helen Reddy was singing, “I am Woman, Hear Me Roar,” most homemakers of that time weren’t exactly burning their bras … they were figuring out the art of juggling a home and a career and were more interested in not burning dinner!
You could say I was one of the original latchkey kids from that era. My mom worked full-time most of my childhood, except when we were really young. She was organized and disciplined. In her words, she ran a “tight ship.” Dinner was never a question mark. My dad, brother, sister and I were never left to our own devices to figure out what to root around in the kitchen for dinner; there was a plan and we stuck to it. As I got older, I was expected to start dinner before my mom got home. Read more
Dinner Diva | Clean, or clean out
Column by Leanne Ely
When you consider that we all have refrigerators and like any useful tool, they need cleaning from time to time. I really don’t think anyone needs to read a column on how to clean a fridge, and I’m going to assume we all understand how to do this (soap and water works every time!).
But what I want to talk about today is the difference between cleaning your fridge vs. cleaning OUT your fridge. And before I do, I must come clean that I had the biggest clean out I’ve had in a long, long time and I hang my head in shame. Cleaning out your fridge is akin to a physical confession that you planned poorly and didn’t have the forethought to wisely consume or freeze your food. Read more
Dinner Diva | The C-Word (Cooking)
Column by Leanne Ely
Do you know “someone” who is deathly afraid of the kitchen because of the C-Word? Yes I’m talking about Cooking, capital C! You can easily identify these folks; they’re the ones with an aversion to . Sometimes they’ll abruptly change the subject and talk about photography or bird watching when the subject of feeding your family is brought up.
And then there are those who have a vague notion of what cooking may or may not be. Those folks are a little more obscure and hard to nail down. In the spirit of David Letterman’s Top Ten List, I’ve made my own: Read more
Dinner Diva | Preparedness
Column by Leanne Ely
It occurred to me as I was thinking about menu planning that not planning is choosing to live in an unprepared state. Think about what that means for a minute. Being unprepared means chaos, confusion and regret. Living life in a state of perpetual unpreparedness is highly stressful. Why do we do this to ourselves?
Dinner Diva | Cereal killer
So USA Today reported recently that kids cereals have 85 percent more sugar and 65 percent less fiber than adults’ cereals. To that you can hear a resounding “Duh!” coming from most people.
Where it really starts to get outrageous is the money spent to coerce our youth. According to this article, the average preschooler sees 642 cereal ads advertised on television every year, and most of them are worthless nutritionally speaking. And (hold your jaw, it’s about to fall open) with $156 million spent on advertising to kids, you would think these big cereal companies would feel a little more responsibility for the cereal they’re peddling to these innocents, especially when you consider the rise in childhood obesity and the subsequent consequences to a child’s health. Read more
Dinner Diva | How do I thaw?
I get e-mails from time to time on my website, www.savingdinner.com. Leslie from Minnesota asked a question that I thought I would answer, especially since stocking your freezer by doubling up on your cooking is just plain smart. The reasoning behind such a notion would be to keep your family in dinners for the holidays. And while SavingDinner.com has another solution to that “what’s for dinner” question (check out our Five for the Freezer and other dinner kit menus for the freezer) it’s always a good idea to have something stashed in the freezer for dinner. Read more
Mindfulness
Posted by afp on December 31, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Column by Leanne Ely
www.SavingDinner.com
But time for a reality check. This is the time of year to hold ground, not try and lose weight. Your regular exercise routine is more important than ever before. So is your eating plan. Yes, eating regularly as much as possible and just having a taste of these goodies that descend on your household is key to holding a firm line on your weight gain. Read more
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