Summer, I guess...

If you're like me, you love eating dinner outside with a nice refreshing white wine and having Hoyt, Hoyt McFloyt for dessert. If you're like me, you're still patiently awaiting those lovely summer nights by which to enjoy your Russian River Valley Chardonnay and your Hoyt, Hoyt McFloyt.

I'm sure that summer will get here - even if we have precious few days which can be called a "real summer". Try to plan to take advantage as soon as summer gets here. Some of the meals for this week would transport well for a picnic dinner. A beautiful peach or nectarine makes a lovely dessert. Even just putting a dollop of vanilla yogurt on top makes it feel a little more decadent.

Here's to hoping that we all get enjoy what little summer is on the way!

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Shopping List and Recipes

Recovering

So with the crash of our server and the loss of 100% of my original Mealtime Workshop documents and templates I've been slow to recover and start over. So slow, in fact, that I didn't even make it to the grocery store once this past week to prepare for our meals. I've also been surprised at how much busier my life is now that I'm working full time. This seems like an obvious realization, but I am still adjusting in regards to managing our household and my social life as well as the various other commitments the Watson family was already handling.

The grace and ease with which some women navigate their busy lives gives me hope that I too might be a super woman. In the meantime I'll continue to rely on divine strength, a patient husband, and peace in the knowledge that even if dinner is late or somewhat unimpressive everyone is still fed.

There are some new meals in here this week, pinto bean tacos for one; and Moroccan carrot soup for another.

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Shopping List and Recipes

Crash....and burn

This week our server died. I didn't think too much of it at the time because the document I was working on I had saved to my desktop. The problem arose, however, when I sat down to start writing this week's menu and I realized that all of my templates and recipes were stored on the server....oopsie. When I say "burn" I mean that there was actual smoke coming out of the hard drive. Apparently this is not supposed to happen and means you have problems.

My devoted husband has been working diligently on testing circuits and has replaced the power source (I guess that's an actual "thing") in the hopes of getting it back on line. The good news in all of this is that we have been subscribing to a back-up service that updates daily. This means that all of our stuff isn't gone for good, I just don't know how to resurrect it at this very moment so I'm starting from scratch. Hopefully by next week we'll have all of our can't-live-without items back, including all of the Mealtime Workshop menus and recipes!!

Also - sorry for all the salads, I wish it were summer already.

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Shopping List and Recipes

Good memories, exotic places

I am so sorry for the absent week and for any of you that didn't know what to make for dinner... Hopefully this week's menu will attempt to make up for that gap. The meal I am most excited about is the Vegetarian Moussaka. When Adam and I traveled in Greece and Turkey last year, we fell in love with moussaka and ate it every chance we got. I hope that this version will bring me back to Greece even if only for a moment.

What are the meals that remind you of a special time or place? I think that food can so clearly and quickly bring us back to a specific time in our lives. Any peach-flavored beverage reminds me of the summer I spend at Malibu Club in Vancouver BC; oatmeal cookies (Dunking Platters) remind me of a certain winery lady and the times spend at her kitchen counter; stuffing always makes me think of my dad and the care he always gives to his Thanksgiving meal. More than the neat places and fond memories, I hope this week that you get to break bread with someone special in your life - share a meal and make a memory.

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Recipes and Shopping List

Special guest menu

This week's menu is created at the request of my husband. He has mentioned to me several times that he has a few favorites and would like to see them repeated. I usually try to keep things new and fresh for all of you, but I think Adam is on to something. If a dinner is particularly tasty - why not have it a second time?

The seven meals for this week are ones that Adam specifically selected as some of his favorites. There were a few more on his list that I'll have to find a way to incorporate for future menus. What are some of your family's favorite meals? There must be a meal or two that makes your family say, "Oh, that was sooo good. I love it when you make this!" Does anyone feel adventurous or brave enough to share their family fave with Mealtime Workshop? I'm always looking for new crowd pleasers.

Don't be shy, you can even email me privately if you like. I look forward to your suggestions!

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Recipes and Shopping List

Trying something new

I am very excited this week as the menu includes saag paneer. This is one of my all-time favorite Indian dishes and is such a treat for me. You might wonder, "what on earth is saag paneer?". This dish is a creamy, slightly sweet a little bit spicy dish primarily made of spinach and cheese cubes. This cheese - paneer - is not your mama's cheese-food-hydrogenated-oil-cheddar-flavored-who-knows-what. Paneer is light, fresh, and deliciously chewy.

If you're up for trying the saag paneer this week, there are two ways to get paneer. 1) Go to your Asian or Indian market and purchase it. 2) Make it from scratch at home. If you purchase it at a market, it may be difficult to justify the price for how much you get (we paid $5.85 for 8 ounces). Additionally, you might not live in an area where finding an Asian or Indian market is particularly easy. Should you decide to try it at home the recipes found on-line vary wildly and aren't generally very instructive - except for this one: Paneer Recipe. I have yet to actually try to make paneer at home, but next time I have a recipe that calls for it I will definitely use this recipe.

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Shopping List and Recipes

Ch-ch-ch-changes

This is my last set of recipes before I go back to work full time. I anticipate that there may be a period of transition in the next few weeks. As always, I will endeavor to continue posting yummy, healthy meals (with the exception of this week's mac & cheese), but please be patient with me as I am unsure how this transition will go. 

Our household has been very, very busy this weekend so I apologize for the short note. As I write, my husband is working on replacing the sub-floor in the laundry room that was found to have severe water damage and dry rot. I should post quickly and see if I can be a good little helper.

Good luck and eat well!

Menu, Recipes and Shopping List

How I use Mealtime Workshop

I was listening to the Splendid Table on OPB radio last night as I drove home from church. I imagined myself being interviewed by Lynne Rossetto Kasper (instead of the woman who lets people smell dirt and calls it art - which actually was interesting, truly). So I was having an imaginary interview and discussing why I prepare menus and shopping lists for my own family and how that led me to want to share it with others. As I'm chatting away with "imaginary" Lynne, she asks me if I follow my menu exactly. "Great question, Lynne. No, I don't. I certainly aspire to make all of the meals I write on the menu - but there are evenings my husband surprises me with a date out, or evenings I simply cannot bear the thought of cooking what I had originally planned, or birthday parties, or family gatherings, or spur-of-the moment game nights with friends."

I just don't worry about missing or skipping a meal. Generally a skipped meal becomes a weekend lunch. Also, the sweetness of life dwells in the company of friends, or being treated to a night out by your significant other, maybe celebrating another year in the life of a loved one. Your life is too precious to be so rigid in your planning that there isn't room for spontaneity or celebration. So relax, give yourself a night off from prepping, cooking, serving, and cleaning up your meals. I hope your week is as full of laughter as it is of good food.

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Shopping List and Recipes

Request for photos

We are now entering week five of the Mealtime Workshop experiment. That's a whopping 35 vegetarian meals - with no repeats (yet...). I am so curious to hear how things are going for you and what you've tried. Here are some of the bits and pieces of feedback I've heard:

• Keela T. said she added diced ham to the corn chowder recipe and that it turned out great.
• Kristen U. noted that when making the curried vegetables with couscous, she added coconut milk to the couscous and transformed the dish into a stew - which was delicious.
• Brenda P. noted that the quinoa with sweet potatoes was a hit (even with her 18 month old daughter).
• Kathy W. was also pleased with the quinoa and was looking forward to seconds the next day - but the whole dish was gobbled up in the first sitting.
• Liz O. told me that the hummus platter is going to join the regular rotation in her household.
• Sarah P. added sweet potatoes to the curried vegetables - which sounds like a yummy addition to me.

I love all of your feedback and would like to issue a call for photos. It would be great to see and share photos of your Mealtime Workshop successes and substitutions. Here are a couple of photos I've taken:

Anything Goes Pizza, before baking

Anything Goes Pizza, after baking

Bi Bim Bap - a treat for this week's menu

Falafel Sandwiches with Cucumber Sauce

Good luck and eat well!

Menu, Shopping List and Recipes

Really saving money at the grocery store

I have a couple of ideas about how to really knock some dollars off your weekly grocery bill. I've got to admit, however, that none of these hints or tips are original or "mind-blowing", but I can promise you that if you follow these hints you can save yourself some real dough.

1. Make a shopping list and stick to it. What??? Yes really, use the list I provide (or modify it to your own menu) and stick to it. Don't buy ANYTHING you don't need for a meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner!

2. Read the fine print. What I mean here is to compare the price per ounce or pound of comparable products. The 16 oz jar of marinara sauce costs $2.49 (or $0.16 per ounce). Right below that jar is a 24 oz jar that costs $3.36 - which costs a dollar more over-all, but amounts to only $0.14 per ounce. Additionally, I can make a 24 ounce jar stretch between 2 meals better than a 16 oz jar could.

3. Buy in bulk. This works for the food items that are in the bulk bins as well as for some produce. In my grocery store a 5 lb bag of potatoes is $2.75, but to buy a single potato the price is $0.69 per pound. Buy buying the 5 lb bag of potatoes I save $0.70, but that is just for one item on my shopping list.

4. Check out the bakery. Often times they will have a loaf of whole wheat sandwich bread - that you know was baked that morning for less than $2.00. The comparable brand name bread is going to be closer to $4.00 per loaf and may generally have more additives and preservatives. Just keep your bread in the freezer and it is probably good for 2 weeks (if sealed well).

5. Add healthy, but inexpensive foods to make your meals go farther. Potatoes and [brown] rice are inexpensive and full of fiber, so is quinoa (which is also chocked full or protein). Use these items as side dishes to make your family feel fuller and keep some precious nickels and dimes in your pockets.

Also, some highlights in this week's menu: Korean Pancakes, Thai Tom Kha Soup, and Hearty Corn Chowder. Mm-mm.

Good luck and eat well!

Menu, Shopping List and Recipes

Organic versus in-organic

So, I do realize that the opposite of certified organic foods is not called "in-organic", I'm just not sure what it should be called. Regular food? Throw-back produce? The stuff we grew up on? For the sake of this post, let's just call it "pre-organic".

One of the comments I've heard in regards to this blog and one of its central goals is the cost-savings. I've been told, "It doesn't make sense that you'd save money when there is so much produce on the shopping list." When I asked why, the reply was that organic fruits and veggies cost more than pre-organic. With this point, I cannot argue. So, the question is whether I personally buy organic. The answer is no.

What??!!!!?? For someone that wants to eat so healthy, why wouldn't I choose to buy and eat certified organic products and produce? The short answer is that trying to eat healthy can be stressful enough when you're short on time and working with a budget. My choice is not to further stress myself out by being concerned with organics. Some choices I make that (at least in my mind) help me find a balance are hormone-free dairy products and lots and lots of whole grains and fiber. I like to think of whole grains and fiber as nature's little purifier - they help keep digestive and circulatory systems clean and efficient.

I think the choice to buy and consume as many organic options as possible is great and absolutely worthwhile, I just can't justify adding any additional stress or pressure to my life and would encourage all of you to find the balance that works for you and your family.

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Shopping List and Recipes

Nourishment for body and soul

In our office, where there is a desk for my husband and one for myself, there is no shortage of snapshots. On Adam's desk there are photos of friends, family, vacations, beautiful places and me (of course). My desk has a similar assortment, although most of the photos are of people I love. One odd theme I just noticed is how many of those photos were taken during a meal, a special event where food was served, or in anticipation of some tasty treats. From weddings, to Thanksgiving, to a beach-side pick-nick, food and those we share it with become an integral part of our happiest memories.

Have you ever noticed this? Even though we eat every single day, we still get excited about special meals and time with loved ones. This leads me to believe that there is some deep, maybe in-born connection we have between feeding our bodies and feeding our souls. Even church has a special meal meant to remind us of our Lord and His grace toward us. Maybe this week, if you use these tools, you might find a little more joy and a little more pleasure in preparing and serving these meals knowing that when you feed someone's body their soul isn't far behind. May the bread of life satisfy your hunger.

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Shopping List, and Recipes

Love is in the air- or is that something baking??

OK, this one goes out to all you lovers out there. With today being Valentine's Day, I thought we'd start off with one of my sweetie's favorites - lasagna!! Since we made the decision to really commit to a vegetarian diet, I've been constantly trying to think of ways to make meals that don't make you say, "Gee, this would really be better with beef." Rather, "Beef?! Who even remembers beef?" So, in the last few months, I've had some great dishes that I will be sharing in future posts, and a few others that will never again see the light of day.

All that to say, this week's menu is designed with lovers in mind. These are meals that feel good to eat, look good, warm your insides, and will make the recipients of your hard work know just how special they are and how much you love them. How you came by the recipes, prepared these meals, and just how easy it was are our little secret (*wink).

Since this is the very first post here at The Mealtime Workshop, there are suggestions for vegan and carnivorous appetites as well. Just a few simple substitutions is all you need to make to ensure that your dinners match your lifestyle.

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Shopping List, and Recipes