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