April 16th, 2012 
Andi B. 
Certain things, there’s no reason to buy. One of the major things I can think of is croutons. Seriously, it’s REALLY toasted bread. Not exactly, but the Family CEO has a great recipe for Whole Wheat Croutons. Come check it out!
Meal Plan Questions: The “Other” Section
Question: Why do you have an “Other Items” section in your meal plans? I thought the grocery list was supposed to include everything we needed for the week.
Answer: The grocery list does cover everything you need for the week…and that’s why there is an other items section. Our meal plans include 7 dinners and 1 dessert. The “Other Items” section assumes you may want breakfast, lunch, maybe even a second dessert during the week. I also take no responsibility for checking to see if you’re out of toilet paper in the house.
Have questions about our seasonal, healthy meal plans? Email us at service@mealplanrescue.com and your question may be featured.
Quick Potsticker Sauce
Jiaozi (Photo credit: johnsember)
One of our favorite go-to meals in our house is potstickers. We have two great options. One is to make a Potsticker Salad, but I’m not telling you that one yet. The other is, of course, potstickers. However, the sauce can be absolutely gross. We make our own. It’s really simple and tastes great.
Option 1:
- 1/2 Tsp. Sriracha
- 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
- 3-4 Tbsp. Vinegar
Option 2:
- 1/4 Tsp. Hot Sesame Oil
- 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
- 3-4 Tbsp. Vinegar
You can add more or less of the hot stuff, depending on how spicy you like it. Enjoy!
Planning Meals When You’re Sick
A frozen dinner made by Amy's Kitchen, featuring Indian food (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
So this spring hit me with a giant wallop. Like many I’ve been sick. So what happens in the meal planner’s home when she’s sick, languishing on the couch? Luckily, my husband takes excellent care of me. There are two food inevitabilities when you’re sick. Your refrigerator will be empty, or all the fresh food will be rotten. Another potential side effect is the dreaded takeout. So what do you do?
1. Make sure at least one meal each week can be cooked by any member of the household. At the very least I keep a carton of eggs in the refrigerator, since my husband makes the best omelettes in the universe. However, I try to make at least one meal each week something simple that anyone can do. Tossing the items for a chef’s salad or putting together a sandwich is very easy. Last week, my husband made Sausage and Beer Pepper Hoagies for a group of friends that had my friend’s husband saying, “This doesn’t look that hard. Can you show me how to cook for my wife?”
2. Stick with a weekly meal plan. Even if you can shop a month in advance, unless you’re going to prepare most of those items when you get home, I don’t recommend it….at all. The likelihood of anyone getting sick in a given month is pretty high. The likelihood of fresh produce going bad during that month period even when you haven’t gotten sick is pretty high as well. Add in getting sick and you have a recipe for a stinky fridge.
3. Not all frozen meals are created equal; it’s okay to have a few on hand. Frozen meals are not the scary TV dinners you may remember from your past. We have frozen meals from Kashi and Amy’s Organics in our freezer. They are great in an “I forgot to boil the eggs for your lunch” pinch, and also are extremely helpful for emergencies when I’ve forgotten to eat, or when one of us gets sick.
How do you handle getting sick?
If you’re looking for seasonal, healthy meal plans, or you’re always asking “What is for dinner?” check out our seasonal meal plans delivered to your inbox each week. They’ll help you eat healthy, and control your food budget.
4 Reasons Your Kids Hate Vegetables
Image via Wikipedia
Parent after parent complains that their kids don’t like vegetables. The answer may be closer to home than they think.
1. Your kids think vegetables come from a can.
Fruit and vegetables in cans have been sitting in water with either high fructose corn syrup or salt and they don’t taste like their original counterparts. Think about the difference between fresh green beans and canned green beans.
My mom always cooked fresh produce, and when my friends’ parents asked what they had for dinner, the parents were always amazed. On more than one occasion we heard, “How did you do it? She won’t eat those veggies at home.”
2. You cook all your vegetables the same way.
Steaming all your vegetables with a pat of butter may be your go to method, but it’s easy for your kids to get bored. Think of all the options you have: finger foods, steamed, braised, broiled, roasted, sauteed, pickled, and more. The different ways you cook an item enhance or bring out different notes of the flavor, so don’t be afraid to experiment a bit.
3. You only use one or two different vegetables, ever.
Variety is the spice of life. There may be times where due to finances, you’re buying multiple pounds of the vegetable on sale which will limit your options. Otherwise, remember there are many varieties of vegetables each season. From brisk winter to a hot summer, there are many different types of fruits and vegetables that grow, so try as many as you can.
4. THE BIG ONE: You don’t like vegetables!
If your children see that you’re not eating, or don’t like vegetables, they won’t eat them; kids’ll think something’s wrong with the weird green things on their plate that Mommy and Daddy treat like a virus. My husband and I have very broad palates, primarily because our parents liked and ate a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and had the same rule, “You have to try everything once.” Even today I’m willing to try new things (like a Cactus salad) because my parents instilled a love of fresh produce.
How do you make vegetables accessible to your kids?
If you’re looking for seasonal, healthy meal plans, or you’re always asking “What is for dinner?” check out our seasonal meal plans delivered to your inbox each week. They’ll help you eat healthy, and control your food budget.
