Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 4:11PM 
You may have already found Why Plan a Weekly Menu on my website. If so, I wonder if you clicked on it, or if your eyes glazed over?
I haven’t met too many people these days that plan ahead with a weekly menu. Still, I am going to try to convince you that it’s worth your time and has all kinds of benefits.
Monday, March 7, 2011 at 11:47AM Part Two: Keys 3 - 6
Yesterday we talked about planning ahead, and creating a cook-friendly kitchen, all in the effort to make getting a healthy and nutritious meal on the table easier than you believed is possible. Today we cover four more keys to that end.
3. Keep staples stocked. There are certain items that store well and that can be used in a number of dishes or that can make meals themselves (pasta, spaghetti sauce, rice, etc.). Having these items on hand can help ease nightly preparation, as well as serve as quick-fixes when in a pinch. Here’s a minimal basic list of staples to start with, which you can add items to as you determine what best suits your needs.
Monday, March 7, 2011 at 11:02AM Part One: Keys 1 & 2
Mealtime, a once honored and treasured family experience, has become challenging with our demanding and fast-paced lives. Between the demands of work, time spent commuting, responsibilities as a parent, etc., etc.; it is often hard to find the time or energy for preparing a meal. Cooking, however, can actually be a pleasant way to unwind and can have, as its end, a nutritious and satisfying meal that everyone will enjoy.
If you buy into the goal of getting a healthy and nutritious meal on the table for your family, then let’s explore six keys (just the first two today) for making mealtime an experience that you’ll look forward to and enjoy.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 2:45PM 
1. Saves money: you shop based on what you already know you're cooking. Less produce goes to waste, because you buy mainly what you know you will use.
2. Saves time: We're always more effiicent when we shop from a list.
3. Your familiy eats healthier meals: When you plan ahead (and not on a hungry stomach) you will make healthier plans, than when you are running into the store on the way home from work. This of course assumes that you are planning things that are made at home--cooking/preparing yourself--instead of grabbing take-out.
How we do it: Sometimes I sit down and preplan the whole month, and other times I just plan a week or two in advance. This is much less work than you think, because we (people) are very routine in our eating patterns, so you will want to eat things that are your favorites, including things that are (read more...)
All the best!
-Dorene