Feed Your Family Tonight Podcast

Friends- This podcast was a hard one to record. Sitting and writing this post my eyes are filled with tears. But I am choosing joy today!  It is time to close down Feed Your Family Tonight. This project I started in 2017 has taken so many twists and turns that I would never have imagined! I have met so many amazing people and helped so many families make life just a little bit easier. I could not have done it without you! Thank you for all your support over the years! I will dearly miss you.  For now, the website will remain up. I will archive the Facebook group in May.  If you have questions, message me on Instagram. I am still always happy to help you with your questions. For now friends, take care! Marie For show notes and a transcript click here.

Ground Beef is a staple in many homes, but there are some basic techniques to make the most of your ground beef!  For full show notes and a transcript click here. 

Lots of life has been happening behind the scenes. In this podcast I talk about how things have been going the past month as I started a new full-time job. There have been ups and downs.  The most challenging thing for me has been grocery shopping. Join the conversation in the Feed Your Family Tonight Facebook Group. I want to know when you do your grocery shopping.    For a transcript  click here.

 I am in the middle of a really busy season in my personal life and I am relying on my pantry to help me get dinner on the table fast. Pantry cooking is using ingredients that you keep on hand to make meals. For me this includes my pantry, freezer and refrigerator staples. 4 Tips for Pantry Cooking: Tip 1: Have a well-stocked pantry and freezer.  Tip 2: Create a list of pantry staples.  Tip 3: Add fresh ingredients to make pantry dinners delicious. Tip 4: Create a list of "base ingredients" to make lots of different meals.  For full show notes and a transcript click here.

We all have days when there just isn't time to fix dinner. You may be running kids to activities and need to eat in the car or at the activity. For many families that means hitting the drive thru and that's okay. If you know you are going to eat out on a busy night, put it on your meal plan. Plan for it! This helps you not feel guilty about hitting the drive thru on a busy night because you chose it on purpose. If you don't want to hit the drive thru I have six tips for feeding your family when there isn't time to cook. 6 Tips to Feed Your Family When There Isn't Time to Cook: Tip 1: Make a cold dinner. Tip 2: Fix dinner at 10:00 AM. Tip 3: Use the grocery store as your drive thru.  Tip 4: Use a backup meal. Tip : Make a snack board dinner. Tip 6: Have a leftover night.  For full show notes and a transcript click here.

Everyone faces busy seasons of life. There are many reasons you may be facing a hectic season. Having a baby Moving Remodeling project Sports season  Work season (I see you accountants in March and April) There are dozens of reasons and I am facing one in my life right now. Starting a new job is definitely a hectic season.  6 Tips to prepare for a hectic season: Tip 1- Clean out your freezer and pantry. Tip 2- Take an Inventory of your Freezer and Pantry. Tip 3- Make a list of the basic items you need and do a deep dive shopping trip to stock up. Tip 4- Make a list of backup and basic meals. Tip 5- Do a little freezer prep. If you want the easiest way to make 6 full freezer meals in 1 hour, check out my friends Polly and Rachel at Thriving Home. Use the code Marie20 to save 20%. Tip 6- Be realistic with yourself during busy seasons.  For full show notes, links, and a transcript, click here.

I love kitchen gadgets. Some are essential and some just make life a little easier. Years ago I did a presentation for parents of teens and young adults about setting up a first apartment kitchen. I made a 1st Kitchen Essentials list.  For links and show notes click here. 

How many times have your looked at a recipe and really underestimated the amount of time it takes to make the recipe? If you are like me, more times than you want to admit. Today I have 3 Tips for estimating the real time it takes to make a recipe and 4 tips to be faster in the kitchen, 3 Tips for estimating the real time it takes to make a recipe. Read the entire recipe. Do they have you preheat the oven in step 1 or step 6? Look for words that equal time like marinate, rest, and let sit. Look for words that equal multi-tasking like "meanwhile" or "while x is going do y." Know your personal cooking style. Are you comfortable chopping veggies while meat is cooking? Do you need everything measured and ready to go before adding heat? Rely on your past experience. How long does it take to brown hamburger? What skillet works best for this type of task? 4 Tips to be faster in the kitchen Do a little prep ahead. Thaw your meat the night before Salt your meat in the morning or the night before Use the "prep" section of the free weekly meal planning sheet. Use sharp knives and invest in your knife skills Look up YouTube videos or find a local culinary pro who offers knife classes Get a knife sharpener. Electric or Manual both work. Do multiple steps at once. Boil Water Cook Meat Chop Veggies Don't be afraid to use grocery store shortcuts. Buy frozen veggies (the are washed and cut) Buy chopped veggies from the salad bar. Have the butcher cut your meat in 1 inch pieces. For Full Show Notes, Links, and Transcript Click Here. 

This on air coaching call was so fun! Dana Malstaff is the founder of Boss Mom. As a co-parenting mom she faces some unique challenges to feeding her two kids. We talk about picky eaters, snacks, and how to systematically test new foods to slowly expand her kid's palettes. With kids who do not prefer pasta, potatoes, or rice, most of the "normal" tricks for feeding picky eaters are tossed out the window. I suggested polenta and Dana loved the idea! For show notes, links, and a transcript click here.

Groceries are getting more expensive. One way to save money is to buy grocery store markdowns.  You can often save lots of money buying marked down items. Use these 6 tips to be smart when buying markdowns. Tip 1- If you won't use it, it is not a bargain. Tip 2- Know the regular and common sale price of an item. Tip 3- Buy ahead when items are on deep discount. Tip 4- Consider your storage and freezer space before buying items in bulk. Tip 5- Repackage meat before freezing Tip 6- Learn the markdown habits of your favorite stores.   For a transcript and links click here. This podcast was sponsored by Yummy Crate. Get 50% off your first month and free shipping with code FYFT.

Everyone faces busy seasons of life. There are many reasons you may be facing a hectic season. Having a baby Moving Remodeling project Sports season  Work season (I see you accountants in March and April) There are dozens of reasons and I am facing one in my life right now. Starting a new job is definitely a hectic season.  6 Tips to prepare for a hectic season: Tip 1- Clean out your freezer and pantry. I have two podcasts on cleaning out your freezer and pantry. Episode 70 Spring Clean Your Freezer and Pantry Episode 128 Spring Pantry and Freezer Clean Out Tip 2- Take an Inventory of your Freezer and Pantry. Tip 3- Make a list of the basic items you need and do a deep dive shopping trip to stock up. Tip 4- Make a list of backup and basic meals. Tip 5- Do a little freezer prep. If you want the easiest way to make 6 full freezer meals in 1 hour, check out my friends Polly and Rachel at Thriving Home. Use the code Marie20 to save 20%. Tip 6- Be realistic with yourself during busy seasons.  For show notes and a transcript click here.

What is in your refrigerator that is taking up valuable space? Maybe you have some half-used jars of pickles or olives.  Maybe you have half a jar of pesto or miso. I have a small jar of flax seeds that I think may be over 5 years old. I didn't mean to forget about them for 5 years, but time gets away from you. I'm sure they are rancid by now and I promise by the time you read this I will have thrown them away.  We all have things that we keep way too long because we don't want them to go to waste. We may have purchased them for a recipe that our family didn't really like and we keep thinking we need to find another recipe to use it up. Friends- now is the time to use it up! Make a charcuterie board for dinner and use up the pickles and olives or make rice bowls and let your family pick all the things they like to top their bowls. Rice bowls are the best way to clean out the refrigerator. Anything your family doesn't eat throw out.  The clutter in your refrigerator is costing you brain space and physical space. Getting rid of the clutter leaves room for new things and new creativity.  For full show notes and a transcript click here. 

We are well into January and I know I am feeling the winter blahs. Christmas is over, my kids are finally back in school and it is crazy cold outside. My body is longing for something new and so many of my go-to meals feel "tired." It's crazy how in September the PSL is released by Starbucks and all of a sudden everyone is making soups, stews, and anything with pumpkin even though most of the country is still pretty hot and it definitely isn't "sweatah weathah." By the time January rolls around we are tired of the "fall food" and are craving something bright and fresh. How do you beat the winter "blahs" or winter blues in the kitchen? Add a little extra to your food budget and try something new.  Go back to a recipe you haven't made in a long time. (The Feed Your Family Tonight Meal Planning System can really help with this.) Try a new recipe. For full show notes and links click here. 

If you follow recipes to a "T" this episode can help you make simple changes to recipes that will help you get more creative in the kitchen and save money on ingredients. If you use recipes as suggestions this episode can help you understand how you do this naturally and may give you some new ideas of ways to make recipes your own. 4 Tips to Riff on a Recipe Tip 1: Think About Why You Want to Change a Recipe. Tip 2: What do You Want to Change in the Recipe? Tip 3: Does the Change Make Sense? Tip 4: Just Do It! For Full Show Notes and Transcript Click Here. 

January is often a time when we want to freshen things up in our home and lives. It is also a time where we can feel like we are in a "dinner rut." This podcast has four tips to get you out of a dinner rut and freshen up your weekly meal plans. Tip 1 - It's Okay to be Boring Episode 90 is all about how there are seasons of life when it is okay to be boring. You may want to freshen up dinner, but if you are in a season of "survival mode" do not feel like you are failing if you have very simple meals over and over again.  Tip 2 - Make Small Tweaks to Your Regular Meals Small changes can make meals feel fresh and new. You don't have to make all new recipes to freshen up dinner in your home. Tip 3 - Try a New Recipe I know this may sound obvious, but hear me out. The hardest part of making a new recipe is finding a recipe that meets your family's set of preferences.  Tip 4 - (My best tip for getting out of a dinner rut) Go to a New Grocery Store There is something about seeing foods in a different environment that can spark creativity in the kitchen.    This podcast was sponsored by Yummy Crate. Get 50% off your first month and free shipping with code FYFT.

Rita and Gino Rossini have 5 kids and a super busy schedule. Rita is a nursing student and Gino works full time. Between school, work, and kids activities, getting dinner on the table is a challenge.  In this on-air coaching call, Marie talks with Rita and Gino and helps them make small tweaks to make dinner a little easier in their home. One small change they plan to implement is to make double of some meals and immediately set the extra aside for another dinner. They were frustrated that food was going to waste because their kids preferred to make sandwiches or quesadillas rather than eating the leftovers in the refrigerator. By designating the extras for another dinner they are solving two issues. 1-The food is no longer going to waste. 2-They have an easy re-heat dinner for a busy night.  Another small change that will pay off big time is to cook a large amount of chicken when it comes on sale. They can use the cooked chicken for chicken salad, quesadillas, and tortilla soup. My recipe for Instant Pot Lemony Chicken Thighs has the cook times for chicken thighs in the Instant Pot, and my Buffalo Chicken recipe has cook times for chicken breasts.  For a transcript and full show notes click here. 

This week Rachel Tiemeyer of Thriving Home joins me and we talk all things freezer cooking. Rachel and her business partner, Polly, are freezer cooking experts! They know how to make freezer food that tastes good. Rachel and I geek out about food safety and best practices for freezer cooking.  Foods that do not freeze well Best Practices for Freezing Food: Best Practices for Thawing Food Get the 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions from Thriving Home! Follow the link and use the code Marie20 to get 20% off any of their amazing 1 hour freezer prep sessions.

If you are anything like me 2020 was a blur and 2021 feels like it is still 2020. But, this fall I felt like I was beginning to come out of the fog. As I reflect on where Feed Your Family Tonight began and where it is now, I feel like I have come full circle. Weeknight dinner success is not about the recipes, it is about time management.  I have said this for years, but with the new Feed Your Family Tonight Meal Planning System, I have a way to teach the time management piece. The "aha" moment is that the key is to look at the "prep" time and the "cook" time in recipes as separate tasks. They don't have to be done at the same time. In fact, doing them at different times can be the key to getting dinner on the table with less effort. 10 minutes planning at the beginning of the week can save your hours of execution when fixing dinner. If you plan well you will have more variety and much less effort in the kitchen, (Who doesn't want that?) For show notes and transcript click here. 

December is a weird month. It starts out in a rush and in my home ends in slow days with lots of family time. In both situations, simple meals are the best! Here are 3 tips and 1 bonus for feeding your family in December. Tip #1 Use "Backup Meals" on your regular meal plan. Tip #2 Cook a large protein and repurpose it throughout the week. Ham Turkey Breast Roast Beef Tip #3 Make cold no-cook meals. Charcuterie boards Chef Salads Bonus Tip Buy a pre-made veggie tray and put it out every day for snacking and dinner time. For full show notes and transcript click here.

When life gets busy having a freezer stocked with cooked proteins can make cooking dinner much faster and easier. It is nice to stock your freezer with a few basic proteins that you can use in lots of different recipes. How to freeze proteins. Cool meats to room temperature before freezing. Freeze in meal-size portions for your family. Think about the shape of frozen zip bags. Freeze flat on a cookie sheet or inside a container like an instant pot liner so it is easier to thaw. Leave extra space at the top of the container if you are using glass. Air is the enemy of frozen food. Try to get as much air out of zip bags as possible. Air causes ice crystals to form which degrades the food faster. My favorite meats to freeze. Taco Meat Cheeseburger Baked Potato (Cooked hamburger and onions) Roast Chicken Instant Pot Lemony Chicken Chicken Tacos Looking for full freezer meals not just meats? Check out Thriving Home. Use the code Marie20 to get 20% off. For full show notes and transcript click here. 

Late in November or early in December I like to do a Deep Dive Shopping Trip. I stock up on all the basic items I need from shampoo and deodorant to pasta, flour, and sugar. I want to make shopping easier during the busy season so my goal is to only buy fresh items at the store. In this episode I focus on the pantry. There are four main things you want to stock up on in your pantry. For full show notes, links, and transcript, click here. 

In this replay on-air coaching call, I talk with my friend, Janice Scholl, about ways to help her overcome some of her dinner challenges. You will learn: -Which surprising vegetable I suggest to try with her picky kid who “won't eat anything green.” -Why I suggest cooking three chickens for dinner. -Several great tips for introducing new recipes to picky families. For show notes, links and transcript click here. 

Have you ever wondered about the new graphics for the podcasts? All the colors have meanings. Red- Clock- is all about time. Orange- Carrot- is all about food and ingredients. Yellow- Lemon- is personal about Marie or an on air coaching. Green- Measuring Cup- is about recipes. Blue- Salt Shaker- is about cooking skills. Purple- Knife and Fork- is about motivation.   This week is an "Orange" podcast and we are talking about Fall Fruits. For full show notes and a transcript click here. 

Introducing the Feed Your Family Tonight Meal Planning System! This system will help you get your meals planned in 10 minutes a week. The key to the system is the Recipe Index. This Recipe Index helps you look at all your recipes in one place without having to print them or enter them into a digital system. You sort them by proteins or your favorite categories. It is completely customizable to YOUR needs! The Recipe Index helps you:  Keep track of your recipes Categorize recipes by time Categorize recipes by proteins Categorize recipes by main ingredient The Weekly Meal Planning Sheet works with the Recipe Index to helps you: Plan meals that work with your time Look a meals according to their prep and cook time Figure out what to make given your daily schedule   You get: Full set of printable recipe index sheets labeled by proteins Full set of printable recipe index sheets without labels to help you customize your binder 3 Short video trainings to help you set up your binder, use the recipe index system, and plan your weekly meals in 10 minutes a week!    Get all your recipes organized without printing reams of paper! For show notes and transcript click here.

November is here and it is finally getting chilly here in Kansas. That means my brain automatically goes to a different kind of cooking than in the summer. I start to crave slow roasted meats and stews. I think about soups and slow cooker meals. What is great about these kinds of meals is that while the cooking takes a long time, it is all hands-off. I can put something in the oven or slow cooker and leave the kitchen for a few hours. For a full transcript and links click here.  1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions use code Marie20.

I am coming off of one of the busiest weeks of the year. Life has been crazy and that means some things have had to adjust in our home including how I fix dinner. Kendra Adachi, the Lazy Genius was on the podcast a while back. She talks about how it is important to name what matters. With family dinners different things will matter in different seasons of your life. For my crazy week there were four things that were important: Everyone gets fed. I want reasonable nutrition. Nothing is complicated. I need plenty of leftovers so my family can grab them for lunches, snacks, or even dinner. It is also necessary to name what is not important. In this week there were three things that were not important: Dinner does not have to be elaborate or fancy. It doesn't have to be perfectly nutritionally balanced. (It is just one week.) We all do not have to eat together. (I usually value this, but in survival mode it isn't possible and I am not going to fret about it. In any season of life it you want to know that not everything can be important. You have to choose where to put your energy and focus. There are times when my budget was tight and I chose to go to four grocery stores to get the best price on every item in my cart. Now, I will happily pay one dollar more for cottage cheese if it means I only have to go to one store. My budget is fuller and my time is more valuable. Neither is right or wrong. They both served me in different seasons.  For full show notes, links, and a transcript click here. 

A sharp knife can make everything easier in the kitchen. The key is to select a good knife and keep it sharp. You can use an inexpensive manual sharpener, and electric sharpener, or take them to your local Willams Sonoma or Sur La Table store for sharpening. You do not need an large butcher block full of knifes.  A few simple knifes are all you need. You should have a chef's knife, paring knife and bread knife. They do not need to be super expensive or fancy. America's Test Kitchen likes Victorinox and I am a fan of Zwilling Henckels Professional S knives. For full show notes and transcript click here. 

Our meals change with the seasons. It is October and that means we are moving into fall. Now is the time to get a set of fall recipes that you will have on repeat for the next month or two.  If you get 5-10 recipes ready you can dig in deep, do a little prep, and know what kind of time each recipe needs. It is really helpful to think about the prep time and the cooking time for each recipe. What can you do the day before? Does the recipe need hands-on cooking or can you put it in the oven and let it be for an hour or two? For show notes, links and a transcript click here.

Carmen is a marries mother of 4 kids ages 16 down to 1 and is having another baby next year. Her life is packed with toddlers and teens and her husband works a very demanding job which often means he isn't there at dinnertime. We talked about ways to find pockets of time to do a little dinner prep during the day and to consider flipping "lunch" and "dinner" on days when her husband won't make it home in time to eat with the girls. One small change Carmen is going to try is to freeze single servings of dinner for her husband and teenage son to heat up for late dinners or lunches. She had previously frozen large meal-size bags of things like tacos, but the shift to single servings of meals means her husband can eat home-cooked food at lunchtime. This helps the family budget and is a healthier option for him at his work sites.  We also talked about some hearty breakfasts. Carmen is not a big fan of eggs and her family doesn't prefer pork. I suggested homemade turkey sausage that could be made into breakfast sandwiches for her husband and teenage son. For the younger girls, baked oatmeal and breakfast cookies are two hearty breakfasts that could work well in her home. For full show notes, links, and transcript click here. 

Getting dinner on the table takes a lot of decisions. If you have a set of pantry staples, it makes it so much easier to choose new recipes and get dinner on the table. This podcast talks about the categories of pantry staples and how using them as your guide can help you. For show notes and transcript click here. 

t is late September and in Kansas that means we have reached the season of "Fummer."  It is the weird time where it is chilly in the morning and crazy hot in the afternoons. This is the time of year where I want to start making "fall foods" but it is often too hot come dinner time to enjoy them. Now is the time to clean out your pantry and freezer. Share or donate any foods you purchased that your family no longer prefers. Pass on anything that you bought too much of and know you won't eat in a reasonable amount of time.  Eat up foods that you exclusively eat in the summer so they are not floating in your freezer all winter. Use up odds and ends of foods so you have room for the new foods of fall. It is also time to look at your spices. Toss any spices that do not smell fragrant. Toss any spices you have had so long you can't remember when you bought them. Think about the spices you use in the fall and be sure to stock up on your favorites. Consider doing a deep dive grocery trip to get your pantry read for fall and winter.   For full show notes and a transcript click here. 

If you have ever had a season of life where fixing dinner seems overwhelming or all the little burdens are just too much then you are in the right place. We all have times when life gets tough. Sometimes these are short seasons and sometimes they are longer, but these tips will help you when life gets a little overwhelming. Tip 1- Do not expect too much of yourself. Tip 2- Do not expect too much of others. Tip 3- Look for ways to simplify. Tip 4- Give yourself more cooking breaks. For full show notes, links, and a transcript, click here.

Ground beef is a basic in many homes. It is easy and fast to cook and relatively inexpensive. But, many of us are not making the most of this simple meat. In this episode we will talk about:  How To Thaw Ground Beef How to Brown Ground Beef How to Form Hamburgers How to Make Meatloaf or Meatballs with Ground Beef For full show notes, links, and a transcript, click here. 

I don't know many families who say "we're good on veggies." Most of us would like to add more veggies and today I have 4 ways to fix vegetables. I hope it gives you a little inspiration. I will like all the recipes at the bottom of the post.   Please remember that small changes make a big difference. Weeknight dinners don't have to be perfect. These are just some ways to help you get dinner on the table a little easier.  For full show notes and transcript click here. 

Rita and Gino Rossini have 5 kids and a super busy schedule. Rita is a nursing student and Gino works full time. Between school, work, and kids activities, getting dinner on the table is a challenge.  In this on-air coaching call, Marie talks with Rita and Gino and helps them make small tweaks to make dinner a little easier in their home. One small change they plan to implement is to make double of some meals and immediately set the extra aside for another dinner. They were frustrated that food was going to waste because their kids preferred to make sandwiches or quesadillas rather than eating the leftovers in the refrigerator. By designating the extras for another dinner they are solving two issues. 1-The food is no longer going to waste. 2-They have an easy re-heat dinner for a busy night.  Another small change that will pay off big time is to cook a large amount of chicken when it comes on sale. They can use the cooked chicken for chicken salad, quesadillas, and tortilla soup. My recipe for Instant Pot Lemony Chicken Thighs has the cook times for chicken thighs in the Instant Pot, and my Buffalo Chicken recipe has cook times for chicken breasts.  Full show notes and transcript can be found here.

None of us want to work hard to fix a new recipe only to be met with a bunch of complaints and food that is basically untouched.  In this episode Marie has 4 tips to choose new recipes that your family will actually eat. 1- Identify foods your family already likes. Pay attention to what they like to eat. Look at the ingredients and the flavors. Look at foods they order in restaurants. This gives you clues as to foods they will likely try. 2-Identify common threads in meals your make that they like. Will your family eat anything with pasta? Maybe they really like Mexican or Italian flavors. Will they eat foods with sauces like mashed potatoes and gravy, beef stroganoff and spaghetti, or do they like dry foods like grilled meats and roasted veggies? 3-Look for recipes that match as many common threads as possible. Find recipes with ingredients and flavors that are mostly familiar. 4-Examine what is different in a new recipe from things you already make. Don't try to change too many things at once. It is much easier to go from spaghetti with meat sauce to spaghetti with sausage, than it is to go from spaghetti to a chickpea veggie curry. Take gradual steps to expand their palettes. In the episode I walk through how I got my family to start eating chicken enchiladas. It was a process. For full show notes and a transcript click here. 

One of the biggest challenges most families face with getting dinner on the table is time. In my years of working with families I have found that dinner success has so much to do with time management. In this episode I take a deep dive into time. To get dinner on the table you have to plan, prep, physically cook, and then clean up. We are going to break down some of these steps to help you find the time to get dinner on the table. For full show notes, links, and transcript, click here.   

Happy August Friends! My kids still have two blissful weeks of summer, but I know many of you have already started school. Today's podcast has 4 Steps to help you get ready for the routine of the school year. Step 1 Asses where you are now at the end of the summer.  Step 2 Think about what things will look like once school starts. Step 3 Look at dinnertime. Step 4 Think about your time. I am looking for someone to come and talk with me on-air for an upcoming episode. If you would like to join me, fill out this simple application. If you want to hear what it is like to be on air with me, check out Episode 116 or Episode 141. For a transcript click here.

If you want your food to taste delicious, you are going to need to use salt. In episode 13, I took a deep dive into salt and talked about all the different kinds of salt, where they are harvested and how they are processed. This episode is more about how to use salt to make your food taste better. I keep more than a dozen salts in my cabinet, but the two I must have are: Table Salt and Celtic Sea Salt. For full show notes and transcript click here. 

It is late July and my brain is mush. There is something about the end of July that squashes out any motivation which means I don't feel like cooking. If you are in the same boat, I have 4 ways to help you get dinner on the table with minimal effort from you. For full show notes and a transcript click here. 

In this on air coaching call, Marie helps her guest, Emily, brainstorm strategies for getting dinner on the table faster after she picks up her four kids from daycare. They talk about looking at the amount of time it takes to make a meal, freezer prep, deep-dive grocery shopping, and expanding cooking skills. For full show notes, links, and a transcript, click here. 

It is July in Kansas and that means an abundance of summer produce. I haven't had a garden in several years, but I still have access to lots of fresh tomatoes, zucchini and other summer produce either from friends or farmer's markets. This week's podcast is for the people who use recipes as suggestions. I hope to give you lots of ideas to spark your creativity and get you thinking about how you can use summer veggies. For full show notes and a transcript click here. 

It's the end of June and most of us are settling into our summer rhythm. This podcast has 5 tips for planning meals in the summer. 1-Your Meal Plan Serves You 2-Be Kind to Yourself 3-Balance Easy Meals with Project Cooking 4- It's Okay to Break the "Rules" 5- Use Summer Produce For full show notes and a transcript, click here. 

If you are like me, you are feeling the "busy" creep back into daily life. The pandemic had a little silver lining and that was that we all slowed down. I don't miss the fear, uncertainty, isolation, and brain fog of the early pandemic, but I do miss the slow pace. Our family created deep connection last summer and one of the big reasons was because we had no expectations. We didn't feel like staying home was "missing out" on opportunities. Everything was canceled. The spaciousness created connection. Many people are wanting to keep a little of the slower pace we had last year. One great way to preserve family culture is to eat together. Creating spaciousness and large blocks of unstructured time for family meals is an important way to make space for your children to bring up tender topics.  In our family that is Sunday brunch. You may have Friday night pizza or Saturday morning pancakes. The key is to have a regular meal in a large block of time. For full show notes and transcript click here. 

Weeknight dinners are much more about time management than they are about recipes. Often people think having the right recipes are the key to successful dinners, but if you don't factor in time, even the best recipe is not going to help you. Be honest with yourself about your time and choose meals that work with your schedule.  Full show notes and a transcript can be found here.

Part 2 of Vacation Food Planning focuses on planning food when you are staying in cabins or rental homes, road trips and large family gatherings. You can hear part one on food planning when you are staying in hotels here. Plan ahead. What amenities are in the rental space? What meals will you eat at the home and what meals will you eat away from the home? -Cook ahead as much as possible and make sure the containers you are using fit well in your cooler. -Use online grocery ordering. You can pick it up on your way to your destination or some services even deliver. Walmart.com, Kroger.com, and Instacart are all great resources. Some even deliver. -Plan one lunch and one dinner out. The best day is usually not the last day. The last day is a good time to eat up leftovers as you are cleaning up and preparing to leave. Full show notes and transcript can be found here. 

Are you ready to get out of town?  This episode is all about planning your food when you are staying in hotels.  Next week's episode will focus on planning your food when you are staying in vacation rentals or cabins and family reunion planning. For full show notes and a transcript click here. 

Do you ever go on Pinterest looking for the magic recipe? You know, the one that’s easy to make, inexpensive, nutritious and your family eats it without complaint. The recipe that will fix all your weeknight dinner woes.    I hate to break it to you, but even if you find that unicorn of a recipe, you cannot use it five nights a week. Eventually your family will get tired of it, and then you’ve lost the magic of the magic recipe. No single recipe will fix all your weeknight dinner problems.   In Episode 75 I talked about the emotional burden of feeding your family. It’s so much more than picking a recipe. As moms, we try to be aware of the different nutritional needs of each family member. We calculate our kids’ likes and the dislikes to make sure everyone has something they prefer at least every other day. We have to factor in our own energy levels and how much time we have available to cook in between piano lessons and soccer practice. Then there’s the execution: When will I shop? Where will I shop? Did I remember to put everything on the list? All these micro-decisions are part of the process, and they are mentally exhausting.   I am here to give you permission to admit that weeknight dinners are hard. It’s OK to feel that way. But you still have to do it. For show notes and a transcript click here.

I truly believe every mom needs a break from fixing dinner at least one day a week. My mother hosts our family for a weekly dinner at her house, so I can always count on one night a week where I don’t have to cook (or plan, or shop, or clean up). On this week’s podcast, I share four other ways to get a break from the kitchen. Full shot notes and transcript can be found here.   

Do you ever wonder why I rarely have "dinner out" on my meal plans?  This week's podcast is about eating out. Even if you don’t see “dinner out” on my meal plan, I believe every mom needs a break from cooking at least once a week. For me, that comes in the form of a weekly family dinner hosted by my parents. Family dinner is my break from cooking and kitchen clean-up, and it’s something I can count on. Not every family has someone to host a weekly dinner, but there are lots of ways to plan a night off from cooking. Whether you pick up prepared items like fried chicken from the deli, order a pizza or go out to a restaurant, planning a night off lets you enjoy the break instead of feeling guilty about it.    For full show notes and a transcript, click here. 

Successful meal plans are more about time management than recipes. In this episode, Marie takes a deep dive into a new way to think about your recipes.  There are 6 categories of recipes. Project Cooking Long Prep Bulk Cooking or Freezer Prep Short Prep Long Cooking Short Prep Moderate Hands On Cooking Short Prep Hands Off Cooking Freezer Revival Cooking For full show notes click here.