Dinner Diva: What a Waste

I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage, “waste not, want not.” We’ve all grown up with that saying. In our parents’ and grandparents’ time, the very idea of wasting food was unthinkable. Today, it’s the norm with nearly 40% of food purchased wasted every day. When you consider that the most flexible thing in our […]

Food For Thought: Menu Planning Tips to Keep Your Holidays Jolly

In the hustle-bustle of the holidays, it is so easy to have good intentions go awry. Every year the reminder that you need to get on the stick and get organized to make the holidays happen, is exacerbated by the fact that the retailers can’t seem to resist putting the holiday decorations out earlier and […]

Healthy Foods: Leave the Jelly Belly to Santa

“He had a broad face and round little belly, that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly!” Now I don’t know about you, but I know that’s Santa when I read those familiar lines of verse from ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Now Santa may have had a belly, it’s just plain […]

Dinner Diva: Beating Holiday Stress

The holidays can be a stressful time for a lot of people, especially this year when it seems there is nothing but doom and gloom in the economic forecast. But folks who have lived through such times as this in the past, know a thing or two about not only getting by but actually thriving. […]

Healthy Foods: Soup Is Good Food

If you’ve made your list and checked it twice, you’re ahead of the holiday game. But even with lists and plans, there’s still a lot to do and we get stressed out which only contributes to that downward spiral. Add to that eating poorly and you’re going to be struggling big time to keep your […]

Dinner Diva: Casseroles Do Double Duty

Meal planning doesn’t have to make you wring your hands, stomp your feet and cause you to order pizza in frustration. The solution is simple if you plan a little bit ahead, keep a perpetual grocery list going, utilize easy recipes and keep your pantry stockpiled. One trick that has always helped me in a […]

Thanksgiving Triage

Got a problem that needs fixing? Here you will find some quick fixes, patches and helps to pull your dinner back from disaster. Gravy too thin? Got lumpy gravy? Turkey taking too long to cook? Stuffing too dry? Cranberries too runny? I have some quick rescues and resuscitations right here. Dry Stuffing? Melt some butter and add half […]

Power of Dinner

Food For Thought Power of Dinner by: Leanne Ely, CNC Dear Friends, Setting and keeping goals is what babysteps are all about. Just one babystep helps make a routine. And when you string those babysteps altogether into one beautiful necklace and tie up the end, you have a circle. This is the cool part—the circle […]

Dinner Diva: Portion Distortion

One of the things that I have struggled with in regard to my own personal body clutter is learning to eat less food than what I want to eat. What I want to eat and what I need to eat are often incongruous and I have a small battle inside my head trying to decide […]