Weekly Meal Plans & Quick Dinner Recipe Blog |
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November 14, 2008 by michelle
We asked our friends at J. Emerson Fine Wines (Richmond, VA) to share with us 5 fabulous wines that cost $15 or less. Serve one of these reds with your supper tonight! Cheers!
- Benotto, Nebieul Rosso 2005, $14.95 (Piedmont, Italy)
- 100 Marias, Tinto 2006, $10.95 (Alentejo, Portugal) -
- Domaine Gres St. Vincent, Cotes du Rhone Rouge, $13.95 (Rhone Valley, France)
- Bodegas Tiza, “El Ganador” Malbec 2006, $8.95 (Mendoza, Argentina)
- Gran Familia, Rioja Tinto 2006, $11.95 (Rioja, Spain)
Tags: red wine, wine bargains | Comments (3)
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by susan and michelle
In today’s shaky economy, everyone is trying to find easy ways to change their lifestyle and save a few dollars. Here are our top five “easy” ways to save money.
- Eat at Home. Use YGS to help you plan your weekly meals.
- Borrow your books and videos. Go to the library instead of the bookstore.
- Drink your wine at home. Start ordering water when you go out to restaurants.
- Pack your lunch.
- Stop your manis and pedis (especially now that it’s winter).
Tags: budget, money | Comments (1)
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November 11, 2008 by susan and michelle
People look forward to Thanksgiving dinner for the same reason they loved watching Seinfeld. It wasn’t to see Jerry every week, but to listen to George, Elaine and Kramer. For your Turkey feast, the turkey may be the star, but the side dishes are the main attraction. I don’t know why we stress about the turkey when the gravy and mashed potatoes are way more important to the overall meal. Here are some tips to get it all on the table, while still enjoying your company.
- Defrost the turkey - Buy the turkey ahead and let it defrost in the fridge for a few days (an extra fridge really comes in handy here).
- Make and chop ahead of time - Figure out what you can make ahead. Breads, pies, jellos, soups and veggie casseroles are usually good candidates. Get your chopping done ahead too (onions, squash, celery, carrots etc. etc.).
- Let the kids set the table – If any kids are joining you for the Thanksgiving meal, they will love to set the table and decorate it with homemade name cards, napkin holders, centerpieces, etc.(especially if they are not interested in the football games).
- Serve soup as your appetizer - Instead of lots of different appetizers, make a big batch of soup and serve it in heat proof, disposable cups.
- Buy some store bought turkey gravy as a back up - This will eliminate the stress of making a good gravy. You can add some store bought to your homemade gravy if it needs a little color or flavor.
- Make the stuffing and peel the potatoes that morning – If you are grossed out by shoving the stuffing in the raw turkey, just make it in a separate bowl. You can peel the potatoes but you need to cook and mash them just before dinner (sorry!).
- Don’t be intimidated by the Turkey – You can season it up a bit or rub some butter or olive oil on it, but then you just have to throw it in the oven (and give it enough time to cook).
- Open a good bottle of wine – A glass of wine is a great helper in the kitchen.
Tags: plan ahead, Thanksiving dinner | Comments (3)
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November 10, 2008 by susan and michelle
You can plan yourself into insanity. I believe this. If no detail is too small, and all activities are important, then you can drive yourself nuts.
Having said that, I think life gets remarkably simple if you plan a few big areas of your life. Namely, food, exercise, finances and savings (college, retirement, emergency).
FOOD - YGS is focused on the dinnertime meal - our goal is to simplify and improve this meal. Lunch and breakfast require some thought also - I would be curious if anyone wants to share their plans for these meals. Please post a comment.
EXERCISE - decide a time and the days you plan to exercise. 60% should focus on your heart, 20% on your strength and 20% on your flexibility. HINT - set a time that your family/job/church/other do not dictate the success of your plan.
FINANCES & SAVINGS - spend at least 15% less than you make on a monthly basis. Buy Index funds on a dollar cost average basis over long periods of time - try to automate the process so human psychology does not interfere. Save for retirement first, then college and anything else that is important.
Good planning!
Tags: exercise, meal plan, savings | Comments (0)
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November 7, 2008 by susan and michelle
Have you been alarmed by the news surrounding chemicals in water bottles? You could be swallowing harmful chemicals when drinking out of plastic water bottles, especially if they have been left in your purse, car, or lunch box. Enter Pura, an eco-friendly, stainless water bottle developed by a YGS member. Check out her site at www.PuraStainless.com and purchase the ultimate water bottle…one that will last for years and one the people will use and reuse instead of adding to the tons of plastic in our landfills. They come in really cute colors too. I can’t wait to buy some for my kids’ lunch boxes. Way to go Jenifer!
Tags: environment, green, recycle, water bottles | Comments (0)
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November 5, 2008 by susan and michelle
Universally, women are the head of the house. Pew Research Center did a study that confirms that around the house, women rule - and men are not putting up much of a fight. The study’s basic conclusion is this - women make most of the decisions at home, by a factor of 2 to 1. Surprising to me is the fact that this statistic skews even more towards women in younger couples.
As you can imagine, YGS’s member profile bears this out - women are the overwhelming participants in meal planning through YGS. This is not to say we discourage the men from participating - YGS is an equal opportunity outfit. Our goal is simple - to assist your family in getting supper on the table in a thoughtful, healthy way.
Let’s Get Cooking!
Tags: cooking, decision makers, meal plan, suppper, women | Comments (0)
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November 3, 2008 by michelle
People who eat their meals in five minutes flat are three times more likely to get fat, a new British study suggests. The study concluded that the speed at which we eat may be more important that what we eat because fast eating likely allows a person to bypass the body’s mechanism for telling you when you are full. This results in more calories, which leads to people being overweight. Some of the likely culprits in our culture are fewer families eating together, more people eating while distracted (eg watching TV) and eating “fast food” while on the go.
So, slow down, be counter-culture and train yourself to enjoy your meals. Eat as a family as often as possible and make five minute meals an exception rather than the rule.
Let’s Get Cooking!
Tags: food, healthy eating, overweight | Comments (0)
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October 22, 2008 by susan and michelle
Our entire country has been fascinated with the election race this year. I saw a clip on the Today show about hosting an election party which inspired me to write this blog. History will be made on November 4th so why not celebrate and get the kids involved too? Here are a few ideas:
Invitations: Keep it simple and cheap with Evite Election 2008 invitations. If you prefer a paper invitation, make your own with red, white, and blue internet images of the Democrat donkey and GOP elephant. Or purchase campaign stamps at www.plumparty.com to decorate your invites.
Decorations: Find your red, white, and blue leftover paper supplies from 4th of July and a simple white tablecloth. Use red, white and blue ribbon around your vase of flowers for the centerpiece, or just purchase an Uncle Sam hat from a costume shop.
Cocktails: Purchase Obama and McCain plastic beer cups from www.plumparty.com ($18 for 10). If your guests don’t want to choose a cup, they can drink out of the bottle. In addition to beer, serve up some Maverick Martinis, Obama Slammas or even red and blue jello shots. It is a weeknight, so you may want to offer soda from www.campaigncola.com with an Obama or McCain label.
Menu: Serve up two main course options of “Ba Rockin” Chicago Style pizza and ”McSpicy” Southwest Chili. For dessert, purchase Baskin Robbins’ two new political flavors: Democratic Whirl of Change and Republican Straight Talk Crunch Ice Cream.
Activities: Set up a large dry erase board to keep track of the results that are coming in. During any slow moments, throw on the You Tube Sarah Palin SNL skits (if you haven’t seen them yet, you must check it out). You could even come up with some fun presidential trivia games (check out http://www.apples4theteacher.com/prestriv.html for some sample quizzes for kids and adults).
Party Favors: Check out a local chocolate or cookie store to find political chocolates, lollipops or cookies.
Remember, time for heavy debate will be over so keep it fun and laid back!
Tags: election party, presidential party | Comments (0)
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October 20, 2008 by susan and michelle
Choosing a paint color can be challenging to say the least. A good color sets the tone of the room. Susan Jamieson, owner and designer at Bridget Beari Designs, “believes there are no rules for color. Choose a color that will make you feel good when you walk in the room or add drama to the room.” If you need some help getting started, try one of Jamieson’s favorite kitchen colors listed below.
TOP FIVE COLORS:
Pratt and Lambert Argent 24-29
Duron Green Moth 7193M
Duron Silvered Pecan 7741W
Benjamin Moore Standish White HC-32
Benjamin Moore Paris Rain 1501
If you still can’t decide, Jamieson recommends hiring a professional designer to “help you narrow down your choices.” Good luck and happy painting!
Tags: color, paint | Comments (0)
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October 6, 2008 by susan
As promised, here are 5 more ways for your family become green. Again, implementing just one two of these ideas can make a difference!
- Buy a Thermos – “1.5 million tons of plastic are used to make bottles every year, a waste that could instead power electricity in 250,000 homes.” Send your kids to school with a thermos of water instead of a water bottle – there’s no room in the fridge for all of those water bottles anyway.
- Be a Tree Hugger – Buy 100% recycled paper and use both sides of the paper before shredding and recycling it.” Every ton of recycled paper saves enough electricity to power a 3 bedroom house for an entire year.”
- Start Recycling Those Diet Coke Cans – “You can make 20 new cans from recycled material with the same energy it takes to make 1 from scratch.”
- Go Hybrid - Buy a more fuel efficient car, take the bus, ride your bike, or join a car pool and save many $$ at the gas pump. “The most fuel-efficient gasoline cars on the road today get 35-40 miles per gallon with hybrids topping out at 50-60.”
- Calculate Your Carbon Footprint – your what? A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc. If you really want to commit to being “green”, take the time to calculate your carbon footprint at www.carbonfootprint.com and then dedicate your family to lowering it! It could be a great kids science fair project.
* Anything quoted is from www.liveearth.com - Live Earth started as a concert in July of 2007 to increase global awareness for the climate crisis. It is now ”a for-profit company [that] seeks to leverage the power of entertainment through integrated events, media, and the live experience to ignite a global movement aimed at solving the most critical environmental issues of our time.
Tags: green | Comments (0)
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