When you plan your meals ahead of time, the evening goes much smoother. It becomes simpler to just finish up whatever you need to (work, laundry, whatever) and then move into a speedy dinner prep. Unfortunately, I fell back into bad habits recently and wasn’t planning dinners. Heck, I wasn’t even thinking about dinner … until it was time to make it. We consumed a lot of pasta. It was really chaotic, and I hate chaos.

But I am working on it (we’re on day five of planning success!). Honestly, the stress of having dinner roll around without a plan is something I don’t need. No one needs it. And it’s just too easy to skirt the issue with a little bit of planning.

The slow cooker really comes in handy. It’s just so simple. You toss the ingredients in early in the morning and then when dinnertime rolls around, you have a hot, ready to go dinner. If you are struggling with dinners, you should totally get your slow cooker out and give it a shot. Having this stew bubbling away the other afternoon provided such sweet peace of mind so that I could focus on what I needed to without stressing over what I would toss together for dinner.

Oh, and this Slow Cooker Beef and Veggie Stew is a great dish to re-start your slow cooking adventures with.

This stew has a faint French onion-ness to the broth, but not so much that onion haters will balk (and the onion pieces are big so they can pick ‘em out anyway). And the roasted garlic adds dimension to the broth. The slow cooking blends the flavors as it renders the stew meat completely fall-apart tender. The vegetables – carrots, broccoli stems, potatoes and sweet potatoes – give the stew bulk so that it fills you up.

Did you catch that it has broccoli stems. Stems! The part that no one loves to eat. I keep stems in my freezer for using in recipes like this. And honestly, after slow cooking the stems for so long, the kids and I really enjoyed them in this stew. It was an unexpected but welcome element.

Eat this with a slice of buttered bread. Just divine.

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Poor Man's Steak, Veggie and Mozzarella Sandwich

Do you eat your meals together as a family? The kids and I eat dinner together nearly every evening, usually around our kitchen table. Shawn’s not home for dinner often because he has to work late and has a lengthy commute, but when he is, we all eat together as well. I’m dying to get a new kitchen island with adorable stools so that I can prepare and eat our food there when it’s just the kids and I, but I digress. We also eat breakfast as a family — with Shawn too — several times a week. Lunch is a free for all.

Eating together is a time for us to talk about our days — the silly antics of the boys in Will’s kindergarten class and the random tidbits about her classmates that Paige shares. We laugh and are sometimes silly. This past weekend, the kids and I had dinner outside followed by a rule-less game of baseball. It was so much fun.

According to a new study published in the May 2 edition of Pediatrics, our family dinners could be much more than just fun — it could be helping my kids avoid obesity. Kids who eat three or more family meals each week are 12 percent less likely to be overweight than those who don’t eat family meals or seldom do. If they eat five or more meals as a family each week, they are 25 percent less likely to have poor nutrition. If you want to raise healthy kids (I do!) then this is important and good news. Researchers developed the data after analyzing 17 earlier studies and comparing the data.

This all underscores our family’s commitment to eating together. Not only do we make family meals a daily habit (and that extends beyond just dinner), we also have a standing weekly family dinner with our extended family who live nearby. Some weeks (particularly at the holidays and sometimes in summer), that means upwards of 20 family members all together at once (Related: Tomato Bisque for 12).  It’s special, and we love it.

Today seemed like the perfect time to talk more about family meals, including some interesting results from the Sarah’s Cucina Bella Family Meals Survey 2011 that I conducted earlier this year.

Sandwiches like these are so easy, since the ingredients take so little time to prepare. Once they are laid out, all you have to do is build 'em.

First, a little background: Earlier this year, I started an intense research project for a book proposal. The book I am developing is a more in-depth, more useful version of the unpublished one that I wrote years ago. (Recap for newer readers: In 2007, I was contracted to write a cookbook by a very small publisher, handed the manuscript in on schedule and then … nothing. A year and a half later, a short email exchange between my publisher and I ended the contract and the book reverted to me.). The original book was fine, but after much consideration, I realized it was missing something. So, I’ve started afresh, researching and learning more about the eating habits of families. As part of that, I conducted a preliminary survey on family meals to get a better understanding.

There were more than 100 responses to the Family Meals Survey 2011, but I disqualified any incomplete surveys, leaving me with 94 completed surveys. Of those, 85.1% were filled out by mothers. One of the things I was looking to understand was what really matters to parents when it comes to eating family meals. I think that’s a personal thing, and not something where I could ever claim to have all the reasons. Everyone’s perspective is different, naturally.

So, what makes a family meal? For the majority of respondents (58.5%), having the whole family there is the most important aspect of a family meal. Also important is the happiness level of the table, said 40.4% of the respondents. Everyone being present in the moment (29.8%), being disconnected from technology (26.6%) and the quality of the food rounded out the top five responses (26.6%).

Some other interesting statistics from the Sarah’s Cucina Bella Family Meals Survey 2011:

• Nearly two-thirds of respondents do not have a standing date for family dinners. 37.2% do.
• Dinner is the meal most-often eaten together, according to my survey (91.5% of respondents said so!). The other 8.6% were split evenly between breakfast and lunch.
• 66% of respondents shop in advance for ingredients, and 48.9% create a meal plan. 17% shop that day for the ingredients they need.
• 59.6% search the internet for recipes, and 29.8% look through cookbooks.
• About a quarter of the respondents enlist their children to help plan the meal. 18.1% also involve their kids in the preparation of ingredients and 19.1% have their kids help with the cooking.

How important are family meals to you?

Poor Man's Steak, Veggie and Mozzarella Sandwich

Speaking of family meals, this sandwich is perfect for a family dinner. It’s a stuffed sandwich that starts with a grilled London broil rubbed with your favorite spices, salt and pepper. I chose London broil because it is — even now — one of the least expensive cuts available, and with this recipe 1 pound of it can feed 8 people (as long as you serve it with several side dishes). And these days, budget-friendly meats are a must for everyone. Once the meat has been grilled and rested (resting is so, so important so that it’s juicy), you slice it ultra-thin against the grain. Use your sharpest, big knife and sharpen it more just before slicing. It will make the whole thing a breeze.

Once the meat is all sliced up and ready, you layer the sandwiches with steamed bell pepper slices, thin slices of fresh mozzarella cheese (or thin slices from a block of mozzarella, if you want to save a little more) and tomato. The freshness of the veggies with the salty cheese and spiced meat will hook you. My son immediately asked if he could take the sandwich for school lunch too (and today he did — but I traded the tomato for lettuce so that the roll wouldn’t get soggy).

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For years I haven’t watched the news at night. While I think it’s important to be informed (and I am), it’s easy to become enraptured with the frightening amount of bad things that happen every day everywhere. I like to believe in the inherent goodness of people, but also realize that for whatever reason some people do very bad things. But it’s my choice not to focus on those things. So, I change the channel when the news comes on.

All of this is a wind up to explain why it was so unusual for me to watch the news last night. I’d heard a preview about rising food prices, and I had to tune in. I handle the budgeting for our family — for everything from food and utilities to vacations — so I really feel the impact when prices rise. I wanted to know what I am in for.

The news isn’t good. We all know that the price of gas and food has risen over the last year. Fuel, which has risen nearly 30 percent in the last year, is largely to blame … and the rising prices aren’t done climbing yet. Gas is expected to topple the $5 a gallon mark soon — something that was unthinkable a decade ago. With this, the cost of meat has and will continue to rise, as will pantry staples. How much? Beef alone is expected to rise by 7% this year. Good thing we don’t eat a lot of beef anymore, right? But the rise in prices is largely across the board, so not eating beef won’t let us escape the costs.

The cost of putting food on the table — any food at all — is rising. Whether you eat all organic or whole foods or cleanly or low-carb, it doesn’t matter. If you aren’t feeling the pinch yet, you will.  That is scary.

This all made me start thinking about ways to cut costs, naturally. There’s only so much my family — and especially me — can comfortably cut back. As a food writer who makes a living developing recipes, I have to buy certain ingredients no matter what the cost. But what I can do is cut back in other ways like cutting back on my coffee habit, getting less takeout and driving less. And I can plan our meals in advance, allowing me to save on gas for the many trips to the grocery store I make each week.

Really, no matter whether food is an intrinsic part of your work or just what you need to nourish your family, planning is absolutely key to frugal eating. This dish — Lemony Pasta Salad — is a perfect example of a well-planned meal. It’s a side dish with 12 portions, so you can make it for dinner one night and have plenty of leftovers for lunches and quick sides all week. Easy.
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Easy Low-Fat Salt and Pepper Chicken, Take Two

If you are a longtime reader of Sarah’s Cucina Bella, you might remember my recipes for Easy Low-Fat Salt and Pepper Chicken Breasts. It was a long post with adorable pictures of the kids, and a bad picture of the chicken. On Tuesday, I had the chance to reshoot this recipe with the help of professionals to figure out how to take something basic like this and make it look fabulous. The photo above is the result.

When I created my (ridiculously easy) recipe for Salt and Pepper Chicken, I was clueless how to make it look tasty in a photograph. I ended up tossing one piece on a white plate and snapping a picture.

The original photo ... Would you crave that?

And did it look irresistible? Like that special, easy recipe that everyone should have in their back pocket to make when you have no time to cook dinner or when you need a lightly seasoned chicken breast for topping a salad or drizzling with an extra special sauce? Um. No. That’s the original photo at the right … See how it looked more like a bland piece of chicken? The darkness and poor lighting didn’t help anything at all. I doubt anyone gave it a second look.

As a food writer who has had to learn to shoot photographs of the dishes and recipes I create, it’s been an uphill battle. This photograph frustrated me, but I just wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Yea.

So, when my buddies (and coworkers!) at Tablespoon asked me to choose a couple potential recipes for my photography lesson with General Mills pros on my recent trip, this one topped the list. Fortunately, they agreed. Read the rest of this entry…

If you are a Sarah’s Cucina Bella fan on Facebook, you know that I was ridiculously excited about my grocery store purchases earlier this week. That photo above is what I purchased. And I spent (drum roll please!) $52.47.

Here’s what I got:

• 6 boxes of cereal (great for snacks and early morning breakfasts)
• 8 boxes of pasta
• 1 lb shrimp
• 2 packages of ground turkey (1 1/4 lbs each)
• 1 four pack of turkey burgers
• 2 boxes of brownie mix (yes, I use boxes. Sometimes.)
• 1 quart of half and half
• 1 sour cream
• 3 boxes of taco shells
• 1 package of taco seasoning (it was free — gave that away. I prefer homemade taco seasoning)
• 1 dozen cage-free eggs
• 3 cans kid-friendly pastas (good for rushed lunches … once in a blue moon)
• 2 cans of soup
• 1 jar peanut butter (gave this away after checking the ingredients, but it was only $0.99 with purchase)
• 1 loaf bread
• 2 salad dressings
• 1 mayo
• 1 box bakery brownies, from the day-old rack

When I told my friend, Angel, about this, her first question was HOW?!?

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Back to school is heavy on my mind these days. We are less than a week away from Will starting kindergarten. But as I wrote recently on Tablespoon, it’s Will’s school lunch that I think about most. Ok, think might be an understatement. I obsess.

I’ve checked out the lunch menu for his school and its … not good. A packed lunch it will be (and he’s okay with that!). Still, what do I pack? How do I keep it from getting too boring? Thank goodness for good friends like Cate, who give me fab ideas (like frozen grapes as a snack/way to keep the whole lunchbox cold. Love that!).

One snack that I know I will be packing is homemade hummus and veggies. Will adores hummus, as does Paige. Toss in some slices of cucumber, red peppers and carrots and you have a delish snack (or even a lunch item!).

This fast, easy hummus is filled with the warm, smoky-sweet flavor of sundried tomatoes and my very favorite herb: basil. I made it this afternoon for a very special video shoot (more on that later!) and it totally got rave reviews.

Now, I need some more ideas. What inventive foods do you pack in lunchboxes?

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When I moved to New York (as in Manhattan) to go to college, I craved freedom and devoured the city. I walked everywhere, breathing in the skyscrapers and eying the fabulous fashion and amazing pace. Everything seemed so special, so amazing.

One of my favorite things was checking out the myriad grocery stores in the city. The small markets that dotted much of the Upper West Side where I dwelled were such a big change from the mega-sized supermarkets of upstate New York where I grew up. And the foods! They had fresh mozzarella, couscous salads and something completely unfamiliar called tabbouleh. I tried them all, one by one, discovering that I adored the fresh mozzarella and couscous salad, but not the tabbouleh.

So, yes, I am writing a post about a tabbouleh salad recipe, when I don’t like the stuff. But here’s the thing: this isn’t traditional tabbouleh. Adapted slightly from a Health Magazine recipe, this Whole Wheat Couscous Tabbouleh Salad is filled with fresh veggies and bright flavors. It’s lively and perfect for a hot summer day … and since it’s made with whole wheat couscous, it totally lacks the offputting crunch-factor that I don’t like about traditional tabbouleh made with wheatberries. I guess that makes it more of a couscous salad recipe, huh?

In any case, I loved it. This Whole Wheat Couscous Tabbouleh Salad is entering my lunch rotation …

Are you a fan of traditional tabbouleh? Couscous?

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Happy Weekend, everyone! It’s been a crazy week here, so I am going to keep this one brief.

This is a topic that I love — how to save a little money. Sure, saving a $1 is a small thing, but if you do it regularly, then you could save hundreds or thousands over a year. That’s no small thing at all, is it?

10 Ways to Save $1 or More

1. Go bigger on soda. Skip the 16 or 20 fl oz soda and buy a 2 liter bottle. You will pay roughly the same or less for the 2 liter bottle as one 20 fl oz soda — but you will get more than three times as much soda.
2. Pack your own water. Most people have a reusable bottle kicking around … but are you using it? If not, you should be. Bottles of water can cost anywhere from just under $1 to $2.50 or more. If you fill your reusable bottle at home, it’s virtually free.
3. Pay attention to gas prices. This week, I saved $0.10/gallon by using my Stop and Shop Card at a Stop and Shop gas station. Because I had spent over $100 in groceries at the store in the past month, I earned 100 points, which translates to the $0.10 discount. Better yet, the gas price was already the cheapest in town. From the club card savings, I spent about $1.50 less for the tank … couple that with the savings over other stations ($0.10-$0.20), it was $3 or more in savings on that tank. Now, imagine that you did that every week — it really adds up.
4. Take your own grocery bags. Bringing your own grocery bags to some grocery stores will score you a discount. It’s not much — maybe $0.05 per bag — but it adds up. Just think, if you bring five bags each week, that’s $0.25 discount per week and $1 over the course of a month.
5. Use coupons. I know, it’s a hassle but it’s worth it on items you already buy. And most grocery stores automatically double coupons, so all it takes is 1 $0.50 off coupon or two $0.25 off coupons to save $1. Coupons can be found in circulars in the Sunday paper and also online at SmartSource.com. Also, keep an eye on the coupons that print out in the checkout line (known as Catalinas) … they can save you more money too.

Last night, a neighbor dropped by as we were starting to sit down to dinner. She took a look at the table and said, “Wow.” Our dinner featured grilled sirloin, which I sliced thin so that we could stretch the portions so that it would feed seven. Then there was Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage, rice pilaf and this vegetable platter with Basil White Bean Dip.

This easy bean dip was one of those things that just came to me when I was trying to figure out what to do with some leftover basil. I didn’t want it to go to waste, and I also didn’t want to turn it into pesto. Instead, I found a can of white beans in the cabinet and set to work. White bean dip, here we come!

Best of all? This Basil White Bean Dip helped me use up some spare veggies too. We had celery, red sweet peppers, and cucumbers with this, but any firm summer veggies would do. The simple, easy, bright flavors of this easy bean dip are a big favorite around here.

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When my friend whipped out a little notebook and started making a notation after blueberry picking last month, I quizzed her on what she was doing. Turns out, she had her own spending diet going on, and was keeping track of every cent she spent in that notebook. I was intrigued. She said that the act of writing things down had gotten her to spend less just to avoid the hassle.

Intriguing, right?

Then, MutantSupermodel mentioned tracking her spending on an Excel spreadsheet in the comments of a post. That was when I decided that tracking was important.

So, I bought a small notebook and started last Sunday.

How’d it go? Well, I followed the tracking to a T until Wednesday. I have in my head what I’ve spent since then, but didn’t jot it down. That doesn’t make this a fail though. I really thought about every purchase when I had to write down when, where and how much was spent. It makes me want to spend less.

I spent more than I wanted to this week — mostly after I ceased writing it down. I think writing it down really does help though.

So, this is the latest evolution in My Spending Diet. I am going to write down every expenditure. Even if I don’t want to. Next week, I will share my numbers.

This Week’s Tips, Tricks and Deals

• Free Admission to National Parks – Looking for something to do this weekend with the kids? Head to a National Park! This weekend, there is free admission to all National Parks. Click here for details.
• Eating Well on $1 a Day – Could you eat well on just $1 a day? One blogger did it for 90 days — and his methods are nothing short of inspiring. Read up on his journey here.

Photo credit: alvimann from morguefile.com