Podcast 93: Bring Back Sunday Dinner

by The Meal Makeover Moms on February 16th, 2010

Back in November, Janice’s mom, Carol, and Liz’s mother-in-law, Joy, joined us for a Cooking with the Moms radio podcast dedicated to kitchens of the past and present, and dream kitchens of the future (podcast #83). If you didn’t get a chance to listen to the show, we hope you’ll tune in. While Joy was visiting from England, the four of us recorded a second show all about Sunday dinners.  Our memories of sitting around the family dinner table on Sunday afternoons came flooding back, though Liz found Janice’s reminiscing about eating Welsh rarebit for supper later on Sundays a bit disturbing!

Joy and Josh about to dig into a delicious Sunday dinner of roasted chicken and vegetables and Yorkshire pudding.

These days, with families running in a million different directions, carving out the time for shared meals has become a challenge. Research shows, however, that when families eat together, kids consume a more nutritious diet, so we encourage everyone to make it a priority. To do that, during the podcast, we tossed out some simple tips for making family meals a reality more often — especially Sunday Dinner, and we  shared some fresh ideas for making mealtime more enjoyable for everyone:

> Happy Talk: Ask positive, open-ended questions to ignite conversation versus tempers at the table.
> Family Theme Nights: Theme nights such as Build-Your-Own-Pizza Night, Taco Fiesta Night, and Spaghetti & Meatballs Night add excitement to the meal and encourage kids to try new foods.
> Play Games: Try a spelling bee, GHOST, or Janice’s infamous button game (you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out what it is) to keep kids at the dinner table and to foster fond memories of shared meals.
> Set an Attractive Table: Bring the family’s full attention to the table by lighting candles, using colorful napkins, or placing fresh flowers in the center.
> Dinner Date: Once a month, allow each child to invite a special friend for dinner. Your child can help you plan the menu and set the table.

Liz’s newly decorated dining room. It reminds her of Joy’s blue-and-white themed dining room back in England.

What follows are two recipes Joy and Liz cooked up together. The first is for Thyme Roasted Chicken and the second for Joy’s Yorkshire pudding, a British side dish similar to a popover. We had a tough time writing up the exact ingredients for this recipe since Joy tends to cook by feel versus using precise measurements, and Liz’s equipment and appliances didn’t exactly jive with Joy’s European ones. So, to avoid any confusion, we decided to share a few links to recipes for Yorkshire pudding instead.

 Thyme Roasted Chicken
Makes 4 Servings (with enough left over for two more meals)

  • 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 to 2 small garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • One 4 ½ – to 5-pound roasting chicken
  • Kosher salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Combine the olive oil, parsley, thyme, garlic and salt in a small bowl and mix well.

3. Place the chicken on a work surface or cutting board. Loosen the skin from the chicken breast and drumsticks by inserting your fingers and gently pushing between the skin and meat. Rub the seasoning mixture under the loosened skin. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and place breast side up on a broiler or roasting pan in the center of the oven.

4. Bake until the chicken turns golden brown and an instant-read meat thermometer registers 180°F, about 1 hour and 20 minutes (18 to 20 minutes per pound). Discard the skin, slice the meat and serve, reserving leftovers for the next two nights.

Nutrition Information per Serving:  190 Calories, 6g Total Fat, 1.5g Saturated Fat, 0g Carbohydrate, 0g Fiber, 32g Protein, 220mg Sodium

Print Recipe

Yorkshire Pudding from Martha Stewart
Yorkshire Pudding with Roast from Alton Brown
Yorkshire Pudding from Tyler Florence

Do you have fond memories of Sunday dinner? What are your favorite Sunday dinner recipes? And what do you do to make family meals a priority? We’d love to hear from you.

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1 Comment | Filed Under Dinner, Podcast, Poultry, Sides 

Podcast 92: Banana Brownie Waffles & Giveaway for a Cuisinart Belgian Waffle Maker

by The Meal Makeover Moms on February 10th, 2010

Valentine’s Day is just days away, and if you’re planning breakfast in bed for your special someone (or hoping YOU get breakfast in bed), we hope you’ll try our delicious new Banana Brownie Waffle recipe. Read on for the recipe or listen to this week’s Cooking with the Moms radio podcast to hear all about it.

Ah, but what if you want to make our recipe but don’t own a waffle maker? No worries because our latest blog giveaway features a fabulous Cuisinart 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker. To enter, all you have to do is post a comment telling us about your favorite waffle recipe or why you want to win the giveaway.

Our Banana Brownie Waffles blow the doors off frozen waffles because they’re made with good-for-you ingredients — things like whole wheat flour, wheat germ, bananas, and omega-3 eggs — and they’re so delicious your family will request them again and again. The recipe makes eight waffles (or more depending on the type of waffle maker you use), and they freeze really well. We suggest you cook up a batch, freeze a bunch, and then reheat whenever the waffle  mood strikes!

Banana Brownie Waffles

Makes Eight 4 ½ x 4 ½-inch Waffles

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup wheat germ
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 3/4 cups 1% milk
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
  • 2 large eggs, beaten (we like to use Eggland’s Best eggs)
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

2. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, bananas, eggs, canola oil, and vanilla extract until well combined.  Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.

4. Coat the hot waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron (about 2 cups or according to your waffle iron) and cook on medium-high setting.  Repeat with the remaining batter.

5. Serve with sliced bananas or strawberries on top and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 waffle):  310 calories, 12g fat (1.5g saturated, 0.8g omega-3), 300mg sodium, 43g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 10g protein, 20% calcium, 15% iron

Print Recipe

To Enter our Cuisinart 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker Giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling us about your favorite homemade waffle recipe, your favorite brand of frozen waffles, or why you want to win the waffle maker. Sharing a link to your favorite recipe would also be great.

We Will Enter You into the Giveaway Multiple Times if you do any or all of the following (just be sure to leave us a new comment every time you do one of these things):

> Tweet about our giveaway on Twitter or tell your Facebook friends about it with a link back to this blog post.

> Become a Facebook Fan.

> Add one of our buttons/widgets to your blog or website. They are located in the upper left sidebar of our blog. We have three to choose from: Our blog post widget, our Recipe badge, and our Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen badge.

Our giveaway ends on Monday, February 22, 2010 at noon. As always, we’ll use Random.org to choose the winner. By the way, in case you’re wondering, we do not work for Cuisinart. They’ve just been incredibly generous, and we thank them!

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205 Comments | Filed Under Breakfast, Fruits, Giveaways, Grains, Podcast 

Soup’s On: Cuisinart Covered Casserole Winner

by The Meal Makeover Moms on February 5th, 2010

Today is the day we announce the winner of our Cuisinart 5-Quart Covered Casserole (drum roll please). To enter, we asked you to share your family’s favorite soup recipe, and the response was overwhelming. In fact, between our blog and Facebook fan page, we had 241 entries. So what sorts of soups do families like? Well, the sky is pretty much the limit in terms of what you told us, but certain soup recipes rose to the top: hamburger soup, taco soup, potato soup, pasta e fagioli, chicken noodle, cream of broccoli, and sausage & kale.

Using a website called, Random.org, we chose our winner: Christi C., a mom of two from Grand Rapids, MI. Congratulations! Here’s what she wrote on our Facebook wall: “Our favorite soup is just a simple chicken noodle. Start by sauteing your veggies (onion, carrots, and celery for us). Add stock, a bunch of spices (basil, oregano, thyme), add diced raw chicken, and boil until done. Make noodles (I’m now addicted to the Barilla plus rotini ones) separately and then add. Oh so good.” Christi adapted her recipe from Quick & Easy Chicken Noodle Soup on AllRecipes.com.

Reading through your comments made us hungry, and in the case of this post from Micaela from the blog, Striving Bean, made us laugh: “Check out one of my favorite jokes from the movie, Dumb & Dumber — Q: What’s the soup du jour? A: It’s the soup of the day.”

Here’s a few other favorites, along with website links, to round out your family’s soup repertoire:

Britta:  “I’ve been on a kale kick for the past couple of years, and thanks to the Meal Makeover Moms’ tips, I always try to add carrots or sweet potatoes to a dish for the beta carotene. It’s such an easy healthy habit!  The easiest way to share my kale soup recipe is to share the two epicurious recipes I’ve tried and played around with: Cannellini & Kale Ragout and Lentil, Kale & Sausage Soup. You can’t go wrong with any combo of these delicious ingredients!. Also, I suggest starting with fresh uncooked organic sausage that you crumble and brown (and drain fat) before adding everything else.”

Tammy:  “Pasta e fagioli soup is our family’s favorite. Using a combination of diced tomatoes, beans, fresh veggies, ground turkey, and whole wheat pasta, this recipe is quick, easy, and healthful.  My seven and four year old daughters gobble this one up each time, and I will often put it in their thermos for lunches later in the week.”

  • 1/2 pound ground turkey
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 large carrot, julienned
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Two 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes
  • One 15-ounce can red kidney beans
  • One 15-ounce can great northern beans
  • One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 can low-sodium tomato soup
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 pound whole wheat rotini pasta

Brown ground turkey over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except pasta and simmer for 1 hour. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Add to soup right before serving.

Janel from the blog, Eat Well with Janel, suggested we try her Mmmmmmmestrone Soup featuring Swiss chard, carrots, and lentils.  It looks delicious!

Thanks again for entering our giveaway and offering so many savory ideas. Visit our blog next week for news on a waffle iron giveaway!

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2 Comments | Filed Under Beans, Giveaways, Soups/Stews 

Podcast 91: Rancho La Puerta Adventure

by The Meal Makeover Moms on February 3rd, 2010

We recently returned from a magical one-week visit to Rancho La Puerta, a destination spa in Tecata, Mexico. Just one hour south of San Diego, “The Ranch” is dedicated to health and wellness for the mind, body, and spirit. The meals were fabulous (60% of the food is grown on Rancho La Puerta’s six-acre organic farm), and we enjoyed a dizzying array of activities ranging from early-morning sunrise hikes and yoga to dance classes and jewelry making.

We were invited to Rancho La Puerta as guest instructors. We gave an evening lecture on The Secrets to Healthy Meal Makeovers, and we held a hands-on cooking class for guests at La Cocina Que Canta (translation: The Kitchen that Sings).

Our menu was based on seasonal ingredients. In fact, before the class, participants walked through the garden and picked arugula, salad greens, and even edible flowers (marigolds on your salad, anyone?). Our menu included the following:

> Shrimp Quesadillas with Pineapple Salsa
> Skinny Fish Chowder
> Bibb & Arugula Salad with Grapefruit, Avocado & Goat Cheese
> Braised Kale & Cranberries
> Lemony Red Quinoa with Butternut Squash
> Grilled Salmon with Avocado Cilantro Sauce
> Almond Agave Cheesecake

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Cilantro Sauce

Makes 6 Servings

  • 1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
  • 1/3 cup 0% fat Greek-style or plain yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (juice of 1 lime)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 12 fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar
  • 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1/2 of a small clove garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Six 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets
  • 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Place the avocado, yogurt, lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, honey, lime zest, garlic, salt, chili powder, and a few turns of pepper in a food processor and process until smooth.   Scrape down the sides as necessary. Set aside.

2. Preheat the grill to high and lightly oil the grate.  Combine the olive oil and honey and brush on both sides of the salmon.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place the salmon on the prepared grill and cook until easily flaked with a fork, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

3. Top each salmon fillet with a dollop of avocado sauce or serve on the side.

Nutrition Information per Serving:   370 calories, 19g fat (3g saturated, 2.0g omega-3), 230mg sodium, 8g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 39g protein, 10% vitamin C, 10% iron

Print Recipe

The key to the Rancho La Puerta experience is that no two visits are the same.  As a guest, you can spend the week relaxing with yoga, meditation, and contemplative hikes, or you can focus your energy on action-packed classes — cardio boxing, circuit training, and pilates. The element that brings everyone together, however, is the glorious meals shared in the main dining room or outside under the mountain-desert sun.

Lunch begins with a farm-fresh Citrus Salad with Caramelized Walnuts and Black Pepper Dressing

A naturally sweet dessert after dinner of Butternut Squash Pie with Pear Crisp

Janice’s Favorite Rancho Moments:

> The Food: The variety was amazing, and everything I ate was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented.  I was worried at first that I’d be hungry with the “spa” portions (hey, I love to eat!), but there was always enough food to comfortably fill me up.

> Sunrise Hikes: There’s something so nice about getting outside before the sun comes up.  I enjoyed talking to different people on the trail, and it sure made me hungry for breakfast!

> Stretch Class. For years, I’ve wanted to add stretching to my regular weight-training routine. It felt great to have an expert guide me through various stretches, and I now plan to do them at home.

> The People:  I loved meeting new people at every meal.  I hope to keep in touch with some of my new friends. Two of the many amazing women we met during our trip were Debbie Travis, host of several TV shows including From the Ground Up and Face Lift and Louann Brizendine, M.D., author of the soon-to-be released book, The Male Brain (we know what you’re thinking! …).  Since my daughter wants to study neuroscience in college next year it was fun to pick Louann’s brain!

> Spa Treatments. What can I say?  The treatments were great, and I was particularly surprised by how much I loved the hot stone massage; it was so relaxing.  I could definitely get used to weekly massages!

Liz’s Favorite Rancho Moments:

> Yoga: Almost every day, I took a Yoga Fundamentals class. I’m a yoga newbie for sure, but after just a few short days, I could feel the positive effects in my neck and lower back. My usual aches and pains miraculously disappeared.

> 100,000 Steps: Experts recommend we all walk 10,000 steps a day which has always been a tough goal given my work and family commitments. During my seven-day Ranch visit, I clocked over 100,000 steps. There was a pedometer in our room when we arrived, and I wore it the entire time.

> Art Appreciation:  On the third day of our trip, I decided to take a break from the exercise with a two-hour Mexican folk art and sculpture walk. I learned about the tree of life, a popular form of folk art in Mexico, and the gorgeous sculptures that dot the Rancho landscape.

> Dance with Yuichi Sugiyama: Dancing to Broadway tunes is definitely out of my comfort zone, but that didn’t stop me from taking this high-energy class, led by Yuichi, an L.A.-based choreographer. I smiled the whole time!

> The Meals: It’s hard to say which meal I loved the most. But if I had to pick three dishes, I would choose the Vegetarian Lasagna with Roasted Baby Vegetables & Putanesca Sauce, Oriental Brown Rice with Mini Spring Roll & Edamame Bean, and Chocolate Flan with Macerated Strawberries & Roasted Guava. Yum.

Our plan is to keep the spirit of Rancho La Puerta burning bright, so we have set individual fitness and mind/body goals that we vow to follow for the next month (it takes about 20 days to form a new habit). On February 24th, we’ll devote a podcast and blog post to tips for “bringing the Ranch home” (something everyone can do), and we’ll offer an update on our progress (hint: Liz is going to find a yoga studio and take a class twice a week and Janice will be adding stretching and deep breathing to her workout routine). We’ll also have an exciting giveaway to share, so stay tuned!

For all of our Rancho La Puerta photos, visit our flickr page.

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7 Comments | Filed Under CulinaryAdventures, Podcast, Seafood 
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