Understanding seasoning means knowing how to effectively use salt, spices, herbs, etc in your cooking; understanding the role of saltiness, fat, and acidity like citrus; using herbs; using spices; and knowing how to layer your seasoning throughout your cooking time. We’ll look at how to season your proteins, vegetables, starches, soup, and sauces correctly. You need to develop the skill of being able to taste food and then adjust it, knowing what needs to be added. We’ll also look at how to avoid some common seasoning mistakes. 

So, what enhances flavor? The top five things are salt - that enhances your flavor, fat, which carries your flavor with it, acidity, which brightens and balances your flavor, heat or spiciness, which adds something exciting to the taste, and then aromatics, which build depth. 

Let's chat more about seasoning!

Today, we’re going to talk about heat control. I think that's one of the most valuable things to learn, especially when you're cooking on the stove top. We’ll learn what the differences are between things like a gentle simmer versus a rolling boil. What’s medium heat, and when do you use it? What’s high heat and when do you use it?

A lot of common mistakes in cooking are heat mistakes.

We’re going to do a number of episodes on this, and today I'm going to give you a bit of an introduction to what kind of things we’re going to talk about.

It's easy to feel nervous when attempting new things in the kitchen - new proteins or vegetables you haven't cooked before, new cooking methods, or using kitchen tools for the first time, like a slow cooker or air fryer. Actually, though, a lot of these things are not as scary or intimidating as they seem. 

It's a good idea to have a bit of extra time on your hands when you’re practicing new cooking skills. Then you're not learning a new skill in the rushed stress of the day's cooking, but rather doing it at a time where it doesn't matter if it goes wrong. That way, there's less pressure on you, but the skills will help you when you do want to cook with them.

Today I want to talk about what we've lost from food cooking and nutrition since the 1900s. Back then, food was a lot more nutritious, home cooked meals were much more common, and there was much less refinement and processing. My middle daughter has been doing some homemaking reading and studying as part of her course this year. One of the books she’s reading is Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management by Isabella Beaton, first published in 1861. It contains a lot of recipes, but also a lot of text about homemaking and cooking, how to plan it and execute it. 

I was just thinking about how differently we cook and eat these days. We’re really afraid of food that's what I would call decadent. We want to just do chicken breasts or lean meat, and we do the same things over and over again. I don’t know about you, but in our family, probably because it's cheapest, we repeatedly use chicken breasts and ground beef, and most of our meals are made up of those. Yes, it's good because it's cheaper, but existing on muscle meat is really not good for us.

So, I wanted to talk about some things that I feel like we've lost. I love looking at old menus from the 1900s from various countries, and just seeing how they ate - It's quite amazing. If you factor in that they didn't have snacks, and that they had all their meals really full and nutritious, then it makes a bit more sense. I'm going to talk about what things we've lost since those times from cooking, food, and nutrition. 

Today, I want to talk about a meal planning method based on themes. You set a theme for each evening; each day of the week, and then you do your planning based on that. For example, you could do French or Greek themed food, or a baked potato bar, or a takeout evening. You can vary this as much as you like. 

What's very helpful when you’re planning like this is a master list. I have a printable for you for this. 

You can download and print your blank Meal Planning With Themes sheets to fill in at familyfoodformoms.com/meals. 

Today we're going to talk about how we break our meals into courses without making extra work for ourselves.

I find that eating meals in courses helps all of us to slow down and give our full attention to the dinner meal - to be fully present and to enjoy chatting with each other. It also helps the cooking to not be too hectic because things can be prepared or finished off a little bit at a time for each course.

I'm going to talk about different ways that our family do meals with courses. Sometimes it's relaxed with an activity, and sometimes it's formal. We’ll also talk about how we break down the meals.

At the beginning of the year, I made a master plan for our meals, and now each week we take that and set up our weekly meal plan from it. Let's chat about it!

They have some things that are quite unusual, and some things that are perhaps familiar, but it’s definitely different to living on the mainland.

Today we're going to be talking about chef Rachel Ray. You may have seen her on the Food Network. She loves to do all her cooking from home. You can look her up on YouTube - she's lots of fun.

She's very much about taking things like fast food, or anything that you enjoy, like Chinese food takeout, and then recreating it at home using simple techniques. She makes a lot of comfort food. We’re going to mention some things that we can learn from her as a chef, and then we’ll talk about some particular meals she makes, and what she does to make them her signature food. Let's get started. 

So, we’re thinking about how to make dinner time meaningful, how to create meaningful memories, and to make it special. Here are some ideas to focus on connection, not perfection - making the evening meaningful. 

There are so many ways to make dinners meaningful, whether family nights or date nights. I find that as soon as I start to make an effort, the ideas come. When I'm feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, I don’t have many ideas, but somehow putting on some soft music, dimming the lights, and setting the table beautifully helps already to bring that family closeness and connection.

I've been feeling that lately I've been leaping up a lot in the middle of meals, both at lunch and dinnertime. 

What I really want is connected family mealtimes where we feel close, where the conversation is good and deep, and where it's a meaningful experience. Now, this can't happen at every single meal, obviously, but I do want to make sure that every week or two we have an extra special meal so that we can feel connected as a family and make some memories. 

Today, we’ll talk about Guy Fieri. Guy is the host of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives from Food Network. He has a great love for American comfort food. He loves roadside diners and dive bars, and he travels around the country to find unique places that make local-inspired food.

He just loves to make ordinary dishes that are easy to cook, and to elevate them. He has many of what he calls “Guy-ifie” dishes. So, there's a lot we can learn from this inspiring chef. Let's get started. 

We've done French, Swiss and Italian comfort foods, and today we're going to talk about British comfort foods - all the yummy things that they eat that are easy to make.

 If you order a meal at a pub on the street, you'll probably order one of these things. They're easy to cook at home, and they're hearty, they help in the winter. In Britain there are a lot of rainy days. So, here we go with some British comfort foods that you can try at home.

Today, let's talk about crockpots - slow cookers.

A crockpot is one of the most time-saving things, and I'm always surprised at how many people either don't have a crockpot, or they don’t know how to use theirs; they don’t know what to cook in it.

Hopefully, after this episode, you'll know a lot more, and you'll feel confident in using a crockpot.

One of the great things about a crockpot is that they're so cheap to buy. They're one of the cheapest kitchen appliances there is.

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Ireland's food and dining culture has changed a lot over the last few decades. It used to be very simple, hearty fare, and that's the sort of food we’re going to be looking at.

There'll be no Wednesday episode this week - I'll be back next Monday.

Don't forget about our recipe book Elegant Easy Appetisers available here.

My favorite kind of side dish is steamed vegetables. These are very simple to make. There are green beans, chopped butternut squash or sweet potato, long stem broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. All of those work so well simply being steamed. The cheapest way to do this is to use a steamer tray that’s like an insert. It’s made from stainless steel, and it has holes in it. 

Steaming vegetables is one of the healthiest ways to eat them. That way, they retain the most nutrients, and they retain the most flavor because it's not boiled away. 

Indian cuisine is very interesting. It's fresh and spicy, made with whole foods as well as medicinal ingredients. Indian cooks cook slowly, paying attention to the order and the process of cooking.

I hope you're feeling inspired to try some Indian recipes!

There’s so much about Swiss cheese and European cheese that’s so good for us, and they have amazing comfort foods made from cheese, like Swiss fondue, etc. We're going to talk about some of those. Then chocolate, of course, is a wonderful snack, especially Swiss chocolate. It just tastes the best - it's so good! I love the cute little chocolates that they decorate with Swiss chalets and Swiss snowy mountain scenes. You don't have to cook chocolate, and it's definitely a Swiss comfort food. 

Even if you're just at home working, sometimes it's better to prepare food the night before, or in the morning, so that when you're hungry and you want to grab something, it's there ready for you to eat. Somehow, if food is prepared in advance, and if we've put a little thought into it, we’re less likely to grab something unhealthy, or something that doesn’t have enough nutrients. 

We need to plan carefully to get the right nutrients when we're always busy - like most moms are - or often on the run. 

Of course, there’s pizza and pasta. What could be more comforting?

Let's talk about some deas for a quick, easy Italian dish or a comfort food on a cozy full evening, or even on a summer's day, or if you want some good snacks. 

We'll be talking about Croque Monsieur, French toast, and a few other things that you can make easily, and that'll fill that hungry gap in the winter or anytime you need some comfort food. French comfort foods are things that don’t really need the fancy chef techniques; things that you can make easily. They don't have fancy ingredients, and they don't take a lot of time. They're indulgent, homey, and yummy.

The first one, of course, is croc monsieur or croc madam. There’s a slight difference between the two. Croque monsieur is a warm ham and cheese sandwich that's baked or pan fried with bechamel sauce on top. Croque Madame is the same, just with a fried egg on the top. Often these sandwiches have an authentic cheese like Gruyère or Emmentale to give them that extra edge of flavor. You can add interesting things to the bechamel as well, but the basic croc monsieur is a fabulous comfort food. 

I relate well to this one because it's all about being a little bit unorthodox and going with your passion and not necessarily doing things by the book - I like that.

I'm also going to mention five three-course meal ideas that are easy, but a little fancier. These are good for those days when you want to do something special, but it's still got to be economical and easy. So, here we go. Let's start with the six ideas for when you're stuck for dinner. 

So if you feel like a fun date night at home with your hubby, just some inspiration. So we're talking about a dice theme..

So, here's our first myth - fruit is too high in sugar. Some people say all sugar is equal, or the calories are the same, or whatever. However, I really believe, and I've seen in my own life, that fruit is good, and too much refined sugar is bad. Separating fruit from other forms of sugar is a good idea, and so is having fruit every day, especially having fruits with vitamin C when you're sick. Any kind of fruit that you feel like eating is excellent for your health. 

She’s not on another planet like a really gourmet chef, but somebody who's very good at what she does, and she teaches you in a way that helps you feel like you can cook better. So, let's talk about some things that she’s spoken of and that reflect her cooking philosophy.

My mom just turned 80 and she came to visit for a week. We had a party for her with some of her friends from many years ago who live close to us and we did a fun high tea for her birthday.

I'm gonna tell you what we baked, and served, and some ideas for what you could do in terms of decor to make an elegant High Tea special.

She's known for starting Momofuku Milk Bar, and she’s so creative when it comes to baking. We love her compost cookies and her birthday cake recipe - it's the one we use all the time. The way she layers flavors and adds so much interest to food is inspiring. So, let's talk about what we can learn from Christina Tosi about baking and delicious food. 

I won't have an episode out this Wednesday as we're hosting my Mom's 80th party, but I'll be back to two episodes again next week.

She gave people lots of tips, and she did lessons on how to prepare French food very simply and easily. Have you seen the movie Julie and Julia? It's about a young girl learning to cook from Julia's recipe. Julia Child left a legacy of more than just recipes. She's taught people how to approach cooking and eating with a huge amount of joy, confidence, and curiosity. She loved food, she loved to eat, and she was so enthusiastic about it. She was very good at teaching you how to make things simple, and how to just go for it with your cooking.

He doesn’t do so much restaurant cooking; more home cooking, and he does it so well. He and his family, his kids, are all very approachable. He makes lots of comfort food. There might be some things in this episode that are similar to what Gordon Ramsey teaches or does, but that's good, right? Enforce the best habits. So, here we go. 

I'm going to do a brief series, and talk about tips from some other chefs as well, but for today it'll be Gordon Ramsey. We’ll talk about the important things that he says or that he teaches online in various places, whether it be on Masterchef, in his home cooking videos, et cetera. 

We recently went to the beach for a few days and it was amazing. I'm gonna talk a little bit about what meals we did and general ideas of what to cook and eat on a vacation!

I'm soo excited about the Downton Abbey movie coming up on the 12th of September!! ..so I thought this would be a good time to make this episode.

We're going to talk about what we can learn from Downton Abbey again - from the show itself, and things that are significant when it comes to food, dining, and even cooking.

There are so many things that inspire me when I look at the way they ate and what they ate, although it required having a full-time cook or two. We can't really replicate that part, but there are a lot of principles that are inspiring, and that we can apply to our daily lives and our families. 

So, let's dive right in. 

Last time, we talked about using potatoes and pasta as the base of meals.  In this episode, we’re going to talk about rice and a few other ways to start your cooking with some easy meals!

Start off with easy meals when you're learning to cook. If your son or daughter is going to leave home soon, this is a good way for them to learn to cook. So, let's get started. 

Pesto is traditionally Italian, and its roots are in ancient Rome. It’s best known today in the form pesto alla Genovese, which is made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and olive oil.

The concept of pesto can be traced back to ancient Roman times. Back then, there was a sauce called moretum, which was made by crushing herbs with garlic, some kind of cheese, salt, olive oil, and vinegar. In a similar way to modern pesto, it was prepared with a pestle and mortar. The word pesto comes from the Italian verb pestare, meaning “to pound” or “to crush” with the pestle and mortar.

The classic form of pesto, Genovese, comes from Genoa in Northwestern Italy. It’s from around the 19th century. The key ingredient, of course, is the Genovese basil that grows abundantly in that region. It loves the Mediterranean climate. The traditional recipe includes fresh basil leaves with garlic, traditionally pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and lots of olive oil.

I seem to go through phases. Sometimes I don't mind eggs for breakfast, and other times I really can't stomach them, though I still enjoy the sides like grilled tomato, mushrooms, zucchini, and avocado. All those things are great, but it's hard for me to have eggs with them.

So, let's talk about some ways to use eggs in your breakfast even if you don't like them. We want to try to incorporate them into dishes where their flavor is a little masked, or complimented by other ingredients.

We've talked about eating all the parts, nose to tail, and about some traditional cooking methods like slow cooking, et cetera. We've talked about eating as a family, and how that connection is so good and so healthy. We've talked about being balanced, and not going along with all the trends or diets. We've talked about recipes that have been passed down from our grandparents, and their simpler, healthier way of life in general.

Today, I want to talk about some of the less obvious things that we can learn from previous generations about cooking and nutrition. This is not just what they ate, but how they thought about food, and how they made it healthier. We’ll talk about their habits; things that were second nature to them, and how they would be really helpful to us.

It's been a while since I've done a ten point episode. Some of you like that. I don't easily stick to points - I tend to have a brain that goes in all directions, but I thought for this one we'll do ten points to hopefully make it easier to remember. 

The kids know about it; they have their own special meal beforehand, and then they're upstairs early. We like to go out for it when we can - usually we do that on one night out of four. We also like to have date nights at home when we can because somehow there's something different and special that you get out of those date nights, something that’s different to when you go out. 

Today I want to talk about having your own personal black and white ball for a date night - a black and white themed date night. Let me tell you some of the details of what this could entail. I'm bringing out a date night recipe book later this year, and this will be one of the date themes in it. 

Having brunch is fun because it doesn't have to be as early as breakfast, and you get to eat foods that are a mix between breakfast and lunch, ones that you may not normally eat. You don't really need lunch either afterwards, and you can make it a little special with a few extra things.

Today we’re going to be talking about puff pastry. Puff pastry is that flaky light, airy pastry which is made by folding and rolling dough with lots of layers. The butter is folded in, and then it’s folded in half again and rolled with a rolling pin. It's a real crowd pleaser because it's delicious and it's so easy to use for quick appetizers and elegant desserts.

It's very distinctive as far as pastry goes because of its light, flaky texture. You get croissant roll pastry, and you get philo pastry, but puff pastry is the best kind to buy because it's so delicious. It's good to buy all butter puff pastry, which is much healthier than the margarine kind.

So, today I'm going to tell you the history of puff pastry, and then give you some ideas of what you can cook with it. It’s very easy to use, and a great way to make something fast!

Today, I want to talk about what to do if you've lost that passion a little bit; if you’re just feeling tired or if it's been a crazy season and you're a little overwhelmed.

Having less mental energy to focus on cooking and planning food makes it harder, so hopefully this will give you some ideas of how to renew that passion, how to get excited again, or how to try something new in the area of cooking in your family. 

There was such beautiful decor. There were these tall, green, leafy plants and the chairs were luxurious - really comfortable to sit in. There was dim lighting, but it was bright in places with very elegant hanging lights. There were just really beautiful and luxurious decorations, and the people were so polite and friendly. You could feel that they were there to make your experience special in the way they greeted you, and the way they seated you. 

Soon after we were seated, they asked us if we had any dietary restrictions and we said, yes, my husband's gluten-free. Then they said, okay, great, and they went away. You know how sometimes they bring a roll or a piece of bread. This time, it was a step above anything else I’ve ever seen. They brought this cute little dark ceramic cup with a little handle, about espresso cup size, and in that was a little bit of carrot and ginger soup. It had a gorgeous flavor. The ginger wasn’t strong; it was just right...

We’ll also think about our health. I've been thinking a lot about what can contribute to poor health, to aging, and to metabolic syndrome, and one of the biggest things is stress and eating too fast. I've been aware of that, so my husband and I are trying to eat more slowly, especially him - he's prone to rush because he's so focused on the work he has to do. 

We’re blessed that most of the time, we can sit down as a family and eat together, because my husband works from home most days and our kids are homeschooled, although my oldest will be starting work soon, so we'll see how that goes. Most of us sit down for the meal at lunchtime, and we try to eat as a family, but it's still quite rushed because there's lots to do before and after - lunch is in the middle of all our things. 

It's interesting to think about because I think that a much healthier approach to eating is the way the Europeans do it. I think it's important to take time out for our meals and to really enjoy them. It’s good to let ourselves eat a good variety of food, to be aware of what we are eating, and to have good conversation and fellowship with others while we are eating. Then we can have good digestion, and we can take the nutrients in and absorb them. 

It's not just the food; it's all about how we feel after the meal. We should be feeling satisfied, feeling energized, and feeling like we've had good conversation and connection with somebody. Those things are all linked, and they all contribute to our wellbeing. So, what do they do in places like France and Germany, et cetera?

So, salads stretch back many, many years. They've changed a lot through various cultures and food trends. In ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and Rome, there were already early forms of salads, which were simple mixes of raw vegetables like lettuce, onions, and cucumbers. They would be dressed with vinegar, oil, or even fermented fish sauces. 

The word salad comes from the Latin “salata”, meaning salted, because Romans often ate raw greens dressed in brine or other salty dressings.

I find this very interesting because doing that's supposed to help a lot with digestion. The French will often add a green salad, like plain greens in some olive oil with some salt, in between courses to help with digestion. They had it right back then. 

One of the great things about it is that it's easier to clean up. There's fewer dishes, and it somehow helps you to let go of things a bit.

As busy moms, we've always got so much going through our brains, and so many little things that need doing at any given moment, and I really find that sitting in my camping chair outside and eating out there helps me to just let go. This is partly because all the preparation is in advance, and then you can just sit and enjoy it, but also the surroundings help.

Being outside and being relaxed with each other and with your family is a great thing. 

So, we're going to talk about how to be prepared for picnics, and then about some ideas for what you can eat outdoors. 

I'll just be doing one episode this week - I'll be back with the regular two per week from next week. 

Today we are going to talk a little bit about toddler food, up to maybe age six or seven, some ideas and principles that you can use when you are thinking about what to make for your little ones for lunch and even breakfast and dinner, and what'll help you in that pursuit. 

I love the years with little ones. Sadly, I don't have one under 10 anymore. Our five are all 10. Well, 11 and over, but those were such special years. I must say though, the teenage years are wonderful and special in a different way too. Very much so. But those little years are such fun. I remember often we would have outside lunch during homeschool, so they would have a little divided plate with a yogurt and a piece of cheese and some kind of bread, or a bread roll and a little bit of meat.

I'm going to be taking two weeks off from the PODCAST - for some that's a summer break, and for other's its winter. I'll be back as usual on Monday 7th July! I hope you have a wonderful summer, or are not too cold during your winter!

Today we're going to talk about what we do for lunch, and hopefully give you a little bit of inspiration if you're struggling to figure out lunches. I'll talk about what I do for lunch for myself as well. Sometimes I'll eat the same as the family, and sometimes not. 

We are a homeschool family of seven - we have five children. Two of them are young adults and are working, though mostly from home, so they're still here for the meals. Our younger three are still in homeschool, two of them in high school. I do have more time available than I had when they were all young in homeschool, but I do have two businesses that I run, and a lot of things going on. We also do cooking for church on a regular basis as part of the Mercy Ministry, so there's a lot happening. I'll often do the online shopping or get something cooking every day in the mornings, so we need lunch that’s simple and easy. I want to tell you our general plan for lunch, and what we end up eating most of the time.

I love to take the whole green artichoke, cut off the top of the leaves where it's spiky, cut off a little bit of the stem, and then put them with the stem down in my steamer. They steam for about 45 minutes, and then they're beautifully soft. Then you pull off each leaf, scrape it on your teeth, and eat the inside of it. Then you start to slice off the little pieces of the heart to eat. The flavor is just incredible - there's nothing like it. Artichokes are a unique vegetable. They're beautiful, they're fresh, and they just taste so good. 

I've always loved artichokes, ever since we lived in California and I was introduced to them. Sometimes we dip them in garlic butter, but just the flavor of the artichoke leaf is amazing. If you've never tried an artichoke, I encourage you to try them. You can steam them in a pot with a bit of water and the lid on, and there are many pre-cooked and canned ones you can buy. You can buy jars of artichokes in oil or sometimes in brine, and then you just drain them. Inside, you'll usually find the heart, and you can just chop that up and add it to things like salads and pizza.

So, we're going to talk about the benefits of artichokes, what you can use them in, and all of those things. The globe artichoke is actually a thistle. It comes from the Mediterranean region, and it's cultivated for its edible flower - the bud of the flower; it's harvested before the flowers bloom. What we eat is the fleshy base of the leaves and the tender heart.

Episode 66 was about doing a chef's tasting menu for fun at home in a simple, delicious way that’s totally possible. You definitely don't want it to be overwhelming. 

Just to bring a bit of balance and reality, let me say that I'm always inspired by doing fancy meals at home, but most of the time I’ll cook something very simple and then sometimes make it look fancy.

Starting with a plan is very important. Before placing any food on whatever dish you're using, think about what's the star; what's the main ingredient you want to highlight? Think about the balance of colors. Do you have some greens - some bright vegetables, or some sauces for contrasting color to lift it, so that it's not all brown? Also think about portion sizes. Usually less is more - less than we’re accustomed to doing. Leave some empty space on the plate. It adds to the elegance, and somehow it makes it more appetizing, and it doesn't feel overwhelming to the person eating it. 

In traditional Korean cuisine they’ll eat a lot of seasonal produce. They eat with a lot of variety and balance.

Here’s an example of what they may eat for breakfast - seaweed soup with rice and banchan, which are small side dishes served along with cooked rice. For example, maybe these could be soybean sprouts, spicy cucumber salad, pickled garlic, stir fried zucchini, sweet and salty soybeans, stir fried anchovies, noodles, et cetera.

This is light, hydrating, and it's rich in iodine and minerals. They may also have kimchi for probiotics, as well grilled tofu, pan fried egg, steamed spinach with sesame oil, et cetera. Often they'll drink something like barley tea, which has no caffeine, and it's gentle on the stomach 

Picture a special meal with your husband and children, where they've helped to prepare different courses that are elegant and delicious, but simple, and able to be made in a relatively short amount of time.

The ingredients of the meal are not too fancy, but the meal feels special and elevated. You have time to linger over the meal and enjoy the different flavors, which are tied together by some theme, whether it's a country inspired dish like Italian, or whether it's seafood, or whatever works together well. 

I'm going to give you some suggestions of things you can make to have a tasting menu meal at home - just for fun!

Traditional foods and techniques from the Aborigines are things like using fire pits and earth ovens, smoking food, and eating bush foods like wattle seed, finger lime, kangaroo, of course, and the kakadu plum. These are very powerful flavors, and very recognizable in Australian cuisine.

Being a British colony, colonists brought with them ingredients and food traditions from the UK like flour, sugar, tea, potatoes, and dairy. There's obviously a lot of sheep in Australia - there's sheep farming, so beef and lamb are popular. They have classic British dishes like meat pies, roasts like roast beef and roast chicken, stews, puddings like Christmas pudding, and fish and chips. These are common in Australian households, and the British tradition of tea drinking also remains popular today. 

Haloumi has a rich history that goes back several centuries. It’s from the Eastern Mediterranean region - traditionally associated with Cyprus from the Mediterranean, but both Greek and Turkish people claim haloumi as a key part of their culinary heritage. There are early written references from the medieval period to a cheese that sounds similar to it. Some people say haloumi dates back to the 10th century in the Byzantine Empire. 

The name “haloumi” is said to be derived from the Coptic Egyptian word “halom”, meaning “cheese”, so it might even have older connections to Egypt. During the Ottoman Rule of Cyprus in the 1500s to the 1800s, haloumi became widespread throughout the Middle East, and then spread into North Africa.

Traditionally, it's made from goats and sheep's milk combined, but sometimes more modern recipes use cow's milk. It's unique in that it's un-ripened and it's semi hard. It has a very high melting point, so it can be grilled or fried, and it doesn't lose its shape like other cheese does. It's also brined, giving it a salty flavor, and a longer shelf life, which is important in the Mediterranean, especially before refrigeration, as it's very hot there.

Of course, we all love pizza. What would pizza be without mozzarella? When I was growing up, we didn't have mozzarella in our country, and so the pizza was made with yellow cheeses like cheddar, and it wasn't nearly as good. Mozzarella has the amazing properties of being gooey, melty, and stretchy, like a slice of pizza where all the cheese stretches from the middle.

So, mozzarella obviously originated in Italy - in the southern region of Campania, around Naples. It actually came into existence during the Middle Ages, around the 12th century. The legend of mozzarella says that it was an accidental discovery. During the Middle Ages, cheese makers could have dropped curd into hot water, either during the cheese making process or by accident, and then noticed that it began to stretch and form those elastic strands which are the unique characteristic of mozzarella.

Firstly, Türkiye generally follows the Mediterranean diet principles. Their cuisine is heavily influenced by the Mediterranean diet, which people say is one of the healthiest dietary patterns. Olive oil is a staple food used both in cooking, and on salads and dishes. Their meals are rich in vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and fresh herbs. They do eat dairy, fish, and poultry, but in moderation, and they don't use a lot of processed foods or refined sugars. Their plates typically include grains like bulgur rice and protein like beans, yogurt, or meat with vegetables. 

Let's get inspired!

I think that breakfasts are one of the most chaotic parts of the weekday morning if your mornings are anything like mine. The moment I get downstairs, it's chaos. There's just a ton of things to do, and I often forget to have breakfast myself while just saying “I'll quickly do this, I'll quickly do that,” looking after everybody else. So, what do you do?

Hopefully you'll find some solutions in this epsiode!

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We’re going to talk about different things that they eat in different countries - to break out of the mold a little bit so that we can try some new things. 

I'm always looking for more ideas, and perhaps you are too. If you have something you love to eat in the morning, that’s great, but sometimes it's nice to try different things, and you may even find something new that you love - either for you, or for your kids and your family. Today we're going on a global breakfast tour. Then on Wednesday, we’re going to talk about ideas that are specifically for us, ones that you can add to your breakfast meal list.

But for today, let's get inspired by what people eat for breakfast in different countries. 

To have a list of ideas is very helpful because in that moment of panic, it's very hard to think of something to make.

Yesterday afternoon at about 4pm, I suddenly thought “Oh my goodness, what's for dinner?” I’d planned lunch. I'd planned dinner for the following night with guests, but I’d forgotten to plan dinner for that evening, and nothing was defrosted.

I’m gonna give you some ideas of what you can do at the last minute, and then help you to make your own list of last-minute dinner ideas.

Also please go to familyfoodformoms.com/lastminute to download a free printable of Last-Minute Dinner Ideas complete with all the meals I mentioned in the episode plus PANTRY and FREEZER items lists with place to fill in your own ideas!

Here are some tools and tips to take the pressure off, to get your kids involved, and maybe spark their curiosity with what's in their lunchbox. You still want to make the meal nourishing, but it has to be realistic, and stand a chance of being eaten by the pickiest kids, so I'm going to give you some tips and ideas. 

 Thanks for joining me today. I want to talk about how to make an everyday dinner a little bit special, and how to add little touches that make a meal memorable!

Turning a regular dinner time into something special doesn't have to be complicated or fancy, so here are some easy ways that you can elevate your everyday meals. I think it's the small, thoughtful touches that can make it feel memorable, even if the food is simple.

Let's talk about some ideas that can add charm, warmth, and a little magic to your dinner. 

Check out our Elegant Easy Appetizers 5-ingredient Cookbook here

You can Download a preview on this page.

I'll be taking a break from the podcast this week to celebrate Easter with family and friends. I'll be back on Monday 28th April! See you then.

Picture your dining room table beautifully set with charger plates, which are also called under plates, some elegant dinner plates, side plates, beautiful glasses, and your best cutlery or silverware, with your lovely cloth napkins folded into an elegant shape on the side or on the dinner plate. Maybe it’s a celebration meal, or just a fun, fancy dinner with your family. In the center of the table, you could have some candles or little twinkle lights, maybe beautiful colored electronic candles, some flowers, or any of your favorite centerpieces.

If you're celebrating something, perhaps Good Friday and Easter, you can make your meal more meaningful by having an appetizer, and by having multiple courses. You could do an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert, or just an appetizer and main course. It gives you more time at the table, and it helps you to connect as a family and have some really good conversation. Because you're having three courses, you have more time to talk to people, relax more fully, and start to really take part in the conversation. This is because you can focus on each other, rather than just having a quick meal and then leaping up to do the clearing and all going your separate ways. 

The appetizer course starts the meal in the right way. It helps everyone to see that it's not just going to be a rushed meal, so they have the right expectation coming to the table. They know there's going to be a few courses that they’ll get to enjoy, so even if one is not their favorite, perhaps another will be. They know they can take their time, relax, and enjoy good food. The goal of this meal is not just to eat, but to connect as a family, and to have good fellowship at the table. 

Go to familyfoodformoms.com/shop/ to buy our Elegant Easy Appetizers Book.

It's on sale with $3 off making it only $15 plus shipping!

Today, I want to talk about tons of ideas for what you can cook using chicken breasts. There are skinless, boneless breasts that you can buy in a pack of usually four to six. 

Chicken is so versatile! I'm sure there are many more ways you can use it. I hope this sparks some ideas for you, and that you'll make a good chicken meal in the near future.

Balsamic vinegar is fascinating. It dates back to the Middle Ages, and some records suggest it was produced in the 11th century, first only in the region of Modena in northern Italy. Many of the balsamic vinegars that I've seen say Modena on them, so they're authentic. 

The word “balsamic” comes from the Latin word “balsamum”, which means “balm” or “restorative”. That's to reflect its qualities as a medicinal and a culinary product. It's always been used in a medicinal way for healing, and also to enhance flavor and nutrition in food. Back then, balsamic vinegar was a luxury item that was used by the very wealthy, and sometimes used as a form of medicine. 

The use of vinegar in ancient civilizations is well known, but it wasn't until balsamic vinegar was developed that the sweet and tangy variety of vinegar was born. Most vinegar is very sour, but balsamic vinegar has that sweetness along with the sourness. In the early days, families in the area of Modena would make small batches of balsamic vinegar to use themselves, or to give as gifts, but then it gradually became known outside of Italy, and sold as a gourmet product. 

Last time I talked about taking the lunchbox that you’re going to be using, drawing the shape with however many compartments it has, and then choosing categories for each compartment. I mentioned the main method of carrying the food, whether it’s a sandwich or a wrap or something, and then all the other categories we talked about, such as deli meats and cheeses for the protein. We talked about some raw vegetables or salad ingredients.

We talked about fruit, and then dairy, whether it's cheese or yogurt, and a little dessert or treat, and whatever other categories you feel like or think of - maybe something like olives. This episode is simply going to be practical examples; anything that I've done, or things I’ve seen others do and I like the sound of...

It can even be for at home - sometimes it helps to have meals prepared in advance, although those would more likely be something you're going to heat up at home, and that you've prepared beforehand. A packed lunch, however, would be something that can be eaten cold, and would generally be very hearty, nutritious, and delicious. 

We recently got a heatable lunch box for my husband and son who go to the office once a week. It’s very useful, because it gives you so many more options for things to do, and it's just like a steamer. You add your food to little stainless steel dishes, and then you put a little water in the bottom of the box, and you let it steam for half an hour to an hour to heat up the food. That way, there's no need to use a microwave or whatever else might be there. You can just warm it at your desk. This is useful because then you can pack any cooked ingredient that just needs heating. For today, though, I want to talk about items that you can put in a lunchbox that will be eaten cold. 

I'm working from a website called timeanddate.com. I’m going to mention some ideas for ways to celebrate days involving food from July to December.

I hope you have fun with some of these days! Choose which ones you want to celebrate.

So, let's get started. I love this cheese because it's a raw milk cheese - it’s made from raw milk. It's well aged, so it's got all the good stuff in it, and it's very delicious. I used to buy finely grated Parmesan cheese instead. It was just easier to have a jar of that in the fridge, and grab it whenever I needed to for pasta or other cooking. But then I realized that all you need is a tiny little grater and a block of Parmigiano Reggiano, and then you can get that good stuff very easily. You just use one of those small, fine graters to grate it over whatever you’re working with...

I'll do another few hacks in a different episode, but I hope there are some things that you can apply.

Send me your ideas if you have some. You can do that at karyn@familyfoodformoms.com. I hope you have a great cooking week!

 Today we're going to talk about all kinds of different meals that you can make from ground beef, (or beef mince as some people call it). Bolognese on pizza is one of my favorite - with pineapple and feta (shocking, I know!)

I'm sure many of these are familiar to you, but others you may not have heard of or tried before. I'm going to get creative myself, and try one of these that I haven't tried before, because ground beef is a good cheap meat to be able to buy. Let's get into it!

And then you could order just like you in a restaurant. And I always found this so amazing. Like you look out the window and there's a beautiful view going by while you eat your dinner. So I think it's the best place to have a meal, in my opinion, is on a train, in the dining car, especially when it's fancy.

So today for fun, I thought it would be great to look at what kinds of food you can get on a train. It's not particularly for us to learn from, although. There's definitely principles that we can draw from it, but it's more just for fun to get some ideas of what chefs cook on trains.

So let's start with January. I'm going to do January to June today, and then I'll do July to December another time.

The goal is to make vegetables that we enjoy, and to help our kids to enjoy them too. We don't have to hide them away. Sometimes that works, but it's also good to know that they taste good and that we can enjoy them. It’s also different for different ages - you may need a different strategy for your young kids than for your teenagers. It's a good thing to start as early as possible with making vegetables a normal part of life, a food that your kids like just as much as any other food.

When we talked about saving money in the kitchen, we said that cooking in bulk is definitely a good thing, although I do find it a little bit overwhelming to always cook in bulk. I'll choose certain things that I know freeze well, and that I'll use again to cook in bulk. Getting the meat and the vegetables in bulk often saves money. Plus, somehow, if you divide your meal into two, you get by with a little bit less for each meal, instead of having a little extra and it going to waste. Doubling up on a meal is a good thing to do, whether it's a soup, a stew, a casserole, or a lasagna - all of those freeze well for another meal. 

Often today, we have many challenges with our shopping and our cooking, and having time to do those things in our families. It's amazing if we can figure out how to be adaptable; how to edit recipes when needed, how to be able to cook on a cheaper budget, and how to be able to use certain ingredients when others aren't available. We can learn not to have to pop to the grocery store for the smallest thing, but learn how to do without it, and to change and be adaptable in our cooking.

It’s also good to learn how to eat more simply, in ways that cost us money and time, like having a meal of simple meat with a side vegetable, and not always needing the fancy. We should balance the fancy with the simple and wholesome food. 

I'm going to talk a bit about rationing, and about what people did if a food was rationed, or it was not available. Then I'm going to talk about the kind of things that the soldiers and the people ate during that time.

The way our grandparents ate is a fascinating subject. It’s inspiring to learn from our grandmothers in the way they cooked food to bring good health to their families. Today I want to do the second part of What We Can Learn from our Grandmothers about Food and Cooking. 

Our grandparents’ diets were shaped by where and when they lived; the era, the region, and the availability of ingredients, but in general, they ate simple, wholesome food. It was home cooked food with seasonal ingredients, and it often tied to family traditions and recipes that were passed down the generations. They cooked with love from scratch, and they enjoyed their food in good company. 

Here's part II of What We Can Learn from Our Grandmothers about Food and Cooking. Part 1 was Episode 15.

England is quite fascinating. I always think of the famous five books by Enid Blyton and picture the children riding on their bicycles through the fields, having a picnic in the sunshine, enjoying the outdoors. Their picnic would have been packed by their cook at home and have things like meat pie, fruit cake, ginger, pop, or they would eat at an old farmhouse where they were staying. And the kitchen table would be piled with goodness from the farm, raw milk from the cows, clotted cream, a ham, again, meat pie made by the farmer's wife and many more wonderful fruit tarts and things that they so enjoyed.

When thinking about British cuisine, it's inspiring to think of hearty food from scratch that nourishes your family, and to try things that are going to help you to sit down together, enjoy a long, slow meal, and be well nourished.

Today we're going to talk about food and nutrition in World War II.

This works great for a date night with your hubby, or for if you want to have a date night with one of your kids. We've done this often where it's mom and dad and one of the children. It’s a special night for them, and they get to choose the menu. Today I'm going to talk about some ideas of food you can make that's fancy; how to bring the fancy restaurant to you when you can't go to it, and a couple of other ideas to make the whole evening fancy. 

Sometimes we just need a break, a refreshing time, a reprieve, and we just need some good food, and some relaxed conversation without having to jump up every five minutes, or make a complicated meal. A restaurant's so great for this. It's a change in atmosphere, a new place with delicious food that you don't have to cook. So, how can we bring some of those elements home without it being a huge effort with a huge amount of cooking and preparation before? I'm going to talk about some ideas for how to do that easily and in a way so that you can also relax and enjoy the evening.

I don't know a lot about Russia, but it's been fascinating researching this because they are such rich culinary and cultural traditions and I think there's so much we can learn from the way they do things.

It's not an easy country to live in because of the extreme cold and other factors. So they've had to learn to make the best of what they have, to adapt. And then, they have a long history of aristocratic and imperial traditions. So their cuisine is fascinating. Also, it reflects the diversity of its regions because it's such a vast country.

The Northern Coast is well known for its fish dishes. And then Siberia for the meat heavy meals. The food varies greatly depending on where you go in Russia.

Lets talk about some Russian food and traditions!

In order to do bulk cooking effectively, a lot of planning, consistency, and efficiency must go into it. I think the more you plan, the more effective it's going to be, no matter whether you're thinking about doing some batch cooking on a day to have meals for your freezer, or just bulk cooking if you're having a large event, large family over, or if you want to double up on a meal you're doing. There's a few principles that I think we can apply. 

Suddenly things were very busy in January. Homeschool was going on, and work, and lots of cooking for various things, plus some extra challenges on top of that. Then it felt like we hadn't spent as much time with our kids, and we hadn't spent enough family time together enjoying each other, so on the spur of the moment, I decided to have a special meal that evening. I had the day to plan it, though I did have other stuff going on during the day, so I kind of did it in between. I didn’t have a lot of preparation time, so I wanted to talk to you about how that worked and how I was able to put that together in a short time. 

So, we're going to go through some steps to help you get there if you want to do this. Hopefully this will make it easy and practical. We'll talk about the food, but also the activities and ambience, and all those things.

But today we're going to talk about what they eat and the healthy lifestyle that they live. 

Making sure your blood sugar is balanced in the morning is the best way to have it balanced throughout the day.

Nowadays, we have older children, adult children. And so. We try to go out once a month to a place, but it is more expensive. So we still like to have three out of the month at home. So today I'm going to tell you how they, how we do that, how they work and give you some ideas for what you can do for date nights at home.

Certainly there are fast food restaurants and things that we wouldn't want to emulate. And, we're not going to be able to create a restaurant at home - that's a lot more work than we have time and ability for. You'd need all the waiters and waitresses and all the chefs. But I just want to think about ways that we can apply some of the principles to make our own mealtime special. 

Today we're going to be talking about simple health tips for your kitchen. These are some unusual health ideas, ones that I find important, and that I like to do in our family. I thought that you might enjoy hearing them - you haven’t heard some of these before!

Every day I would be like; whoa, I have no idea what we're doing for lunch or dinner today. Then I would have to make a last minute plan, like doing some quick online shopping for something like quiche or pie, or chicken breasts that I could cook quickly. This just kept happening day after day. 

That's not usually the case, because we usually have stuff that we've cooked that week. We like to do a lot of cooking on Tuesday and Wednesday - our kids each help on different days. We also do quite a bit of cooking for our church family, so we have to be doing a lot of cooking, but sometimes there's just a lot going on, and things don't happen. That's what happened to me last week, and I had about four days where I just realized: oh, I don't have a plan for this. 

Now I want to tell you what I did to kind of correct that, because it got to the point where I felt overwhelmed, and it wasn't working, and I just never had the energy to cook.

Lets chat!

So today, Lets talk about what we can learn from the Chinese about Food and Cooking!

This is the last episode for 2024. I'll be back on Monday 6th January! Have a blessed Christmas, friends!

I enjoy watching YouTube videos by Darren McGrady, who is a former royal chef for the Queen, and then for Princess Diana when William and Harry were young. He's also written some recipe books, including recipes he used to cook for the Queen. I think it's so interesting to look at her lifestyle and the way she ate. So, today I want to talk about some things that we can learn from the Queen, about food, about eating and a healthy diet, and then dining, and how things worked around her.

I've been doing quite a few “what we can learn froms” recently, and the reason for that is that I'm also currently working on my book - the Family Food for Moms Inspiration for Food and Dining - all about what we can learn from all these amazing cultures and people, and then how to practically apply those principles.

I think it's so valuable to be inspired by what others have done, and to see the ways that people do things is really helpful and really insightful, and really helps us to figure out the way we want to do things in our families. 

In the Bible, eating is a sign of rejoicing and celebrating, and eating is an opportunity to share food, and fellowship through conversations - this was more special because it was done over a meal. Eating was a sign of contentment, peace, and provision. They ate what they had produced in their gardens after planting and harvesting, and it was very satisfying...

Let's talk more about this..

 We'll also talk a little bit about Spanish food; their fascinating culture and how they approach food and dining. Similar to the French, mealtime is very important to Spanish culture. It's important to them that they eat slowly, and that it's a social occasion, that they enjoy their food, and don’t rush through it.

If you go to familyfoodformoms.com, episode 24, then you'll be able to find the links to the websites that I mention.

This is a quote from the website mindbodygreen.com, from an article about what French kids eat for school lunch. I find it so inspiring to see the way the French have decided to do school lunches for their younger children. They have courses, usually four courses. They have real, nourishing, freshly cooked food. They sit down to enjoy it together at beautiful tables with lots of time - they have at least half an hour to sit, and they have to enjoy their meal slowly. There are so many good principles that we can learn from this! Also, it's just so inspiring to see the actual food that they are served. It’s not easy, I can imagine, to make it all happen, but the benefits are huge.

So, today we're going to talk about what French kids eat for school lunches, and we're also going to mention a few tips for picky eaters. All the websites that I reference will be linked in the show notes on familyfoodformoms.com. This episode is number 23, and if you go to that post, you'll find a link if you want to read any of the articles that I'm referencing, or look at the photos.

I think that for somebody starting out cooking, who's going to be leaving home to start out on their own, or who are getting married, both ladies and gents, I think it's so important to learn how to cook. I'm going to talk about in a couple of different episodes how to get started with learning to cook. We're going to talk about what exactly are good things to learn first. To start with, learn some mains, sides, and sauces, or just a simple meal consisting of a main and a side and maybe a sauce to add interest. 

Once you get the basics down, then you can start to use those in different ways to mix and match. Then you start to grow exponentially in your cooking skills. Let's talk about what are good things to start with when you're learning to cook. 

For me, one of the biggest challenges for both Christmas and Thanksgiving is to not become busy during the event, but to be present, and also to not become stressed before the event, but to be relaxed, and to enjoy the time with my children, with my family, because that's basically what it's all about. It's not about making it perfect.

This is a concept that my brain doesn't easily accept, but I really do want to be present. I want to have the mindset of being present and not the mindset of finishing, or making it just right, or making it just how I want it, but rather to enjoy that process with them. It is easier now that they're a bit older - it was more challenging when I had many young children. But either way, I really want to engage with them, connect with them, and make special family memories together. 

I find it really fascinating seeing what someone will eat when they have a chef at their disposal, and can eat whatever they want. I think the first ladies would have had a lot to do with planning menus, and even encouraging their husbands to eat healthier things. Some of the things I'll mention are from when the presidents are just on their own, and they eat whatever they feel like, and then other things would be more what they would eat if there's a White House dinner, or a small dinner party, or if they’re simply eating with their wives, but is still cooked by the chef.

I don't like having a ton of stuff, especially gimmicky things, lying around the kitchen. Good utensils have got to be simple, fit into the drawers, and really be super helpful.

There are no affiliate links with these - these are just things that I have in our home that I wouldnt want to do without. See familyfoodformoms.com for photos.

Let's chat!

They seem to know how to cook all these obscure ingredients that I have never tried to eat before, let alone cook.  But it's very exciting and inspiring. So I thought I would just mention for fun 10 things that I've learnt from watching Masterchef. 

Join me as we chat about family closeness at dinner time.

And then the meat and veg that I cook through the week. So,  I'm mainly going to be talking about all the things that we prep at the beginning of the week. But I may just mention some of the others. So this really helps me because  then I've got snacks organized, I've got a good breakfast supplement organized when the kids make their own breakfast. 

We've got homemade sauces and we've got all the things that really help with the health and with the flavor and the yumminess. 

There are always special things that are passed down from our moms and grandmothers. In our case, it's things like homemade ice cream, which I'll give you the recipe for. There's a wonderful British fruitcake that my mom makes, a Christmas cake with the icing and all, and there are crunchies made with syrup. Good, hearty fare comes to mind.  

It's not easy to do that when you have to cut costs, because often the healthiest things are expensive. But it's definitely possible to eat healthy food and nourish your family while spending less.  Today we're going to talk about five more unusual ways to save money in your kitchen.

Today, I want to talk about ways to save money in the kitchen. It's so easy to feel overwhelmed these days, and a bit discouraged. I want to feed my family healthy meals and delicious meals, but everything is so expensive. We're just going to talk about a few ways to save on money, save on time and keep the health and the yumminess there. I know it's not easy, but we can do hard things, right? The more we practice hard things, the better we get at doing them.  

I hope these five unusual ways to save money inspire you and help your grocery budget!

I want to help you with the inspiration, the perspiration, and the celebration of food in your family.

Today, we're going to talk about a fun topic, and that is what we can learn about food from children's and young adults’ literature.

There are such beautiful descriptions of food and dining in books. And it comes from other eras, other countries, or other times that are very different from the way that we live now.

I love to look at that, reflect on it, and see what we can learn from it.  So let's chat about it!

In this episode we're going to be talking about more ways to make your dining table special.  Last time in episode 3, I mentioned five things - we talked about decorative underplates, lighting, fancy napkin folding, personalized place names and music for ambience. 

We all love a beautiful view and any kind of beauty enhances the meal experience. As a family, it helps make wonderful memories and feel connected to each other. So,let's consider more ways to make a dining table special for a family or fellowship meal.

The reason I'm talking about family fun nights is because I feel like they're such a big part of family closeness and togetherness. Plus, a lot of them use food, or are to do with food, and include a way to eat that's different to the norm, and that's lots of fun. So, today we're going to talk about some more ideas for family fun nights, and how to do them when you have a smaller family. 

Somehow, when you're focused on time with a particular child, even if you're together for most of the day. During that special time, you focus on them more than usual, you talk about stuff that you have in common. You ask them specific questions. You kind of really build a relationship, and work on that relationship by having good chats and a good time together. 

So, in the same way, a family fun night can be something that a small family, or a mom and child, or a dad and child can do together. It can just be something really easy that you both enjoy, like playing some board games or playing some kind of sports games, indoor or outdoors. Or it can be more involved - listen for a ton of ideas!

Then we're going to talk about some easy meals that can be made when you have a few more supplies than the absolute minimum, but still not many - or perhaps no power, or limited power from a generator.

But before I give you some ideas for those, I want to talk more about the emergency food go-bag. If you haven’t downloaded the printable with the list of items that you can select from for the food go bag, (you can also add your own) and then plan your meals for your bag, you can find that on familyfoodformoms.com/foodgobag. 

It's important to know that not all the items on this list are meant to be packed into your food go bag. You need to choose some of them, so as to have enough supplies for two or three days. That's what we're aiming for. So, you want to have enough food for two breakfasts or three breakfasts. You decide how many days - two or three, or if you want to do more days, that's fine. But remember that you obviously are going to need to carry all this. 

Say you have two to three days of breakfasts, lunches, snacks, dinners, and perhaps desserts, which are always good for cheering you up when things are hard, and are also needed for extra energy boost if you're staying up late trying to figure things out. Once you've decided how many meals you need, then you can go about planning them.

The lists in the printable are arranged so that you can decide what meals you're going to make, tick off what you want to add to your GO-BAG, and then add how many of each thing you'll need. 

Download your Food Go-Bag Printables on Familyfoodformoms.com/foodgobag

So, my prayers go out to all of you who are affected by the hurricanes or whatever other things in life that are very hard.  So today was supposed to be my second family fun night episode but I'm going to postpone that till next week, and do an episode about about  an emergency food go bag that you can build up and then ways to cook simple nutritious meals if you don't have power, and if you have really limited supplies, (like no fresh food) using the food from the GO BAG. 

I also have a new printable for you, which will be a list of supplies for the emergency go bag. So don't worry if I mention Odd things to add to the bag at various times through the episode. I've compiled them all into a categorized list for you to download so that you can have that and you don't have to worry to write down as you listen. 

You can find the printable on FamilyFoodForMoms.com/FOODGOBAG (one word)

So, I'm going to mention some of the ones that we love to do. I'll do more in future episodes, but I'm going to tell you about some of our favorites. Family fun nights are such a great way to wind down, even as mom and dad, after a long week. They’re a great way to relax, have fun, and connect with each other and with the kids, and to really enjoy each other's company. 

It's very inspiring thinking about how the French approach food and dining.  Last time we spoke about what we can learn from the French about dining and meals. In this episode we're going to talk about how we can apply the principles and hacks we've learned from the French about food!

It's very inspiring thinking about how the French relate to food and to meals. In this episode, we're going to talk about what we can learn from the French about food and dining.

The French are a fascinating culture, and when it comes to food, they've got a lot of things right. First I'm going to talk about some things that I find really significant about the way the French approach food and dining. Then, in the next episode, we'll talk about how we can apply some of these principles in our own lives.

I know we don't always have a lot of time to make changes in our lives! I think the thing to do is to choose one or two things that you want to work on in your own family and then try them.

When you feel that those are working well, then you can add something else or try something new. We shouldn't feel pressure or feel overwhelmed when thinking about these things, but rather, we should feel joy in considering what ways we want to improve our family's health, wellness, and togetherness through the way we eat.

Remember you can download Conversation Starters on familyfoodformoms.com/conversation. 

Thanks for listening!

Today we're going to talk about a few snacks I find that are really helpful to have available in the fridge when I have a crazy day, which is most days. I definitely have a sweet tooth, and often I'm looking for something sweet but healthy to grab when I feel that lull in energy - or when I'm just feeling like I want to eat something.

So I’m going to talk about a few things that are quick and easy both to make, and to grab from the fridge when you're at home and you're craving something good. Sometimes as a mom, it's hard enough to make sure that you're getting the nourishment you need - forget about sitting down and actually enjoying eating your meals - some days are just too busy! Also, there's the time in between meals when you need a snack - a protein snack or just something to keep up your energy.

I struggle with knowing what to grab!

One thing I know for sure is that if I'm not nourishing myself properly, then a lot of other things are going to start falling apart. If my blood sugar is all over the place, if I'm moody and tired, then things are not good. When my blood sugar is balanced, I feel calm and able to handle my days much better. If I don't eat enough protein and enough nourishing food, then I feel exhausted. Exhausted, and often overwhelmed and not able to cope with all the conversation that goes on in a busy home plus homeschool. But if I eat good protein and nourishing meals then I've got energy and I can give my attention to my kids, to my family and the home as needed. I have energy for cooking for other hard times too. 

So do you have these struggles? Then stick around for some ideas. 

Also, if you'd like to see the full recipes, have a look at this particular blog post on familyfoodformoms.com under podcast - Episode 4.

Today we're going to talk about five ways to make your dinner table special. Imagine you're in a fancy hotel in Paris, looking out the windows. We all love a beautiful view and any kind of beauty enhances the meal experience.  

We can set the atmosphere by setting the table beautifully, serving nourishing food, and then encouraging good conversation (with laughter for the soul)! We have to guard our family dinner time if we want it to happen at all. There's so much else that wants to pull us away from eating together!

I want to talk about practical ways to make your dinnertime special, to get your imagination rolling - and then you do the things that suit you and your family; things that you love!

Hopefully this episode will inspire and encourage you to do that.

Check out familyfoodformoms.com/episode-3 to see the videos of napkin folding.

I want to help you with the inspiration, the perspiration, and the celebration of food in your family.

So often we only talk about the middle one of these, the perspiration. That's all the practical stuff. We need to plan meals, we need to shop, we need to actually cook the meals, and we need to serve them to our family. And that’s what takes up a lot of the time, but I think there's so much more to food in our families than the perspiration.

The first category, inspiration, and the third category, celebration, are just as important as the practical part, the perspiration.

So on this podcast, we're going to be talking about all three of these things.

In today's episode we'll be talking about what we can learn about food and dining in Downton Abbey times!

It's fascinating to think about these people and how they lived. It's  so different to how we live today. Today we have a very fast paced life and And in those days it was such a slow lifestyle in so many ways. 

What can we learn about food and dining in the Edwardian era and around Downton Abbey times?  It wasn't so much about the food itself, although it was definitely whole food, growing their own vegetables and fruit, hunting their own venison from their land, making their own condiments,  but it was even more in the way they dined - slowly, together, being present and making it an occasion.

That's what we're going to talk about today!

I want to help you with the inspiration, the perspiration, and the celebration of food in your family.

So often we only talk about the middle one of these, the perspiration. That's all the practical stuff. We need to plan meals, we need to shop, we need to actually cook the meals, and we need to serve them to our family. And that’s what takes up a lot of the time, but I think there's so much more to food in our families than the perspiration.

The first category, inspiration, and the third category, celebration, are just as important as the practical part, the perspiration.

So on this podcast, we're going to be talking about all three of these things. We need inspiration! We can get it from all kinds of places: from our grandmothers or our parents; the way they used to cook and eat, we can learn from other cultures like the French, the Italian, or the Mexican; and the way they do things, or from the internet and famous cooks and chefs from both the past and the present. There's so many ways we can be inspired. Even looking through a good cookbook can inspire us and it's so important to be inspired by it. 

We should know what we want to achieve and why, and then we should know how we want to go about it. Celebrating together as a family is such a wonderful thing, especially when it's done with food. Having special family meals brings connection and closeness. Fun events and traditions help us to enjoy our meals, enjoy our food and to relax after the craziness of life. 

Slow food makes time for conversation and to be together as a family unit. We need to create an atmosphere for our family that encourages celebration. 

We'll talk about all kinds of family events: family fun nights, date nights at home, larger family celebrations, or just all kinds of things you can do to help to celebrate your dinners together.