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Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Happy New Year! A recommitment to cooking

Hello, This Week for Dinner friends! LONG time no talk. I know that I’ve been short of reliable since last summer in terms of planning meals and cooking. The blog has felt it, you have felt it and my family sure has felt it the most (holy eating-out-all-of-the-time 😳). Life has been in flux more than usual this past year. I am knocking on all of the wood as I say the following, but this week is the first time in a long time that feels normal-ish. And, after so many months of dinner uncertainty and eating out, I am beyond ready to get cooking again.

Carne Asada Salad with Cilantro Crema

With that, here is my food resolution for the year: cook. Cooking is such a lovely excuse at the end of a busy day to breathe. To listen to a podcast, music or audiobook. To spend time with a family member who also likes to cook. To prioritize our health as well as our enjoyment of food.

Along with a recommitment to cooking, I will once again consistently post a weekly menu! It’s all a part of the same goal and that weekly check-in with you all here on the blog is incredibly helpful. I hope that you will continue to share your menus and recipes with us each week as well!

Cilantro Sour Cream Enchiladas

That said, I’ve also found myself enjoying a few nights a week where I don’t have a plan, where I swing by the store and just grab a couple things for that night. I used to hate that. I think when the kids were younger and required more physical care there simply was no space for impromptu shopping and cooking. These days, however, there is a bit of room for spontaneity, a flexibility in what we cook and eat that I honestly haven’t felt in 19+ years. (Yep, Cate is 19 now!) I will still create a weekly plan, but I may or may not do weekly grocery shopping and I’m giving myself mental permission to mix the plan up when I feel like it!

Gluten-Free Buffalo Chicken

One last thing…my cooking resolution also fits in well with the blog’s yearly resolution related to food and the environment. In terms of trash and food waste, cooking at home is automatically a huge improvement. In addition, when you cook at home you have more control over the ingredients and where they come from, making it easier to source local food as much as possible. So here’s to eating well and putting our own little drop in the bucket for Mother Earth.

I am looking forward to another year of planning, cooking, eating well and enjoying time in the kitchen!

Posted by Jane Wallin at 10:44 am 12 Comments
Categories: Eat Well. Heal the Planet., meal planning, Meal Planning, weekly menus
Thursday, February 9, 2023

Eat Well, Heal the Planet 2023 Edition!

For years I make new year’s resolutions that linked the food we eat and/or how we cook to making positive environmental changes. And then I started working for “the man,” which has been great (I love a good 9-to-5 existence, actually…go figure) but has also put the blog (and sometimes cooking) on the back burner. But that focus on the environment had an impact on my kids (yay!) and now they are calling me out on my slacker-ness. My girls and I talked this weekend and decided we need to get back on track.

We took a minute to look back at our past resolutions and decided to focus on the following for 2023:

1. Eat less meat

For several years our focused on eating less meat and more plant-based foods. It went pretty well! And then I just didn’t make it a priority any more. But this graphic is constantly popping up in my mind:

This so clearly shows the impact that food products derived from pigs and cows on carbon emissions, it’s pretty mind boggling. The girls and I have decided to start focusing on those three middle columns again, which should be hard since we’ve done it before!

2. Reduce (or eliminate!) one-time use items like plastic and paper towels

This one is tough. I will say that our previous efforts have not been for nothing…we definitely use less paper towels and plastic products than we did before and I think we’re still pretty good about it. But I’ll admit I’ve gotten lazy over the last few years. It’s time to be more disciplined once again! Like remembering reusable bags in the back of the car for grocery shopping (thanks, COVID-19, for breaking that good habit). Only using paper towels for grease clean ups. Eating out less. Resisting the urge to pull out the plastic wrap.

So here we go! Back on the wagon again!

If you have made similar resolutions, please share! If you want to join along in the journey with us, please do! If you have any tips or favorite products that have helped with either of the above, please put them down in the comments! Here’s to one small change at a time making a difference.

Posted by Jane Wallin at 3:00 pm 8 Comments
Categories: Eat Well. Heal the Planet., Kitchen Tips, Plant-Based Eating Tags: eat less meat, eat well. heal the planet., food and the environment, use less plastic |
Monday, November 14, 2022

Week 758 Weekly Menu
Hello! Apologies for missing last week…I run communications at my company and we announced a proposed merger, so basically I didn’t do much of anything but work. But I’m back to normal, thank goodness!

MONDAY:
- Spaghetti and meatballs
TUESDAY:
- Chicken piccata, mashed potatoes, salad
WEDNESDAY:
- Chicken, Tasso and Andouille Gumbo
THURSDAY:
- Leftovers
FRIDAY:
- Homemade hamburgers
SATURDAY:
- Takeout
SUNDAY:
- Spicy Chicken Tacos (going to grab the pre-marinated chicken thights from our local tortilleria)
Your turn! Share your meal plan below and have a fantastic week!
Posted by Jane Wallin at 10:03 am 11 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
Sunday, January 9, 2022

New Year’s Resolution “Back to Basics” + Week 733 Weekly Menu
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope the year has gotten off to a nice start for you, but I have a sneaking suspicion it might be a little crazy for everyone. 2022 has already proven to be quite a ride for me. I won’t get into boring details about work, life, etc…but our family is getting PCR tests tomorrow morning. Pretty sure COVID is making another unsolicited visit to our home. Apparently it missed the memo that the Maynards aren’t hosting guests right now. Update 1/13: None of us have COVID-19, hallelujah! We are definitely sick but at least it’s not that. Phew.

George Clooney contemplating where he’s been and where he’s going…

2022 Kitchen Resolution

A new year means a new kitchen resolution for me. I’ve been thinking about this a lot this week. If you’ve been hanging around on this blog for a while, you know that each year I choose a resolution that links what we do in the kitchen to environmental goals. You may also know (or not, that’s fine) that in October 2020, I severed a tendon in my thumb, which turned into a year-long journey of surgeries and physical therapy. Today I can use my thumb again. (Woohoo!) It’s not the same as it was before but it works, so I am grateful. Bottom line, last year I did not make a resolution and I did not cook much at all…mostly because I couldn’t. Hello Fresh is the only reason we cooked at home in any capacity.

Which brings me to this year’s resolution. I’m going back to basics, back to what started this blog in the first place.

Plan. Shop. Cook.

I am re-committing to weekly meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking at home. I am fine with the fact that I fell out of practice over the last 15 months – there were many good reasons why that happened. But I am also ready to get back to the thing that not only alleviates stress every week but is just plain good for my family’s health and the environment.

First Weekly Menu of the Year!

I appreciate each and every one of you who have stayed here posting menus, even when I wasn’t able to be here every week. I am scared to even say it out loud, but I will be back every week putting our menu up! Starting today! Plus I actually do have a list of photographed recipes to share with you…here’s hoping I can get those published this year, too!

MONDAY:
- Spicy Chicken Tacos
TUESDAY:
- Mushroom Ravioli and Salad
WEDNESDAY:
- Homemade Hamburgers
THURSDAY:
- Rotisserie Chicken + Mashed Potatoes + Brussels Sprouts
FRIDAY:
- Leftovers
SATURDAY:
- Takeout Night
SUNDAY:
- Thai Basil Beef
This week in the comments, I would love to not only hear what you’ve got cooking this week but also what your New Year’s resolution is!
Posted by Jane Wallin at 6:10 pm 19 Comments
Categories: Eat Well. Heal the Planet., Meal Planning, weekly menus Tags: dinner ideal, MEAL PLANNING, weekly menu |
Thursday, January 30, 2020

2020 New Year’s Resolution: Waste Less Food
Happy New Year! (I can still say that, right? This isn’t Larry David’s blog so I’m going with it.) Since we still have one more day left in January, I’ve decided it’s not too late to share my new year’s resolution supporting the blog’s Eat Well, Heal the Planet annual goals. Drumroll, please…

That’s right, Waste Less Food is back! I am repeating my 2016 resolution because it’s an incredibly important and impactful one, and I personally could do with recommitting to this goal. If you are new to the blog, each year I choose a resolution where our family’s actions in the kitchen impact the environment in a positive way. For 2020 it is all about wasting less food!

First and foremost, go check out the post I wrote in 2016 the first time I made this my new year’s resolution. There is a ton of great information in that article, including more on the negative impact food waste has on the environment.

Today I want to build on that original post, providing tips for attacking food waste effectively.

#1: SHOP SMART

Being smart about the food you buy is definitely Step 1 in wasting less food.

Yes, that is Cate is 2009. She is now 15. Unreal.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Create a grocery list before you hit the store. This will help tremendously, both with food waste and budgeting.
- Buy ugly produce. It tastes the same, I promise. I often will pick up a piece of produce and go to put it back if it’s not perfect, then force myself to put it in the cart. The ugly fruit wants to be loved, too!
- Buy food from companies like Imperfect Foods. Imperfect Foods sources food that won’t be sold in stores, whether because it is surplus or imperfect (i.e. ugly). I’ve been ordering from Imperfect Foods for quite some time now and love the service. Click here to sign up! (Note: this is my referral link, which means we both get $10 with your first order.)
#2: FOOD LABEL DATES ARE NOT GOSPEL

Ignore dates on packaging. Seriously. The only food that the FDA requires a use-by date for is infant formula – no other food has date labeling requirements. The “use by” and “best by” dates printed on food packaging are a guide for enjoying food at peak quality and is not related to food safety. A “sell by” date tells stores how long to display products and, again, is not related to safety.

When it comes to determining if a food is safe to eat, use logic, not the date on the package. Color, smell and texture will tell you what you need to know. And always make sure you store food properly to maximize safety and freshness. The USDA has a fantastic article that explains the dating systems used, as well as great tips for knowing if food has spoiled or not: click here to read it!

#3: COOK AT HOME AND USE LEFTOVERS

Cooking at home has huge positive impacts when it comes to food waste and trash. When our family has had busy weeks where we’ve eaten takeout more, our trash bin fills up significantly more quickly, both with from food containers and random bits of food. There are many reasons why cooking at home is a great choice (Michael Pollan lists a few of them in this interview with the Boston Globe), and reducing food waste is one of my favorites!

Leftovers are also huge when it comes to food waste. I used to be terrible about using up leftovers, but now (sometimes to my family’s chagrin) I am a champ getting those leftovers eaten! Whether it’s for my own lunch or dinner for the whole family, leftovers are super handy.

#4: COMPOST!

The first time I made food waste a new year’s resolution, I also committed to composting. Composting is great because if you do end up with some food waste, you are putting it to good use! Rather than sending food waste to the landfill where it will create more greenhouse gases, composting food scraps at home skips the whole extra greenhouse gas problem and you end up with beautiful compost for your yard or garden. You can even compost in a small house or apartment using raised, rotating bins, as they don’t attract critters or cause a stink.

I searched my blog and realized that I never followed up with you all about our family’s composting experience. I did in fact start composting in 2016 and we still do it! I decided to compost using raised, rotating bins. I highly recommend them! If you decide to go the rotating bin route, make sure the bin has two chambers, one for “cooking” and one for adding materials while the other side cooks.

Click here for a great Composting 101 article from Gardener’s Supply Company. Related, I love Gardener’s Supply Company’s dual-chamber rotating compost bin, which you can buy here.

#5: MEAL PLANNING IS THE BEST!

Meal planning to the rescue once again! I know I’m biased, what with a blog called “This Week for Dinner” and all, but seriously, people, meal planning is huge when it comes to wasting less food. If your grocery list is based on your meal plan, you are automatically ahead of the game. Buying food that you have a plan for is huge in the fight against waste. If you aren’t meal planning already, hop to it! It’s the best!

Are you ready to waste less food? So am I! Happy 2020!
Posted by Jane Wallin at 12:36 pm No Comments
Categories: Eat Well. Heal the Planet. Tags: eat well. heal the planet., new year's resolution, waste less food |
Sunday, June 9, 2019

Week 628 Weekly Dinner Menu

Well, as predicted, I totally did not use my menu last week! We had school events every single night and I never had time to cook or even go grocery shopping. So, I’m just copying and pasting last week’s menu. I don’t know if I’ve ever actually done this, so you’re witnessing a first! 😉

MONDAY:
– Cheeseburgers (with ground turkey)
– Roasted Potatoes and Salad

TUESDAY:
– Pat’s Asian Chicken Salad

WEDNESDAY:
– Chili

THURSDAY:
– Spaghetti Bolognese (with ground turkey)
– Salad and garlic bread

FRIDAY:
– Leftovers

SATURDAY:
– Eat out night

SUNDAY:
– Lentil Rice Bowls with Lime Tahini Dressing

Posting today’s menu is making me laugh…man, it was easy just copying last week! My grocery list is even already done. Haha! Sorry I don’t have much new inspiration for you for the week, but at least we can pull ideas from each other. Be sure to share your menu in the comments below!

Posted by Jane Wallin at 12:41 pm 8 Comments
Categories: Weekly Intros Tags: dinner ideas, weekly menu |
Thursday, April 25, 2019

Chocolate Cashew Energy Bites, a.k.a. Jane’s Addiction (Plant Based, Gluten Free)
Before I get to today’s recipe, how have I never used the phrase “Jane’s Addiction” on the blog before?!?! Speaking of Jane’s Addiction, I have a new one. (How’s that for a segue?) Okay, so now that I am not eating wheat and peanuts and almonds and dairy and shellfish and apples and cucumbers and basically have become one of those annoying people with too many dietary needs, I am exploring all kinds of great cookbooks for new inspiration. Nate’s cousin Amanda, who is on a low-FODMAP diet, recommended a book called The Low-FODMAP Diet for Beginners. I have already tried a few recipes and flagged about 20 more to try, and so far every recipe is a winner. Today I’m sharing one of them with you, the peanut-butter energy balls. Except I can’t eat peanuts. So I changed it to cashew butter. And made some other changes to the recipe. So actually I’m sharing a recipe for cashew energy bites and not peanut-butter energy balls.

These cashew energy bites are not just Jane’s Addiction but Anna’s Addiction and Nate’s Addiction, too. (You’re welcome for the cool band name ideas.) They are super easy to make, pretty darn wholesome, completely plant based, gluten free, and only have 2-3 grams of sugar per bite. Seriously, these little cashew energy bites are the best. Enjoy!
Chocolate Cashew Energy Bites

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

Adapted from a recipe for Peanut-Butter Energy Balls in the book "The Low-FODMAP Diet for Beginners" by Mollie Tunitsky

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 20 bites
Ingredients
- 1½ cup rolled oats
- 2 generous tablespoons chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt (if you use kosher, use a little less than ¼ tsp)
- ⅔ cup cashew butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1. In a blender or food processor, add the oats, chocolate chips, cocoa powder and sea salt. Pulse until the oats and chocolate chips have been broken down. If you like your bites chunkier, pulse less! If you want things finer, pulse more! I go for a coarsely ground mixture.
2. Combine the dry ingredients with the cashew butter, syrup and vanilla in a mixing bowl, stirring to combine thoroughly.
3. Form bites into 1 tablespoon sized balls, place on a cookie sheet, and flatten them out with wet fingers so you have nice thick discs. Refrigerate until firm and store in the refrigerator.
3.4.3177
Posted by Jane Wallin at 12:45 pm 4 Comments
Categories: clean eating adventure, featured recipes, Gluten-Free Recipes, Plant-Based Eating, Recipes, sweet things Tags: cashew butter, chocolate, energy bites, gluten free, plant-based eating, recipe, vegan |
Sunday, March 24, 2019

Week 617 Weekly Menu

Hey all! It’s menu time, let’s go!

MONDAY:
– Pork Chops & Apples
– Mashed Potatoes & Broccoli

TUESDAY:
– Pat’s Asian Chicken Salad

WEDNESDAY:
– Orange Chicken
– Rice

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Turkey Boursin Baguettes

SATURDAY:
– Eat out

SUNDAY:
– Homemade Turkey Burgers

Please share your own meal plans in the comments below! They are incredibly helpful for me and so many others!

Posted by Jane Wallin at 2:39 pm 6 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: dinner ideas, weekly menu |
Friday, March 22, 2019

The Benefits of Food Routines (Ep. 52)
Today on the podcast I’m talking about how routine has increasingly played a role in how I eat over the last year. One year ago I had to change my diet pretty drastically, doctor’s orders. I’ve seen all kinds of positive changes as a result. Once change that I hadn’t really thought about, though, was how my diet has become much more routinized, that there are foods that I eat pretty much every day. I read an article in The Atlantic last week that got me thinking about this topic, and now we have a podcast episode! Listen in to see how routine has helped me with more healthful eating and how it might be able to help you.

Shownotes:
- The People Who Eat the Same Meal Every Day
- Podcast interview with registered dietician Dawn Jackson Blatner
It’s easy to listen to the show!
- Via the web: Click the play button below!
- Via an app: Search “This Week for Dinner Podcast” on your favorite podcast app (iTunes, Overcast, Stitcher, Spotify, etc.).
Other Stuff!
- If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a rating and/or review on iTunes! It helps a lot!
- Big thank you to d&m for providing the music for the podcast!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Email | RSS
Posted by Jane Wallin at 4:20 pm No Comments
Categories: clean eating adventure, Podcast Episodes Tags: podcast, routine eating, this week for dinner podcast |
Plant-Based Eating Hack #2: Finding Milk Alternatives…with a little help from your friends!
Time for another plant-based eating hack, don’t you think? Okay, so, you want to start replacing dairy with more plant-based options. And starting with milk seems like a good idea. But then you go to the store and THERE ARE SO MANY MILK ALTERNATIVES that your head starts spinning, you grab your usual gallon of milk, and walk away in a cold sweat. Here’s the thing, finding milk alternatives is kind of hard for a few reasons. First, there are just so many to choose from. Second, if you do buy one and then hate it, suddenly you have a whole carton of “milk” that either you suffer through or end up wasting. Today I have a suggestion for finding milk alternatives that is not only helpful but fun. Gather your friends and do a milk tasting together!

Last week I hosted an evening with a group of friends and coordinated a milk tasting. I created a sign-up list with around 10 different types of milk alternatives. We all pitched in, brought one to share, then held a tasting. My friend Laura kept notes on people’s reactions to each product and we discussed our thoughts at the end of the night. We other delicious foods, too, much of it vegan and all of it vegetarian. Plant-based goodness galore!

I wish that I could tell you there was consensus and that XX milk is the best one, but there wasn’t! Everyone’s tastes were very different and every single type of milk we tried had people who loved it and hated it. Which is why the milk tasting party became even more genius once we were actually doing it – since we do all have different tastes, it was really awesome to get together and try out so many different milks at once. We could figure out what works for our own tastes then go home and just buy that type of “milk” from now on. Plus, people could take home the carton of milk that was their favorite, leading to less waste!

Even though we didn’t have strong consensus on the products we tried, I do think it’s worth sharing Laura’s notes. We tested the unsweetened versions of each “milk” since we were looking for a cow’s milk alternative for multiple uses. I neglected to put pea protein milk on the list, which I’m regretting because that one is supposed to be great. I’ll have to try it on my own (wah-waaaah). Take all these comments with a grain of salt because, as you’ll notice, many of them contradict one another. That might be the most surprising outcome of the night was how different we all taste things! Please note that where it says “my” or “I” in the comments below, those are quotes from my friends. Only the comments italicized and in orange are my personal opinion.
- Hemp: favorite, I drink it every day; neutral flavor; can taste plant base; chalky; bland; watery; grainy
- Flax: silkier; creamier; good texture; watery; neutral flavor; my new favorite
- Oat: smooth; sweet; closest to milk; thicker; best so far (Jane note: oat is my personal favorite and what I use daily – I think oat milk had the highest approval rating of the night! Note: Most oat “milks” taste great, but the brand Pacific Organic is awful, do not buy that one! And Oatly is my favorite brand!)
- Coconut: watery; dirty water; bad after taste (Jane note: I don’t love coconut milk that comes in a carton, and some canned coconut milks have a weird flavor to me. That said, Thai Kitchen’s canned coconut milk is FANTASTIC and that is what I use in oatmeal, coffee and for cooking.)
- Macadamia: texture is good; bland; watery, like skim milk; really good
- Almond: tastes like almonds; refreshing; fresh; good; fabulous (Jane note: my friend Chelsea made her almond milk from scratch, which is why it was so freaking awesome, but if you find a good brand I think the comments would still apply!)
- Cashew: tastes cashew-y; good texture; sour; good but not great; my favorite that I use in coffee every day
- Soy: taste like edamame; simple and easy; after taste; actually, better than I was expecting
- Rice: too sweet; can’t believe it’s unsweetened
A note on sugar content. Oat and rice milk both have naturally occurring sugars, although rice is higher than oat, and both rice and oat have less sugar than regular cow’s milk. Most of the other milk alternatives had 0 grams of sugar.

Voila! Finding milk alternatives isn’t as bad as you think, as long as you get a little help from your friends. Have fun!
Posted by Jane Wallin at 12:21 pm 1 Comment
Categories: Eat Well. Heal the Planet., Plant-Based Eating Tags: eat well. heal the planet., milk alternatives, milk tasting party, plant-based eating, plant-based eating hacks |