In preparation for our first “official” Menu Planning Monday, here are some ideas and forms to help you get started 
with your own Meal / Menu Planning.
For someone who has never planned a menu, let alone a week or month’s worth of meals, the idea of meal planning can be intimidating.
Take a deep breath.
Meal Planning is a useful tool in your planning arsenal that can help you not only save time, but also money (and probably your sanity!)
For some people, birthdays bring grim reminders of waning youth and graying hair.
Pshaw!!! Not me!
Birthdays are the best day to celebrate!!! Saturday is my baby brother’s birthday. He’ll be 31. (Happy Birthday, Dave!)
I remember the day he was born when my dad came racing across the parking lot at school in our old blue suburban, and seeing him through the nursery window for the first time – all red and full of dark hair. What a cutie he was! (Sorry folks – no pics – saving them for his 40th!)
Something our mom always did was really help us celebrate our birthdays! We always knew we would have a special day and special ways to celebrate the anniversary of our birth! [Read more...]
In a previous post, I suggested using flax seed meal in recipes as a substitute for eggs, or in place of a portion of flour. This video provides good explanation why women especially should include flax seed in their diets.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXFlzkc5Re0
You can buy flax seed whole and use them as an addition to salads, breads, and more for the fiber content. You can also find flax seed meal in many whole food grocery stores or health food markets, or you can grind your own flax seed if you’re up to it! (No big deal – you can use a coffee grinder for this purpose.)
I’m a “theme” kind of gal, and due to the response to my previous vinegar post, I wanted to focus on one pantry item each week that provides great nutritional benefits, multiple uses and resulting cost savings, or both. If you have any requests or are curious about any particular items, please leave a comment and ask for more information. I have some ideas in mind for a few posts, so let’s dig in.
So, What’s in Your Pantry?
Now, I’ve been a fan of honey since I can remember. From my very early memories, while visiting my grandmother in Michigan, she served toast one morning and opened a tub (which looked like butter to me) of still in the 
honeycomb. I was completely intrigued – and my grandma was TOTALLY cool after that!
Have you ever eaten honey from the honeycomb? No processing – just pure, sweet honey. It is amazing and delicious and is probably the best way to really eat honey.
But honey is not just for toast at grandma’s house. Honey has so much going for it, it should be kept in everyone’s pantry!
Have you heard about Great Food for All? I had not heard of this program until very recently.
About a year ago, we were visiting friends and they mentioned going to get their Angel Food order. I asked what they meant, and they proceeded to tell me about this program called Angel Food Ministries that they ordered a box of food (enough for one week’s worth of meals – roughly 7 meals) for $30 per box once a month. It sounded way too good to be true, and I wasn’t sure what to think. They talked about the variety of food they received – from pizza rolls and chocolate cake to frozen chicken breasts and shelf-stable milk. [Read more...]
