A Christmas Gift-- New Easy Recipe

Christmas gets us all cooking- even Debbie, who serves as my cooking co-op challenge in my DVD. This easy recipe of Debbie's makes the whole house smell festive when mixed with Christmas candles. 6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts- place in 13 x 9 pan. Make this sauce in a pan: 1 stick butter, 1/8 tsp. basil,1/4 tsp. rosemary, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 4 oz. can mushrooms, stems and pieces(I used baby bellas), 1/2 cup chopped onions(Oreida froz. chopped onions are great), 1/4 cup sherry. Cook til butter melts and then pour over chicken. Bake, uncovered 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Great served with mashed potatoes( Bob Evans pre-made ones are good) or Uncle Ben's Wild Rice. I tried several other brands but I recommend Uncle Ben's. Then I saw in Southern Living an easy way to put a new twist on salad. Use romaine whole leaves washed off. Top with sliced grape tomatoes, chopped veges like you can get pre-chopped at Trader Joe's, sprinkle with small pieces of croutons, parmesan cheese then a dollop of your favorite dressing. Don't forget to make a batch of my Brunswick stew for another meal. Enjoy your own home and kitchen. Merry Christmas!!! See you Jan. 3rd.

Eat Better For Less- Cook From Scratch- Buy In Bulk

Please google this article: "Eat Right on a Budget? We Show It Can Be Done" by Tufts Univ. Health & Nutrition Letter. They show a potential savings of $7/day/person. 300X $7= $2,100 X 3 people in a family = $6,300 potential savings in a year. That is money that could be spent to lower families debts, family vacation, whatever your dream. Go for it! And one of the best ways to cook from scratch and buy in bulk is by changing your ways and start a cooking co-op. Start working on your New Year's resolution today and talk to 3 friends, neighbors, or co-workers so you can start 2011 strong!

Cooking Co-Op and The Just-In-Time Consumer

The WSJ reports the recent recession has changed our shopping habits. Grocery bills have been reduced by using the pantry stock pile. Shoppers are now less likely to purchase items just to have them on hand and instead paying off debt. For the last 20 years, bulk shopping has been the fashion but now we are buying what we need for a specific time frame. Instead we are making more trips to the store and spending less. Once again, cooking co-op is the perfect vehicle to help you buy only what you need for the next week and it's so much easier creating your grocery list as you focused on fixing one meal in quantity. So you get the cost savings of buying in quantity yet only buying for one week. Didn't you love being home for Thanksgiving, having your family and friends around the table, and using your kitchen to the max? Cooking co-op saves you so much money and time. It's worth a try.

Happy Thanksgiving- Cooking in Quantity

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and let this show you the potential of starting your own cooking co-op in the New Year. You will be learning how to cook in quantity and you will enjoy eating on the left-overs the remainder of the week. What if more meals could be as well-designed as Thanksgiving? Turkey goes so well with stuffing, sweet potato casserole, cranberry salad, green bean casserole etc. So often we find a good recipe but the trick-of-the-trade is what else goes well with that new recipe to make a memorable meal. So practice this Thanksgiving and plan on having more memorable meals in 2011 with the help of 3 cooking co-op partners. And the other main ingredient for memorable meals is the conversation and sometimes laughter with family and friends. Food is the wd-40 to grease the wheels and see what's on everyone's minds. So get cooking and get talking.

"The fashion world has a big fat crush on ...cuisine"

That is one of the headlines from this week-end's WSJ. The article cites Gwyneth Paltrow's eating tour of Spain for PBS. Barney's Christmas windows will feature Anthony Bourdain and Paula Deene. "The fact is, fashion and food have always had a relationship. As designer Isaac Mizrahi (also an enthusiastic home cook), points out: "It's no coincidence that Paris is the fashion capital of the world and the food capital of the world." As fashionable and fabulous as Gwyneth Paltrow is, she admitted in an interview with Vogue: "When you're having dinner with your kids and your husband and someone says something funny or you're dying laughing because your 3-year-old made a ...joke, it doesn't matter what else is going on. That's real happiness." The Fianancial Times reported this morning, "Casual Dining Appetites Revive as Confidence Returns."Instead of eating out, have the confidence and poise of fashion models and actresses, to plan, cook, experiment on your own home-cooked dinners. Make eating at home with family and friends the fashionable thing to do! "That's real happiness."

Home Economics

Here are the headlines: 1) "Healthy Eating Getting Pricier" Oct.,2010 Tufts Univ. Health& Nutrition Letter. "Prices of foods rich in nutrients rose at almost double the rate of junk food from 2004 to 2008...Prices of the healthy foods(veges, fortified whole-grain cereals) rose 29.2%, while the least-nutritious foods( high in sugar, fat and refined grains) went up 16.1%...The growing price disparity "may pose a barrier to the adoption of healthy diets," researchers warned." 2) "Food Sellers Grit Teeth, Raise Prices" Nov. 4, 2010 WSJ. "Packagers and supermarkets start to pass along rising costs, even as consumers pinch pennies." In the last year, boneless USDA Choice Chuck roast is up 13%, whole fortified milk is up 10% etc. "Costs are being driven by growing demand for meat in China, India and other emerging markets." Necessity is the mother of invention so why not try a new way to put dinner on the table- cooking co-op! What is most important to you? Spending money eating out, grabbing to go dinner because you have not planned ahead? Or would you rather have those hard-earned dollars go toward your mortgage, home-improvements, beach trip, or an earlier retirement? A revolution is brewing...hum stewing!

Family Dinner is So Important Because...

Patrick Henrey lived, married, and learned his most valuable life lessons here in Hanover County. As the busy and proud father of 17 children, he believed the family was the foundation of a strong society. The family dinner time is one of the key ingredients of a strong and productive family. Case in point. WSJ article "Parental Role Aids Anorexia Recovery." You think? "Closely monitoring the meals of a child with the eating disorder trumps sessions with a therapist...(the parents) tag-teamed to sit with (their 13 yr. old daughter) through 3 meals and 3 snacks daily...( Soon) her daughter was gaining weight consistently.. and the (mother) started "seeing sparks" of her daughter's personality again." And then a qote from Tennis Magazine in a interview with John Isner, "We never got much in the way of material things, but if you can be spoiled by good cooking,my mom spoiled me 3 times a day all my life." Cook at home and sit down for dinner to create healthy moments and memories. Be sure to vote tomorrow and think of Patrick Henry and his wisdom!

Enjoy Your Company Over a Bowl of Stew

We met some very special friends at the omelet station in Ashville, NC 2 1/2 years ago. They came to visit this week and spent 2 nights. Right as they left, my daughter brought 4 friends home for the week-end. I didn't have much time to fix anything so I went to my now 20 years-in-the-making Brunswick Stew in which I place all the ingredients in a slow-cooker and then let it cook overnight. So late Wednesday night, we sat down and enjoyed our friends from Birmingham, AL over a bowl of stew, biscuits, and a slice of Caroline's Six Layer Caramel Cake my mom sent just in the nick of time. Then Sunday for lunch, we ate the remaining Brunswick Stew enjoying the conversation with 5 beautiful, smart young ladies in their 20's. What a blessing! We hated to see both groups of our company leave. Conversation and good food go hand in hand. Cool weather is here. It's time to fix my Brunswick Stew ( see recipes tab) and invite friends and neighbors into your home. The laughter and fun will brighten your week!

Happy Columbus Day!

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue... So speaking of sailing, here is a Mark Twain quote on commitment which is needed as you resolve to cook more home-made dinners via cooking co-op or any other plan you can devise to keep you vigilant in protecting the family dinner hour. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

"Never, never, never,never give up!"

- Winston Churchill during WWII. What a week-end! My 7.5 combo team from Keswick, VA won our division at the state tennis districts in Va. Beach in dramatic fashion. First and most importantly 10 different personalities with different talents all came together and played as a team. The most gifted players were humble and willing to play with any partner. Poetic justice was literally served when one of teammates, months away from double knee replacement, served to win our 2nd match and played her best points of the match to seal our victory. To win our division, another team were down 0-6, 1-4 to come back and win 0-6, 7-6, 1-0. ABC Sports does not get any better- the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat! Our team never gave up. They analyzed what wasn't working and came up with a plan. And so the point is, just because you have tried and tried to be more organized with your home-made dinner plans, verses eating out, pizza etc.- never give up! Try something different. Get a special four-some together to try cooking co-op as a way to eat more natural foods as opposed to processed foods while saving money and stress at the same time. Miracles do happen.

Food Prices Going Up !?!

Have you noticed your food prices going up? Is the hamburger at your favorite restaurant getting smaller? And why last month was a take-over offer made for a Canadian company, Potash, which is the world's largest fertilizer maker? Why might gold be hitting new highs? A big part of the answer to all the above might be people in the emerging nations are making a little bit more money working on roads, bridges, new buildings etc. and they want more food and more bling for themselves and their families. As we are in an environment where salaries are not going up, something has got to give. Really think about where you want your hard-earned $$$s to go- higher food prices or your dreams like home improvement while prices are down, vacations, education for a better job etc. Remember Cooking Co-Op was the #1 out of 9 ways to save big bucks in a recent Yahoo finance article. Fall is here - school routine is in full swing- time to save money and stress by enjoying your own kitchen. Count your blessings!

Lost Decade for Family Income

The headlines all point to- cook at home, enjoy your own home, eat better and save $$$. The above headline was in the WSJ Sept. 17th. "The downturn that some have dubbed the "Great Recession" has trimmed the typical household's income significantly new Census data show, following years of stagnant wage growth that made the past decade the worst for American families in at least half a century... the recession has been particularly hard on young workers and young families... many have moved in with family... some Americans weathered the storm... by merging households." My husband and I had a great time last night working together like a team to put dinner on the table. He makes the best salads! Some of our church members got tired of eating out after church and have started bringing a sandwich and eating outside at our picnic pavillion. Great time to talk and laugh. Last Sunday we saw the prettiest fox- an extra treat. We can weather this storm by merging households too to help some nights with cooking duties. In talking with teachers, many inner city children order pizza for dinner. When asked if they order pizza every night... no, some nights I eat left overs. Eat at home for a better life!

Has Walmart lost it's Mojo with Moms?

That is one of the headlines on abcnews.com. Cooking co-op is a way companies can keep mom's coming back. What if a grocery store had all the ingredients for a cooking in quantity recipe in an easy to shop manner? What if I went to my local Montana Bread Company and found a great turkey, havarti cheese and roasted red pepper club sandwich recipe ready to pick up with my hearty white bread bole (round loaf of bread in which you simply layer the ingredients then slice as you would a pie)? What if the nail place which is next to a grocery store also had recipe- dinner ideas to grab as soon as your nails had dried? Our fingernails and toes might look more attractive more of the time. And while we just talked about recipes, I saw some good-looking recipe ideas on milehimama.com and look at the huge potential cost savings. Here in Richmond we had a big Nascar race this week-end. What if the same 100,000 people in attendance, saved money and could attend more races by firing up their home-cooking engines?

De-Skunking a Dog- Success is in the Recipe

Poor Rosie. Apparently late Saturday night she tried to play a little too rough with a skunk. So Sunday, I looked on the internet for a cure and found a simple recipe of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and liquid soap and it worked! The success was in the recipe and Rosie liked the extra attention. It is amazing the wonderful food recipes you can also find on the internet- best chicken divan, easiest chicken divan, Canyon Ranch Turkey Meatloaf, P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps etc. So finding recipes should not be a problem. Finding the co-op group takes more work and determination. I am looking to form a new co-op myself as I have stayed out due to my kitchen rehab, but I am now ready to go and I might have a group at work with 2 cooks being Dads! One has a wife who runs a catering business so it is up to the husband to cook dinner for the family and he is intrigued with the idea of cooking only once for the week. Be on the look-out at school, church, work, neighborhood, and fitness center to find 3 other families looking for a planned answer to what's for dinner. Recipes are the easy part.

"Families Team Up To Improve Health"

That is one of today's headlines on the front page of the Richmond Times Dispatch. This is precisely why families need to THINK out of the box and not EAT out of the box, about the technique of putting a home-cooked meal on the dinner table. Try the cooking co-op method!!! The story follows a father and son, both overweight, working out together. "They are winning their battles because they work together as families." "When a parent and child work out together, the attitude changes...This is what we need to do, what the whole family needs to do," says Dr. Madge Zacharias, a board-certified pediatric physician. "It becomes a team approach. It fosters positive benefits for the family and builds family memories." "Families that make changes together are more effective," says Dr. Edmond Wicham, assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at Virginia Commonwealth University. "It's important that the parent is role-modeling rather than just telling a child what to do. The article goes on to say, "Life changes are at the heart of weight loss. Zacharias has other weight-loss tips:...Have a structure to meals." So cook for a night, and eat natural foods for a week!

Duty Calls

Here's the definition of duty: 1) That which one is morally or legally bound to do: obligation. 2) Action or conduct required of one's position. ---Syn. 1) Duty, obligation, and responsibility denote an action that one is bound to perform. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said "... life is action and passion." So as we begin to think about fall and going back to school, think about action that can change your life. If you ate more meals at home with your family and friends, would you eat more natural foods as opposed to processed foods saving more money that could instead go to pay down debt or go into home repairs? Are you passionate about saving money, stress and calories? Then for the first time try a cooking co-op the month of September. Cooking co-op is action, obligation, and responsibility. But so is any sport. The thrill of victory is a home-cooked meal on your very own table. Duty is calling us to action- develope that action side of your nature!

Try This to Help Our Nations's Obesity Rate

A new report confirms the obvious: America's obesity rate has increased. In 1991, no state had an adult obesity rate above 20%. Now only Colorado is the only state to have less than 20% adults that are overweight. Nine of the states with the highest obesity rates are in the south. Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and inactivity all track together. More than 1/3 of children ages 10-17 are overweight. The poor and less educated have higher obesity rates. States have answered by passing soda taxes, laws on nutrition labeling etc. How about advertising and encouraging the use of cooking co-ops in the work place, neighborhoods, churchs? At sporting events, it's fun to see and participate in "the wave" as different sections of the stadium take turns standing up. If we want to get America moving in a healthier direction, let's start a cooking co-op 'Wave."

"The Power of a Gentle Nudge"

This is the title of the lead article in the personal journal section of the Wall Street Journal back in May. A study conducted by Stanford University showed that "... small amounts of social support, ranging from friends who encourage each other by email to occasional meetings with a fitness counselor, can produce large and lasting gains against one of America's biggest health problems- physical inactivity...Even many of the nation's most committed excercisers have trouble doing it on their own..35% to 40% of Americans...prefer to work out in groups. Like alcoholics who can stay sober only with the help of 12 step meetings, these athletes owe their high levels of fitness to running, cyling or swimming clubs." Here in Richmond, many runners and bikers benefit from runs and bike trips organized by various groups. The power of a gentle nudge, by being part of Team Cooking Co-Op, is eating more natural food, as opposed to processed food at a fraction of the cost and enjoying more time around the dinner table with family and friends. Livestrong? How about Cook2livestrong?

Communion

Had a discussion on communion yesterday and I realized in eating bread and drinking wine at the Lord's Supper, we are bringing into our bodies and souls nurishment. And it is of utmost importance the quality of what and how we bring that nurishment into our bodies and souls. Here are some quotes from Jeffrey Meyers about communion and family meals: "They (children) begin to learn very early what is the meaning and significance of the family meal, and they learn how to behave in accordance with that significance...We congregate around food, not just for nourishment but also for social reasons. Families unite around the table. Friendships are formed and cultivated at meals. Elaborate social rituals develope to set apart common meals and to facilitate fellowship. We live to eat and eating structures are common life. This is how God made us." Cooking co-op brings quality food (less processed food), gives you the structure to cook one night and eat for a week and perhaps we would all learn better behavior!

Cook This Chicken Once A Week

Best way to learn- when you taste something delicious ask how they did it. Jeannie is a great cook and has the incredible gift of hospitality. She treated me to the best lunch. First, a sliced chicken sandwich on a croissant roll. The chicken was very moist- here's how she did it. Buy split chicken breasts and cook with the bones and skin . Let the chicken get to room temperature, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Put chicken in pan with some water. Bake 3 breasts for 40 minutes @ 400. Remove chicken, cover with foil and 2 towels to keep the steam in. Let cool, then remove skin and bones and slice. Use for sandwiches instead of deli meat, chicken salad, pasta ...good-tasting, better for you than processed meats and a great cost-saving protein to have on hand. Try Jeannie's yummy and colorful salad: salad greens, shredded red cabbage, corn and canned shoestring beets with your favorite dressing. All this topped off with peppermint ice cream and home-made sugar cookies. Priceless!

Co-Op Lessons from State Tennis Competition

My 3.5 tennis team went to Newport News this week-end to compete in the USTA tennis districts and I learned some valuable lessons. One) I thought I was the only one who made mistakes - I found out everybody, even the 4.5 ranked players make mistakes. Are you holding off starting your cooking co-op worried you might make a terrible dish? The fire truck has already showed up at my house, but you might discover a new out-of-this world recipe too. And two) I could not believe all the ankle and knee braces I saw- that includes me. But despite these impediments, 500 matches of tennis were played. Are you letting an active schedule impede your forming an amazing cooking co-op? I had the priviledge of spending time this week-end with 9 incredibly talented women- playing, laughing, learning and savoring the most gorgeous tennis racquet cupcakes ever created. After coming in second in our bracket, the reward was a night at Virginia Beach. Thank you Kara Butler! Quit worrying about mistakes and impediments. The savings of cooking co-op could give you a week at the beach.

Google Cooking Co-Op

See what comes up. The NY Times article "Saving Time and Stress With Cooking Co-Ops" has created quite a "stir." I particularly liked Jan Cho's blog: "Every step to eating well takes time. From planning the menu and choosing recipes to shopping for ingredients... I love the idea of eating well and broadening your palate in less time, with less stress, and being neighborly while you're at it." So doesn't this economic environment present a great opportunity to get going on saving money and consuming fewer calories by eating better? You and your fellow co-oppers will be hooked the first week you see prepared meals ready to be pulled out of your refrig. at a moments notice (review my helpful resources tab and click on the slideshow) and ready to eat in 5 minutes with the help of your microwave. Invest in yourself, your family and your own kitchen.

John Adams and the Importance of Dinner

David McCullough shares this story in his book "John Adams": The Jay Treaty was hotly debated- the French Revolution had begun- side with the British or the French?- and Adams told Abigail he was fearful the Constitution could not stand "... I see nothing but a dissolution of government and immediate war." At this point Adams had known Washington approx. 20 years! During this turmoil, President Washington invited John Adams to dine alone. "He detained me there 'til nine o'clock and was never more frank and open about politics. I find his opinions and sentiments are more like mine than I ever knew before, respecting England and France and our American parties." Sit down for dinner and have "table talk" with friends and family and see what you discover!

Cooking Co-Op and the New York Times

Be sure to read the article in this week's NY Times, "Saving Time and Stress with Cooking Co-Op":http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/dining/23coop.html. This is why I am so passionate about cooking co-op. I truly believe this movement could change the world. Cooking co-op is a way to make natural foods as opposed to processed foods affordably available to the average family. I am doing some "detective" work to find out what" at risk "children are doing/ not doing for meals. I suspect fast food plays too big a part in there lives. In Parachute, CO a 13 yr. old was invited to a friend's home for a good home-cooked meal. When asked if she would like some salad, she asked- what's salad? English was not her second language but apparently heathy meals

are in short supply in this girl's home. What if it became the rage in this country to see how much more fun you could have while saving oodles of money with family dinners in your own home - cooking co-op style?

Happy Father's Day!

Isn't part of yesterday's celebration with food? It is important that Dad puts family mealtime as a high priority- if need be, write down the time of a family meal- it is an important appointment. My husband is a very good father and he encourages me to not let down my guard of that precious time of day. One Dad I know, lost his father at an early age. He cherished the memories of his family mealtimes and despite both sons playing demanding and time consuming high school sports, they had a family mealtime most every night- some nights it was at 8pm. And nobody could be excused from the table for 45 minutes. They started with the first period and wanted to hear about each son's entire day. Both boys were good students and graduated from Wake Forest University. Willie Lanier's father invested time in coming home after work and making those home-made rolls while listening to Guy Lombardo. Carve out time to celebrate the day together!

Two Dreams Come True

No, not sailing around the world, but as I blog, my kitchen is being demolished- a kitchen I am creating- not one someone else picked out. More on that later. And my mixed USTA tennis team won the state districts this week-end and will compete in August at the regionals in College Park, MD. Warming the bench is exhausting and I am just fortunate to have my name on the roster but watching such competitive tennis was inspiring and gave me a desire to raise my game. I couldn't wait for 5:30 am tennis indoors today- I stepped on the court focused and ready to practice what I watched. Came home and did sit-ups and push ups- at least I can practice with my team to help get them ready for regionals. This team has an unbelievable captain- selfless and comes up with perfect line-ups. Brutal honesty helped craft our victories this week-end- it did not feel good being on the short end of the talent stick. But I love the results! In cooking co-op, youv'e got to pick your winning team- maybe some better cooks on the roster but your cooking will be elevated the first time someone calls to rave about your dinner. And you need to be honest- say it nicely- that dinner just did not work for our family. Miracles do happen!

Willie Lanier-Pro Football Hall of Fame-Family Dinners

Willie Lanier won Super Bowl IV with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1969. He was the first black middle linebacker in pro football history and was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986. Willie and I had worked in the same office - we had talked a lot about sports, but I had never asked about his early years. So I called Willie to find out what his family did for dinner. He had 3 other brothers and sisters, so there were 6 at the dinner table at 6 pm. His Dad was almost as good a cook as his Mom- "He made the best hot rolls...umm..hot rolls and butter and the house smelled so good. My Mom's favorite meal was navy bean soup with ham. From a very age, we all sat down to eat. It was part of our culture...Ginny I hadn't thought about this in a while...there was a song by Guy Labardo and his Royal Canadians that came on TV every night (he hummed the tune for me) - even in high school, we had dinner together...didn't talk much about football, we just shared ...seems simple but family dinner can get confusing with people in motion...it mean't something more than you realized...just to have the smell of those rolls again...think of the young people today who have no idea how fresh-baked rolls smell." For Willie, dinner was more than mealtime.

Happy Memorial Day!

It's Memorial Day and a reminder to say thank you to the men and women in service. And a time to remember those who fought throughout our history for freedom. Yesterday, after church, we packed a picnic and drove to Westover Plantation between Richmond and Williamsburg- best kept secret in this area. The home is beautiful and the view of the James River is breath-taking. Thanks to cooking co-op, I had an easy family favorite to quickly put together-Double Decker Turkey, Bacon and Havarti cheese sandwiches(see youvegotsupper for the recipe). I rounded out the meal with a marinated bean salad(thank you Costco), slices of watermelon, chips and cupcakes. Especially delicious eating outside in such a beautiful setting. This area is part of the cradle of our nations history as it is very close to Jamestown. So we stopped at many of the hisorical markers on the way back. My 21 yr. old daughter would read as the 14 yr. old son listened. We overshot Nathaniel Bacon's marker- perhaps because I asked nicely and perhaps because we just had bacon in our club sandwich- my husband turned around and we learned about Bacon's Rebellion. History and food go well together!

The Plan

Do you wake up one morning and then decide to leave the next day for your summer vacation? I don't think so. You need to plan. I recently saw this quote: " A fool with a plan is more effective than a genius with no plan. " I took that to heart as I recently was asked to play 2 singles tennis USTA matches- first I laughed as I am no young "whipper snapper" but then I came up with a plan- play on clay which slows down the hard fast strokes of the younger players and lob to their back-hand. There were times it did not look like it was working but I stuck with the plan and won both singles matches against better players than myself. That is what I like about cooking co-op - usually I have 1-2 months of menues planned with the help of others so it is easier to shop and cheaper since there are fewer left overs. We eat more natural food and less processed food when we have a plan for dinner. You need to plan. Nutritionists and weight programs encourage the same thing - plan. So one big topic at your dinner table tonight could be guess what- not who- is coming for dinner- guess each family members favorite meal and put it on the calendar.

Memories

That's what you are creating when you set aside time for family mealtime. Instead of junking my old breakfast table, I found a talented mom to creatively and colorfully repaint the 21 year old table which was the setting to hear many family discussions. Food is the WD-40 which loosens the jawbones and it's amazing what you can find out. "Hum...you said earlier you did not have much homework but now I am hearing about 2 big tests tomorrow." We had asked to hear all about the prom, but only sitting at that table, eating food did we hear how our daughter got home from the prom- by canoe. The dad(a lawyer) insisted they wear life vests. I am not a gourmet cook. I just love cooking co-op because it helps me do the things I want to do- take time out to hear the stories and create memories.

Rosie the Riveter

What did you enjoy most about Mother's Day? Having your family together and enjoying a good meal you did not have to plan, cook, or clean up? With cooking co-op, you enjoy the same benefits of Mother's Day week after week. How expensive and what type of car would we be driving today without Ford's invention of the assembly line? Cooking co-op is a type of assembly line. WE CAN DO IT! That was on the WWII poster of "Rosie the Riveter." As the American men enlisted, our government appealed to the women to "man" the assembly lines to produce goods vital for victory in the war. Women worked in aircraft assembly plants, operated heavy construction machinery, worked in lumber and steel mills etc. Our troops are fighting a war in Afghanistan and Iraq. We have a war right here to fight...obesity and the need to eat natural foods verses processed foods... and we are fighting for our national health. And as many of us found this week-end, there is so much more to mealtime. Children that eat 4 or more meals/week with their families are better students and less involved in risky behavior. In part because of Norman Rockwell's cover, America fell in love with "Rosie" and the Saturday Evening Post circulation almost doubled. These women, young and old of all races working during WWII, took pride in the fact they were helping to win a war. Yes it takes effort to fix a home-cooked meal but with cooking co-op we are forming an assembly line to win an important battle. As women did in WWII, let's step up to the "plate."

More Data- The Importance of Family Meals

Great article May 1 in WSJ-" Our Big Problem" by Anthony Daniels, a British physician. "Obesity is spreading- and eating away at America's economy and health...For most of the population, family meals are a ritual of the past:36% of British children never eat a meal at a table with another member of the family or household...In the homes of the poor,the unemployed and the single parents that I used to visit as a doctor, I would find no evidence of cooking ever having been done there...There was not even a table to eat at: an absence that was not the consequence of raw poverty, since the flat- screen television would have been large enough, turned horizontal, to serve as a dining table...Family and social meals are among the most powerful teachers of self-control in the human repertoire...It is hardly surprising that those who do not experience family or social meals early in life exhibit the lack of self-control that underlies so much modern social pathology in the midst of plenty." The reason we, as a society are not cooking boils down to a lack of planning and our own lack of discipline or method of practice. A doctor sets up a practice. Go set up a cooking co-op practice!

The Bottom Line

Cooking Co-Op makes natural foods, as opposed to processed foods, affordably available to the average person. Case in point. Remember a few weeks ago, I picked up a fast food fried chicken dinner for my 6 foot tall 14 year old son- $14.48. Well, this week I fixed him oven fried chicken and he said thank you! So the 3 of us had oven fried chicken, Trader Joe's yummy vegetable fried rice and a salad for the same cost. Cheaper and better quality- and we have some left overs. Win, win, win! The ball is in your court.

School Cafeteria Food- Worse Than I Thought

I spoke with a veteran school cafeteria employee. What Jamie Oliver described at the school cafeteria in Huntington, WVA is also true right here in Richmond! The school board made the decision to switch suppliers to save money- new supplier brings in even more processed food. She shared how they serve lots of pizza, chicken nuggets, fried foods, breaded foods. When I asked about salads, the teachers get most of the salads- not a lot of demand from the kids for salads. She said some of the hotdogs look green and she would not touch them! Friday is her favorite day as there are fewer items to prepare. I asked her wouldn't it make more sense to put higher quality in the food and have less choice? Remember GM went bankrupt having too many models. But then there is bureaucracy. We can put a man on the moon but we can't figure out healthier meals in the school? When I grew up, there was no choice- what you see is what you get. When you go to someone's home for dinner, you eat what is served. The importance of cooking co-op is to help you avoid the fast food lane- our kids already get too much processed food at school! Driving schools often show gruesome crashes to encourage safety. Parents and children alike need to see gruesome clogged arteries and other health problems that have resulted from poor eating habits. So check out the home page of my web site and come to my talks on "Food Revolution- Cooking Co-Op Style." We can do better!

The Gift

Monday, April 12th marked my 30th year of marriage. What a trip and what a blessing! So as I thought of what gift I could give my husband and having blogged about a food revolution(change), I gave him a membership to a 10 week program run by a Health Institute here in Richmond. He has been an avid runner since college. This health institute will work with him in helping him live an even healthier lifestyle concerning food and excercise. I sure hope so because I would like for him to be around another 30 years. So my co-op cooking will need to adapt to a new program- not a problem. I lost 10 lbs. on a nationally recognized weight-loss plan and used co-op cooking to help. Becky Tirabassi in her Change Your Life newsletter talks about the need to have..." courage to change the areas of our lives that are stagnant." And if we..."need something to excite us...start doing something that is healthy." Spring is here, flowers and plants are growing, not stagnating. Start a new journey with me. I will be teaching classes in May and June here in the Richmond area- more to follow.

Don't Stop Believing...Hold On To That Feeling...

I grew up in Chapel Hill, NC - home of the North Carolina Tarheels - March Madness and college basketball are big events! And last nights championship game was spectacular with Duke narrowly defeating the underdog Butler. Both teams exhibited what hours and hours of detailed practice can produce. But how many of those players would have spent the same hours of practice without being part of a team and having a coach that pre-planned the practice time often minute by minute? Samuel Johnson in the 1700's talked about private duties( activities done without anybody watching- duties such as cooking). The reason I am encouraging you to try something new to get dinner on the table is because I have found that unless I am on a cooking team, holding me accountable to dinner delivery, I don't shop and plan my meals. True confession- this week as I took a week off my cooking co-op routine I ended up buying fried chicken, biscuits and french fries for my begging 14 year old, 6 ft. basketball player to the tune of $14.48 - that was an air ball! Take a risk and try something new- the adventure of working together as a family and with friends to put a special ,healthier and more affordable dinner on the table. You've got to believe you can be #1- envision the feeling of a less stressful mealtime!

Food Revolution- Cooking Co-Op Style

In my DVD, I call for a food revolution. Then Oprah on her Food 101 show calls for a food revolution. And now we have a reality show on Friday nights, "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution."The British chef goes to Huntington, W.Va to encourage people to choose fresh produce over processed foods. It is astounding to see school children eat pizza for breakfast, chicken nuggets for lunch and when asked what they had for dinner- chicken fingers! No wonder the Center for Disease Control named Huntinton, W.Va our country's unhealthiest city. And what is needed is a system where we band together to cook affordable, healthier meals. By cooking in quantity one night a week, you can shop more efficiently, enjoy the fruits of yours and others creativity, save 1 1/2 -2 hours a week(to exercise), all with a social twist getting to spend a little more time with neighbors, co-workers and friends. All that is needed is for this revolutionary way of enjoying dinner to become as fashionable as eating out. How much $$$, calories, fuel could be saved? Here in Richmond, Patrick Henry said, "... give me liberty, or give me death." Come on America- let's show the Brits a cooking co-op tea party!

Oprah and Food 101

Oprah repeated her Food 101 this week in which Michael Polland shares his food rules(google: Michael Pollan's 'Food Rules': Tips for Eating Healthily and see the video). In fact Oprah said,"... we need a food revolution." And we were given great information on food nutrition. But the show did not answer 2 big problems. How do we find the time to plan, shop, cook and clean up every night of the week? And how about the expense of eating meat, fruits and vegetables? The answer to time, expense and food revolution is cooking co-op! Get with fellow co-oppers who want to cook more nutritious meals. Then google:Canyon Ranch recipes etc. and get started. In several of my cooking co-ops we had one meatless dinner every week. During the Depression, pot luck dinners were started as an answer to the problems of that day. During these challenging times, let's start a wave of cooking co-op and improve our lives with better nutrition and more table talk with family and friends at a fraction of the cost of fast food and eating out!

"The Weight of the World"

In the February issue of Reader's Digest, this article , from the World Health Organization reports that more people worldwide now die from being overweight and obese than from being underweight. The country most aware of the dangers of obesity? Not U.S- it's Finland! Reread my blog on Aug. 3rd- Good Morning Richmond. In the 1970's, Finland had the most # of deaths from heart disease but a public health campaign of doctors, grocery stores etc. encouraged whole towns to change their eating, excercise and smoking habits. Towns actually competed for prizes based on how many people stopped smoking or lowered their cholesterol and/or weight. Finland cut heart disease deaths in the work force by 80% over the last 30 years and added almost 10 years of life-expectancy. What if we had community-based incentives to get back to the family dinner table- because through cooking co-op you can save calories, costs, and stress. Have you noticed your food costs creeping up? Many today are changing their spending habits. Go one step further- give cooking co-op a chance.

Great Depression Cooking with Clara

I highly recommend the YouTube clips of Great Depression Cooking with Clara. I have been using more olive oil as that could be one secret to Clara's longevity( now 94 years old). Ten years ago, I took my 4 yr. old son to visit my 104 yr. old client. She grew up in Washington, DC, and remembered her father taking her to a parade featuring the Wright Brothers and their plane! She lived in an apartment with no back yard, so she and her brother played with Quinton Roosevelt at the White House! She shared her secret to longevity- adapt. Be willing to adapt to change. Potluck suppers started during the depression. Cooking co-op is an adaptation of potluck suppers which allows you to save by buying in bulk and cooking in larger batches. Common meals still include chili, mac and cheese and soups as they are easy to make and much cheaper(and healthier) than fast food. This is the time to try a new system for getting a home-cooked dinner on the table during this period of economic slow-down and rising food prices. Bring your creativity to the dinner table. Necessity is the mother of invention. New foods introduced during the Depression:Nestle's Chocolate Chips, Toll House Cookies, Kraft Mac and Cheese,Ritz Crackers, Bisquick,Kool-Aid, and Krispy Kreme Donuts. So much we can learn from history.

Serve!

Having just come back from 5:30am tennis, I am reminded of the importance of the serve. The serve gets the game going and it also sets the tone for the point. Last week, as I thought about the YouTube show on Good Table Manners(1951) by Coronet, I read Phil.2:4, "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." I realized that the family in the show were serving "family- style" with serving dishes which required patience to wait for your turn to get the food and courtesy. I had recently been impatient when the Heinz 57 was not passed to me quickly. I have not been using serving platters and I see some important lessons serving dishes can teach all of us. Serving dishes can be very pretty and the platters can be easy to put in the dishwasher. Plus with cooking co-op, if you use pyrex dishes, you can reheat your food then just set it on the table with a hot pad and pass the meat, please. Serving the food"family-style" is a daily reminder to look out for the interests of others. These daily details are important to practice- just ask the Olympic athletes- and go serve!

Reformation of Manners III

Good manners lead to more friends or so says Judi the Manners Lady. It is amazing what you can find on YouTube. The most appropriate for my 14 year old son is Good Table Manners(1951) and watch the full 10 min. version- it stresses courtesy, consideration of others and common sense. Humm... do lack of manners lead to a lack of consideration for others? Are we "machines" that just need to refuel? If your family could use a tune up of table manners, also watch Judi the Manners Lady and there is a good 10 minute Emily Post clip. Good manners will help slow down the in-take of food, enhance the table talk, and improve digestion. If, as a nation, we really want to lower childhood obesity, it starts with having 4 or more family meals a week. Make this "private duty" a priviledge. Stand back and let's see what ills this reformation of manners can alleviate.

5:30 am Tennis- All Systems are Go!

There were plenty of good reasons not to play this a.m.- 14 degree temperature, ice and snow on roads, Super Bowl. But Keith said we are playing and 12 men and women showed up to play. What a victory just being there and what a gorgeous sight driving back home and seeing the sun coming up over a field of snow. What a great start to the week! In the WSJ, an ex-Marine, corporal Hector Delgado, gave a fitness tip:"Though (he) believes a person's diet is more important than any excercise routine, he says camaraderie is the best way to get results in the gym. A workout partner, or group, can push and motivate you on a lazy day." No way I on my own would have gotten up to excercise this a.m. without those tennis partners. And that is why I like cooking co-op. I need cooking co-oppers to help push and motivate me on those lazy days to go ahead and cook an affordable, healthy meal, enjoy less stress at dinner time, enjoy my family more and the camaraderie is just as important in cooking as in an excercise routine. And with cooking co-op you address your diet and find the time to excercise(since you save time by cooking in quantity). Get together your own group and enjoy the results!

Reformation of Manners II

William Wilberforce, by studying the root of social problems, thought that if the manners(morals) of England could be reformed, then crime, poverty and other problems would decline. Wilberforce went on to say,"...the true duty of every man is to promote the happiness of his fellow-creatures to the utmost of his power." Reread my blogs- Oct.19th and Aug. 24th. For "Sully" Sullenberger, "...it was his upbringing...his sense of integrity" that helped him safely land a US Airways plane on the Hudson River. The name of the book on him-"Highest Duty:My Search for what Really Matters." Samuel Johnson, English writer who helped set the stage for Wilberforce, thought that duties, not rights were at the core of ethics. "Almost all the miseries of life, almost all the wickedness that infects society, and almost all the distrsses that affect mankind, are the consequences of some defect in private duties. Likewise, all the joys of this world may be attributed to the happiness of hearth and home." What if ...couples/family/friends sat down for 30 mins. 4 times a week to enjoy a meal together- no answering phones or e-mails? What if...Richmond Mayer Jones, Virginia Governor McDonnell, and President Obama did the same? And what if ...we all invited a friend or adversary into our homes to discuss the issues of the day? That would be a Reformation of Manners for our times.

Reformation of Manners

"God has set before me two great objects: the suppression of the Slave Trade and the reformation of manners." The words of William Wilberforce, 1787. Today in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Lillie Estes, a community strategist, writes "A treatise on why poverty has not been eliminated." She states, "Poverty exists because opportunities are missed or denied. When opportunities are missed,it usually happens because of individual shortcomings and/or failures...Today's economy affords us the opportunity to re-do our strategy, especially when seeking to build new communities or tranform old ones. At the foundation of that process is education. Tied intrinsically to all of that are our values, our standards, our culture, our housing and our economy... education is the new global currency... The most important thing that we can do going forward is NOT to continue to make the same mistakes of the past. We must commit sincerely to hear and listen to all voices in the room...We can do this, Richmond region. All we need is the relevant experience in the room." Lillie, I could not agree with you more. History shows us the way. Wilberforce worked from 1787-1833 when England abolished slavery within 3 days of his death. He realized that to end slavery -moral, political and religious reform was necessary. The decay of both public and private virtue in England laid the groundwork to the American Revolution and the need for Patrick Henry, here at St. Johns Church to proclaim "Give me Liberty or give me Death." Eric Metaxas stated: "What Wilberforce vanquished was something even worse than slavery...He vanquished the very mind-set that made slavery acceptable and allowed it to survive and thrive for millennia." The original Webster's dictionary defines manners-behavior;conduct;course of life;in a moral sense. Wilberforce used manners to encourage social conscience. Good manners therefore bring the virtues of charity and civility. So let's have a change of mind-set and manners right here in Richmond. Business leaders, politicians, lawyers, bankers and families- how can any ills in society be addressed when we don't sit down to the dinner table and reflect on the day? More to come. And Lillie, I hope to have the opportunity to meet you.

Be Determined and Straight-Forward

The last 6 months I had gotten out of the one-day-a week 5:30am tennis habit. For two years, I had played mixed tennis @ 5:30- 7am every Weds. and since Tues. is mynight2cook, I headed into work having two check marks DONE! I was so pumped up and on such a roll- I felt nothing was too hard for me to accomplish. The last 6 months, no one took the reins and got us organized. Late yesterday, I got a call that Keith was starting up a new Monday 5:30am tennis challenge. I signed up, showed up and he laid out the rules this morning- be there or get a sub/ 5 minute warm up/play 9 games with each partner(he assigns) for a total of 27/ pay $8 for prizes. It's a tennis boot camp and if you oops on the alarm clock, Keith will let you know his displeasure. I had missed this aspect of my week these last 6 months but none of us could get it together like Keith. I am so glad to have this spark of fun back in my life. To get a cooking co-op going to save money and free up time for excercise, be determined and get your group up and running now. Be straight forward on meals that work and those that do not. Right now, my group is cooking light on the calories. I owe Keith a dinner and a big thank you.

Happy Meals-Tips from Living on the Edge

I listened this week to "How to Raise Positive Kids in a Negative World" by Chip Ingram who has a broadcast ministry,Living on the Edge. I found out that 40% of meals sold at McDonald's are "Happy Meals." O.K.- so we are looking for more than fuel to feed us. Chip talked about ways to bond with kids(and I might add spouses). Scheduled time is vital. Men especially need to write down Monday breakfast with family then Mon.-Weds.- Friday 6:00 pm family dinner. That way they can truthfully say I already have a meeting at that time- what about Tues? Chip stressed the importance of eating dinner together! At a family meal (Happy Meal?), you are giving your children and spouse focused attention. Turn off the TV and while eating, listen to each other, give eye contact, follow up with questions. Chip calls that "...putting money in the relational bank." Then #1 on Chip's list to develope communication with your family is eating dinner together. What are you modeling? It's more important to have those 4 or more family meals a week than sports practices etc. Let your kids and spouses know- we eat as a family and this is what matters most. "You find out more about a man by listening to his conversation than by looking at a house he has built."- C.S. Lewis.

"The Magic of the Family Meal"

Here is a must read article form Time Magazine by Nancy Gibbs to get your year off on the right footing. "...there is something about a shared meal--not some holiday blowout, not once in a while but regularly, reliably-that anchors a family even on nights when the food is fast and the talk is cheap and everyone has someplace they'd rather be. And on those evenings when the mood is right and the family lingers, caught up in an idea or an argument explored in a shared safe place where no one is stupid or shy or ashamed, you get a glimpse of the power of this habit and why social scientists say such communion acts as a kind of vaccine, protecting kids from all manner of harm." Robin Fox, an anthropologist at Rutgers University talked about "the mysterious way that family dinner engraves our souls. A meal is about civilizing children. It's about teaching them to be a member of their culture." The benefits of 4 or more family meals/week are well documented. If this has been a desire of your heart but you just can't execute, try cooking co-op by roping in 3 more families. Try it for one month and see what magic family meals can bring to your soul. It only gets better with practice.