Tuesday Tip: Meet the Food Yenta

The Food Yenta's new tote bag is awesome - just like her.

I mentioned earlier in the year that I might be doing less blogging in an effort to be spending more time with my family.  If you noticed I've been MIA the past few weeks, that's probably why -- although, it's also been a busy few weeks at work and I recently had the privilege of writing for the Huffington Post so, needless to say, there hasn't been a lot of spare time!  

In the midst of it all the working, writing and wrangling of wily children, I had the good fortune to enjoy a fun night out with some local bloggers and, as always, I was so impressed and flattered to be in their company.  I'm going to start routinely sharing some of these gal pals with you because, frankly, if you don't know them, you should.  The first is The Food Yenta. She is funny, she is awesome and she is just like you and me -- well, depending on your cooking skills, she may be more like you!  In any case, she is incredible and she shares tasty, quick, easy, family-friendly recipes on her site several days a week.  If I wanted to keep this Tuesday's Tip really short and sweet, I'd simply say "Follow The Food Yenta!" But, since she has some great parenting tips of her own, I thought I'd share them with you here... 

1. Have patience. When it comes to food or just playing games, we all lose it sometimes and kids really know how to push all of our buttons. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I try to remember that that my kids are newbies at life and everything comes in time.
2. My mother-in-law gave me very good advice when I was pregnant with my son and freaked out about being a “mom”. Firm, fair and consistent. It’s a rule I live by and gets us through hard times.
3. Let your kids get dirty. Whether it be a mud puddle or flour, it’s fun. After all, that’s why we have washing machines.
4. Enjoy your kids, even during the worst of times because they grow up quick. It feels like yesterday my son was born and I was holding him in the hospital. Now…now, he’s graduating kindergarten and entering first grade!
5. Coconut oil is great for cooking but it is also great for dry skin and eczema.

For more about The Food Yenta, check out her full interview at Mommy Page.  As for me, I aspire to be a better cook... and a better mom... one day at a time.  If I'm here less often, that will be why and, you can always visit me over at Facebook if you want a quick peek at the latest from the Lyons Den!

Simple Sunday Supper (that works for weekdays too!) -- Win the book!

The more I look at Debbie Koenig's new book, Parents Need to Eat Too, the more I like it.  I was instantly impressed by the thoughtfulness and new mom savvy of her easy, approachable, common-sense chapters and the recipes they contain.  "Remember cutting my meat hon?" I said to my husband.  "Seriously, remember how many months I sat salivating at the table while begging you to cut my chicken?"  It was kind of pathetic and I think he kind of liked the power he wielded, knowing I might starve or succumb to gnawing the chicken caveman-style if he didn't come to my rescue.  Well, other new moms need not suffer such a fate thanks to a whole chapter -- a WHOLE chapter! -- on One Handed Meals.  Pure genius. 

Today, I made the Balsamic Beef Stew, from a chapter I know I'll be returning to -- Mom's New Best Friend: The Slow Cooker.  I got a slow cooker for Christmas and have been patiently waiting for it to change my life.  As it turns out, it's not going to as long as it remains unplugged in the back of a cabinet.  However, plug it in, turn it on and pick one of Debbie's simple, family-friendly recipes and it just might!  The stew was a snap to prepare and the only snafu was totally mine... I accidentally put in a tablespoon of Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire sauce instead of soy sauce and, well, I'm pretty sure the soy sauce would have been a far superior choice!  Even so, the little ones gobbled it up over egg noodles and my husband and I enjoyed it with some crusty bread and a glass of red wine. It was a super simple Sunday supper and would be a warm welcome home and hearty meal on any night of the week.  And, for those of you out there with a newborn on your hip or in your lap while you're eating, you'll be glad to know the Balsamic Beef Stew also qualifies as a one-handed meal... just as long as you follow Debbie's good advice to cut up the beef, potatoes and carrots into one inch chunks! 

If you'd like to get yourself a copy of this awesome new book, you can leave a comment here or on my facebook page for a chance to win.  Happy Cooking and hope you have a great week filled with easy crowd-pleasing meals... with Debbie's book in hand, I'm pretty sure that you will!

Tuesday Tip: Easy weeknight dinners

I'm constantly asked how I get dinner on the table for our brood -- especially after a long day of work when tension is high and energy is low... speaking for myself, anyway!  The answer is that sometimes I do it better than others; tonight was kind of a low point.  The main entree was "Dinner Eggs" -- your basic scrambled eggs served with a side of toast and vanilla yogurt as dessert.  Last week, we fared much better -- we had the kind of plan we strive for, which included making a double batch of Giada's chicken stew on Sunday night and repurposing it over the course of the week -- one night we had it over rice, one night we added kale and one night an extra can of beans and egg noodles made it a hearty meal our hungry clan.

A gameplan is often the key to our success and I shared some of my plan-ahead tips in an earlier post that you can check out here:  Lyons Den Tips for easy weeknight dinners. 

As much as I would like to prevent "picky palate syndrome" and expose our kids to a broad range of meals, tastes and flavors, I admit to having a few tried and true staples that I go back to again and again.  I was raised this way myself.  In the O'Connor household in the late 70s and early 80s, you could count on Meatloaf on Mondays, Shake and Bake Chicken on Tuesdays, Meatballs and Spaghetti on Wednesdays and some sort of chicken casserole made with Campbell's Condensed Mushroom soup on Thursday.  On Fridays, it was pizza or fish sticks. Saturday was often burger night and on Sundays, my Dad would cook -- often an Irish stew or other "meat and potatoes" meal.  It seems pretty clear that my Mom had some standards she relied on and the reality is that I do too;  you can find them here: Quick friendly weeknight meals.

As much as we all appreciate and rely on the standards, it's always good to branch out and try new things.  With that in mind, here are some of my favorite family friendly sites for simple, crowd-pleasing dinners:

• Check out The Food Yenta for an amazing archive of recipes for both everyday and entertaining... including her famous apple chips for a healthy kid-friendly snack.
• For great recipes, amazing stories and a side portion of user-friendly gardening tips, check out Donuts, Dresses and Dirt -- the cornflake crusted chicken has become of of our family's favorites
• Jodi's Kitchen and Home is another great resource. In her own words, Jodi is raising a kid in the kitchen and writing about it. With the winter chill setting in, her Braised Short Rib and Potato Pot Pie is a must try.

I'll continue to share my go-to solutions for the inevitable weeknight mayhem and hope that you will too!