Sometimes knowing that other women, mothers, sisters, friends, and care takers just like us face the same battles of what to make for dinner. Be it our task/chore/burden/or hobby of what to make for our families to eat each day sometimes it just seem easier to bear when you have a good recipe recommended from a "GIRLFRIEND"; they provide us with the boost to get over the lack of motivation or stumbling blocks in our way and get dinner on the table!


The number of those who report that their “whole family usually eats dinner together” has declined 33 percent. This is most concerning because the time a family spends together “eating meals at home [is] the strongest predictor of children’s academic achievement and psychological adjustment.”

Family mealtimes have also been shown to be a strong bulwark against children’s smoking, drinking, or using drugs. There is inspired wisdom in this advice to parents: what your children really want for dinner is you.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks Good, Better, Best (Nov. 2007)

Two researchers at the University of Minnesota investigated the potential benefits of family mealtimes on children and found that families that dine together tend to have healthier, more well-adjusted children. Their studies indicate that the more often children and teens west with their parents—and the happier, more structured these mealtimes are—the more the children gain these benefits:


Better Nutrition

Better language and literacy

Fewer Eating Disorders

Fewer risky behaviors


The national center on addiction and substance abuse at Columbia University (sept 2005) found that compared with teens who dine frequently with their families (Five to seven dinners a week), teens who have fewer than three family dinners per week are:

Two and a half times likelier to smoke cigarettes

More than on e and a half times likelier to drink alcohol.

Almost three times likelier to try marijuana


“….Mealtime becomes a way for families to bond. To show children they have access to a caring adult.” (The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner p. 11)


So as Women, Sisters, Daughters, Wives, Mothers, Grandmothers we can not put a price on the work that we do. Dinner hours and menus can be daunting at times and others it feels like a breeze. As we gather together and share in our love for caring for our families and enjoying the connections we have with them as we sit around the dinner tables of our homes. I hope that each of us can step back occasionally on those hard mommy days and “Believe in what we are doing! Believing in who we are and that we can make a difference one meal at a time.

~ Jill


Friday, October 23, 2015

Super-Savory Sliders

These are great as a low carb meal without the bun, but for my kids and Jack who aren’t watching their carbs they get it on a bun if they wish. The sliders are high in flavor and are satisfying as a main course. The recipe calls for “sweating onions” which basically means you cook them slowly trying to minimize any browning. I like mine caramelized so if they brown while “sweating” I don’t mind. Great sides would be a salad, coleslaw, or veggie of choice.

Super-Savory Sliders (The Dash Diet Weight loss solution p. 188) 

1 Tablespoon olive or canola oil
1/2 large Bermuda onion (sweet onion) or 1 medium, sliced very thin
1 small pat of butter
1/4 cup red wine (I use red cooking wine found in the vinegar section you could use a broth here if you wanted to.)
1 pound extra-lean ground sirloin
4 slices 2 % Swiss cheese
2 cups grape tomatoes (or use a slicing tomato if you like them on your sliders vs. on the side) 

Preheat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Sweat the onions in the oil until very translucent and soft (takes about 20 minutes). Sir often, and turn down heat if needed to avoid crisping the onions. At the end of the sweating, add the butter and red wine to finish. (Allowing the wine to simmer/boil removes the alcoholic content leaving behind an intense flavor.) 

Make thin hamburger patties, using the ground sirloin. Pan-broil them over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes per side using the same skillet you cooked the onions in. After cooking, top with Swiss cheese, and tomatoes or add the grape tomatoes on the side. Cover with mustard if desired. 
Makes 4 servings 

Side: Choice of Vegetable or Salad. or go all out and bake fries :-) 

Dessert: Banana Chocolate Ice Cream in a Blender 

We like to toss several frozen bananas in a blender, add Vanilla almond milk (or regular) and some chocolate protein powder or chocolate milk mix and blend until it is the constancy you love your milkshakes. Pour in to cups and eat with a spoon or sip through a straw. This is a great non-dairy dessert for those with allergies or intolerances. 
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