Family Food for Moms Podcast I Inspiration for Family Cooking and Dining I How to Enjoy Special Meals Together

Today we’re going to talk more about what we can learn from previous generations about cooking, nutritious eating, and how to make healthy meals for our families. In the past, we've talked about things like cooking from scratch, cooking at home with fresh ingredients, and using local foods and seasonal produce.  We've talked about eating all the parts, nose to tail, and about some traditional cook...

 Today we're going to talk about a particular theme for a date night in our family. With our five children, we love to have times where we eat together and have special meals, and we also love to have a date night every week for my hubby and I. The kids know about it; they have their own special meal beforehand, and then they're upstairs early. We like to go out for it when we can - usually we do...

Today I want to talk about having a celebration brunch. It's great for summertime, and you can even do brunch in the winter. We’ll be talking about a fun festive brunch with your family or your extended family, your friends, or just anybody that you want to do something a little special with. I'm going to mention some food ideas and then a couple of different themes with a few food-related activit...

That delectable flaky butter-filled pastry! Today we’re going to be talking about puff pastry. Puff pastry is that flaky light, airy pastry which is made by folding and rolling dough with lots of layers. The butter is folded in, and then it’s folded in half again and rolled with a rolling pin. It's a real crowd pleaser because it's delicious and it's so easy to use for quick appetizers and elegant...

Today we’re going to talk about how to get re-inspired; how to get a new passion for cooking. Hopefully, at some point you've had a passion for cooking, or you’ve felt inspired about making food for your family. Today, I want to talk about what to do if you've lost that passion a little bit; if you’re just feeling tired or if it's been a crazy season and you're a little overwhelmed. Having less me...

It can be such an amazing experience to go to a restaurant. We recently went out for a date night meal. We don't often have our date night out - usually we have it at home; we get takeout or we make something ourselves, and we do it slowly and relaxed. But every now and then, it's so great to go to a restaurant, and when we do, we want to go to a fancy one, not just an ordinary one. That's what we...

Today I want to talk a bit about lunches, and look at Europeans, especially the people in places like France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and what their approach is to lunch meals. Then we’ll think about the United States and how they do things differently.  We’ll also think about our health. I've been thinking a lot about what can contribute to poor health, to aging, and to metabolic syndrome, and one...

Today we're going to be talking about salads. Salads are fascinating, and they're quite versatile. We all have our favorites. I'm going to tell you a little about the history of salads, and then we’ll talk about the main types of them, and then about some unusual ones.  So, salads stretch back many, many years. They've changed a lot through various cultures and food trends. In ancient Egypt, ancie...

Today we’re going to be talking about picnics and picnic food. It's such fun to eat outdoors if we're prepared and organized in advance. One of the great things about it is that it's easier to clean up. There's fewer dishes, and it somehow helps you to let go of things a bit. As busy moms, we've always got so much going through our brains, and so many little things that need doing at any given mom...

Hi friends! I'll just be doing one episode this week - I'll be back with the regular two per week from next week.  Today we are going to talk a little bit about toddler food, up to maybe age six or seven, some ideas and principles that you can use when you are thinking about what to make for your little ones for lunch and even breakfast and dinner, and what'll help you in that pursuit.  I love the...

Hi friends! I'm going to be taking two weeks off from the PODCAST - for some that's a summer break, and for other's its winter. I'll be back as usual on Monday 7th July! I hope you have a wonderful summer, or are not too cold during your winter! Today we're going to talk about what we do for lunch, and hopefully give you a little bit of inspiration if you're struggling to figure out lunches. I'll...

Today we're going to talk about one of my favorite foods in the world. Whenever people ask me what's the food that I could eat over and over, if I could just choose one food, that would be artichokes; fresh, whole, steamed artichokes with a feta dip.  I love to take the whole green artichoke, cut off the top of the leaves where it's spiky, cut off a little bit of the stem, and then put them with t...

 Today we’re gonna be continuing our chat about plating techniques and how to make your dishes at home look a little elegant when you want them to. Episode 66 was about doing a chef's tasting menu for fun at home in a simple, delicious way that’s totally possible. You definitely don't want it to be overwhelming.  Just to bring a bit of balance and reality, let me say that I'm always inspired by do...

Today we’re going to talk about plating techniques made easy for cooks at home, and I’ll give you some different ideas for dishes - you can serve your courses on unusual things. I’ll tell you how to make it look extra special without a huge amount of hassle, how to elevate your fancy meal or your tasting menu meal if you're having one. I think it's a lot of fun to try elegant plating. You don't ha...

Today we’re going to talk about what we can learn from South Korea about cooking and eating. Their cuisine is fascinating and delicious. First, I’m going to mention what they generally eat in a day, and then I’ll talk about things that we can learn from the South Korean people to apply to our own cooking and eating at home. In traditional Korean cuisine they’ll eat a lot of seasonal produce. They...

Today we’re going to be talking about Chef’s Tasting Menus; how they work, how they’re structured, and how we can try it at home! We don't want to spend hours in the kitchen, but it is such fun to have a fancier meal at home. Picture a special meal with your husband and children, where they've helped to prepare different courses that are elegant and delicious, but simple, and able to be made in a...

Today we’re going to be talking about what we can learn from Australia about food, cooking and dining! Hopefully it'll inspire something new in our kitchens. So, quite a few of their food traditions originally came from the indigenous or native Australians, often called the Aborigines. Later on there was a large British influence, as it was a British colony. Australia is now a constitutional monar...

 Today we're going to talk about Haloumi Cheese. Some people have heard of this, and some haven’t. You either know it and use it often because it's delicious, or you haven't really heard about it and are hesitant to try it because it's an unusual cheese. It’s one of the only cheeses that's usually eaten cooked brown on the outside. So, let's talk about haloumi cheese.  Haloumi has a rich history t...

 Today we're going to be talking about mozzarella as part of our series on amazing ingredients, ones with a rich history and amazing uses in the kitchen. Mozzarella is a unique cheese - it's very different from other cheeses. Of course, we all love pizza. What would pizza be without mozzarella? When I was growing up, we didn't have mozzarella in our country, and so the pizza was made with yellow c...

 Today we’re going to be talking about what we can learn from Türkiye about food, and cooking.  We'll be inspired by the rich culinary heritage of Türkiye, and learn a bit about their cultural eating habits, things they do when cooking, etc. Firstly, Türkiye generally follows the Mediterranean diet principles. Their cuisine is heavily influenced by the Mediterranean diet, which people say is one o...

 Today we're going to be talking about breakfast ideas, tons of ideas for breakfast on the go, packed breakfast for work, high protein breakfasts without eggs, breakfast for moms, healthy breakfasts, and all those things. I think that breakfasts are one of the most chaotic parts of the weekday morning if your mornings are anything like mine. The moment I get downstairs, it's chaos. There's just a...

 Today we're going to be talking about breakfasts from around the world. I wanted to do a couple of episodes this week to help you to think of good ideas for breakfasts, and before we narrow it down to anything, I thought it's a good idea to expand our thinking in terms of breakfast. We’re going to talk about different things that they eat in different countries - to break out of the mold a little...

 Today I want to talk about last-minute dinner ideas!. On those days when you suddenly realize you need dinner and you don't have anything planned, you’re desperate to make a quick and easy dinner, not have to get takeout or spend more money, and you have to make do with what you have in your kitchen. To have a list of ideas is very helpful because in that moment of panic, it's very hard to think...

Today I want to talk about how to pack a lunch for a child who's a picky eater. Does this sound familiar? You spend some time packing what you think is a healthy, cute, or a delicious lunch, and it comes home barely touched, and that can be frustrating. Here are some tools and tips to take the pressure off, to get your kids involved, and maybe spark their curiosity with what's in their lunchbox. Y...

I'll only be publishing one episode this week - next week I'll be back on track with episodes coming out on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Thanks for joining me today. I want to talk about how to make an everyday dinner a little bit special, and how to add little touches that make a meal memorable! Turning a regular dinner time into something special doesn't have to be complicated or fancy, so here are...