Inside the Fridge welcomes Julie Andrews. Julie is a food blogger, self-proclaimed health freak, Registered Dietitian and stay-at-home-mom of two daughters. She lives in the quiet village of Lewiston, NY just minutes away from the majestic Niagara Falls. She enjoys creating healthy and delicious recipes for her family. When she’s not blogging at Tastefully Julie you might find her practicing hot yoga or enjoying the great outdoors. You can connect with Julie on facebook and twitter.

Below we ask her questions about her grocery shopping and food habits – with actual pictures from her fridge!

Inside the Fridge: What is the single most important thing on your mind when you are shopping for food?
Julie Andrews: The nutritional value of the foods I buy is very important. I avoid processed foods as much as possible and only buy whole grains and high fiber foods. I also try to focus on produce that is currently in season, especially during the summer and fall.

ITF: How often do you shop?
JA: Every day! Ok, maybe not every single day but I find myself running to the store for at least a couple of ingredients on more days than not. I don’t do a big huge shop for a week’s worth of food very often, but even when I do I always seem to forget something. Luckily the grocery store is two minutes away!

ITF: How many do you shop for? Ages? 
JA: I shop for 4 people; myself (the quasi-vegetarian), my husband (the carnivore), and my two extremely picky daughters, ages 9 and 11. It’s tough to strike a balance.

ITF: How many times a week do you eat out?
JA: I would say we eat out at least once a week, sometimes twice. As much as I love to cook, it is challenging to please everyone in the family and to always think of new and interesting meals. It’s nice to have a family dinner out or date night with my husband and let someone else wait on me for a change.

ITF: How do you plan your weekly meals? Create a spreadsheet of fly by the seat of your pants?
JA: I’m addicted to other food blogs and food photography sites like Pinterest and Foodgawker. I plan meals around the inspiration I find on the web.

ITF: What is the oldest item in the fridge right now?
JA: That would be all the bottled salad dressings and marinades inside the door that need to go in the trash. I never use them because I make my own healthy dressings and marinades from scratch. For some reason my husband doesn’t understand you can actually make that stuff yourself and whenever he feels like grilling or cooking he buys more.

ITF: What cooking utensil/piece of equipment/appliance do you live for?
JA: I make smoothies all the time and I adore my Ninja blender. It tastes up much less space than a traditional blender and has two sets of blades to more evenly puree the fruit and ice.

ITF: What was the last meal you cooked from scratch?
JA: Coconut curry chicken with basmati rice. We’ve recently discovered that our kids love Indian food.

ITF: What was the last meal you cooked from convenience products?
JA: Frozen ravioli and bottled marinara sauce. It takes less than 10 minutes and the kids never complain!

ITF: If one person could cook for you tonight, who would it be?
JA: Gordon Ramsey. Swoon.

ITF: What are you working on these days that you’d like to tell us about?
JA: I’m trying to improve my photography skills in order to capture more tantalizing food photos for my blog. It’s true what they say, we eat with our eyes first!

Thank you Julie!

If you would like to be featured on Inside the Fridge, please email RobinsBite Intern Laura Bartee – Laura *at* robinplotkin *dot* com

The humble radish finds a permanent home in my fridge from early spring through the summer months. Armed only with a bowl (or glass) and water, my radish stash is placed at eye-level on the shelves which allows me a grab and go snack. I eat them like others eat nuts or olives-popping them one at a time. The more bitter the radish, the better.

You won’t find me using a mandolin to slice them thinly or creating rosebud designs with them for garnish.  True to the minimalist in me, it’s just one. whole. radish. one. at. a. time.

How do you eat your radish? 

Inside the Fridge welcomes Christy Wilson. Since 1998, Christy has been teaching people the most valuable lessons anyone can learn: how to choose and prepare healthy foods. As a bi-lingual Registered Dietitian, Christy has worked in clinical, community and non-profit settings sharing her knowledge of nutrition, love of food and simple methods of applying both to one’s life. In her spare time, Christy writes a feature column for Tail Winds outdoor fitness magazine and donates her time and energy to Cooking Matters, the nutrition education outreach program of Share Our Strength. She is first and foremost a wife and a mommy of two and she shares and cherishes the time she spends in the kitchen with her family.

Below we ask her questions about her grocery shopping and food habits – with actual pictures from her fridge!

Inside the Fridge: Where do you shop for food?
Christy Wilson: I do the majority of my produce shopping at Sunflower Farmer’s Market. I like that they feature lots of local and regionally grown produce and I love their variety of organic produce. Their prices are excellent on both conventional and organic produce, especially on Wednesday’s: double-ad day! I’ll often purchase organic chicken and some bulk dry goods like oatmeal, quinoa and rice. Once or twice a month I’ll buy frozen items (veggies, fruit, fish and a few frozen prepared items), dried fruit, nuts and 72% dark chocolate (!) at Trader Joe’s. Wal-Mart and Safeway are a few miles from my house, so I’ll often head over there for groceries. Safeway is a bit closer, so I’ll buy milk, dry cereal and lots of last minute items; I especially like their Organics brand frozen wild blueberries, fresh fruit and soy milk. My favorite place to shop is my local farmer’s market. My kids and I especially love it because the vendors are friendly and we get to taste-test the food!

ITF: Do you love shopping or do you dread it?
CW: I have never minded going to the grocery store. The only time I dread the trip is when I absolutely need something by morning and I realize this at 10pm the night before.. Because of my cooking class I get to experiment with new ingredients, so I especially like shopping for those items. I honestly spend most of my time in the produce section, which is the prettiest, most colorful place to shop!

ITF: What is the single most important thing on your mind when you are shopping for food?
CW: My main priority is choosing healthy foods for my family. Nutritional quality is at the top of my list and price comes in second place. Nutritional quality is relative to the item I’m shopping for. If I’m buying fruit, I look for regionally grown rather than something that was shipped from the other end of the Earth. If it’s a produce item on the Dirty Dozen list, I’m probably going to choose an organically grown variety. When I shop for grain products (cereal, bread, pita, pasta), the most important thing is that the first ingredient is a whole grain. I’m also buying more organic meats these days, too.

ITF: How often do you shop?
CW: I go grocery shopping an average of three times a week. It seems like I always need something! I guess that is what happens when you cook often and constantly change your mind as to what you feel like making that week.

ITF: How many do you shop for?
CW: There are four of us in our home: me, my husband, my daughter (5 yrs.) and my son (7 yrs.)

ITF: Do you believe in leftovers?
CW: Absolutely! Leftovers from one meal are the starting point to a following meal. 90-percent of the time, dinner leftovers are my lunch the next day. Leftover chicken from dinner can be the chicken I use on a salad for lunch the next day or can be boiled and used for tacos the next evening. Finding creative ways to use leftovers saves me a ton of time, it saves money and it makes meal planning much easier, especially on busy days (which is pretty much everyday!).

ITF: What convenience product can you not live without?
CW: Out of all the items out there, chicken broth in a box is the convenience product I rely upon the most. I use the broth to reheat leftover chicken, to add extra flavor to pasta dishes, to make Mexican rice or calabazitas (a Mexican zucchini dish with corn and cheese) and when I make soup.

ITF: How have your cooking/shopping habits changes over the last 10 years?
CW: 10 years ago I didn’t have kids. Eating healthy has consistently been a priority to me since I learned about nutrition and earned my degree, but once I had children, eating whole, fresh foods became an even bigger priority. The thought of feeding my children jarred baby food didn’t seem right because I, personally didn’t feel this was “real” food. Why feed my children something I wouldn’t eat myself? Messy biscuits, shelf stable “meat” and bland, pale purees did not seem appealing or healthy so why feed it to my kids? I didn’t want to deprive them of enjoying the flavor, color and texture of fresh foods. I wanted to give them a positive impression of something that would be part of the rest of their lives; I wanted to be part of that process so I made all their food from scratch. If I made carrots or sweet potato for my husband and me, the kids had a soft-cooked version of it. If we ate chicken, I had a pureed version of it for my baby. If we had soup, I’d puree the same thing for my kids. To this day, I believe the reason my children love eating a variety of fruit and vegetables is because they started off eating these foods as soon as they could tolerate eating solids.

ITF: What are your go-to-food/nutrition/culinary/cooking website/s, book or cookbook?
CW: I regularly look for recipes and nutrition articles on Cooking Light, My Recipes, and Eating Well. I also turn to Ellie Krieger and Rachael Ray’s recipes on Food Network for new ideas. I have found some wonderful diabetes friendly recipes from Robyn Webb in Diabetes Forecast Magazine. Through Twitter, I’ve also been exploring recipes in various peoples’ blogs, which has been fun for me, too.

ITF: What words of wisdom or advice do you have for other folks who are doing their best every day to fill the fridge?
CW: Here is my list:

1. Make produce a priority when you go shopping. Ounce-for-ounce and pound-for-pound, these are the healthiest and least expensive foods you can buy.

2. Oats and dry beans are at the top of my low-cost, high-value list of foods.

3. Make a list, stick to it and mostly stick to the perimeter of the grocery store

4. After bypassing the table of junk placed at the front of the store (often featuring cakes, cookies and other junk), fill your cart with whole foods and buy items like frozen meats and fish in bulk—you’ll pay less per ounce this way.

5. Buy a variety of herbal spices and seasonings in baggies rather than in expensive jars; you can save up to three dollars by doing so.

6. Learn how to shop by unit price because you can save lots of money this way.

7. Don’t be fooled by flashy front-of-package claims, rather read the nutrition facts information to buy the highest quality foods for you and your family.

With a little know-how, you can fill your shopping basket and kitchen with healthy, good tasting foods.

ITF: What are you working on these days?
CW: This year I launched my website and accompanying blog. After attending the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual meeting in September, I got the encouragement I needed from other dietitians in the field to get my own website started. I felt I had reached the point in my career where it was time to build a “house” for my articles, food photos, recipes and new projects. The site is a work in progress, but developing it has been a fun experience so far; I’m looking forward to what it can (and will) become.

I’ve also been very active on Twitter (@christyschomp) and I anticipate learning about Pinterest…but I haven’t jumped into it yet!

Thank you Christy!

If you would like to be featured on Inside the Fridge, please email RobinsBite Intern Laura Bartee – Laura *at* robinplotkin *dot* com

It’s rare that I capture a photo that is share, print or show worthy. Let’s make no bones about it-a photographer I am not. But, in order to become part of  Recipe Redux, one must share the fruits of their labor with a decent photo of their finished work. I’ll be honest, I’ve been a member of the Redux for several months, but haven’t had the confidence to share any photos. This month, I bit the bullet and sat in on a fantastic food photography 101 seminar led by Recipe Redux and Healthy Aperture co-founder Regan Miller Jones from the Professional Palate. While it’s hard to believe based on these photos to your right,  I learned more in those 50 minutes about photography than I had the past 42 years of my life.

Her basic advice for extreme novices like me:

1. Natural light

2. Not too close

3. Steady camera

Here’s my first attempt. I promise they will get better.

On to what I know works well–the recipe!

Savory Spring Onion, Gryuere and Bacon Muffins

Makes 6 large or 12 mini muffins

1/2 red onion, diced finely

1/2 Texas 1015 or Vidalia onion, diced finely

1 green onion, diced finely (green and white parts)

1/3 cup breadcrumbs (if using Panko, use 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup shredded gruyere cheese

1 egg

2 slices crisp bacon, chopped

1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Spray a mini muffin tin or regular sized muffin tin (depending on your quantity) with non-stick spray and set aside.

3. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to incorporate.

4. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the muffin tin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the top is browned and the mixture is set. Remove from pan and serve hot or at room temperature.

 ** Many thanks to my fantastic intern, Laura Bartee  for her help with this project!

Rinsing beans. Peeling eggs. Snapping asparagus. Washing fruits and veggies.

2 1/2 year old Ben lines up his cleaned and prepped asparagus

When it comes to age appropriate tasks in the kitchen, the possibilities are endless. What gets in the way? Often times, its the parents.  People will ask me “How do you get your son to do so much in the kitchen?”.  It’s simple. I ask. He always says yes. In fact, it’s one of the few times I don’t hear a typical toddler “NO!”

Ben has been in the kitchen with me since birth, it seems. His duties have changed as he’s grown. As a 2 1/2 year old, his current  nightly responsibilities include assisting with some preparation of the meal itself (last night, he prepped the asparagus), putting placemats on the table for the family, helping clear the table and placing the dishes in or at least near the sink and performing other duties as they arise.

When parents tell me “My  kids would NEVER do that–they just expected us to do it for them!”, my question back to them is “who set up that expectation?” Then it clicks. This type of behavior is learned just like any other behavior.  When you do everything for your 2, 3, 4, etc. year old, why would they have the expectation that they need to do it themselves?

I’m no parenting expert by any means. But I have found that this particular method to be very successful. Check out this article for some age appropriate tasks in the kitchen.

Remember to always keep kids safe and supervised when in the kitchen.

How do you get your kids to help you in the kitchen? 

“Hopping” on Pinterest can mean a number of things to a number of people. For me, 15 minutes is my max. Any more, I lose all track of time. Any less, I’m not doing my job.

Gazpacho was one of the first things I ever learned how to make on my own. The method and ingredients are relatively easy-delicious vegetables and seasonings. It wasn’t until recently that I started dolling up my gazpacho recipes-adding bread (for a more traditional Spanish version) and Marcona almonds or apples.

I found 3 different gazpacho recipes that I pinned onto my own “I’m making this” board as well as the “Healthy Aperture” shared board.

1. Watermelon Gazpacho

2. Green Gazpacho (Hatch chili)

3. Apple and Tomato Gazpacho

By the way, if you’re not following Healthy Aperture, you’re missing out on amazing recipes that are flavorful, easy to prepare and good for you. I’m an avid contributor to the board as well as an avid repinner.

Other boards I’ve created that you might enjoy:

Easy Apps-easy appetizers

Easy Dinners-self explanatory

Nothing but Veg-nothing but vegetables

Salads-self explanatory

Centerpieces and tablescapes-also self explanatory

Shades of purple-a homage board dedicated to my favorite color

Oh, you might notice that my boards could use some organization, too. If you have any sugggestions, I’m all ears.

Want to pin any of my stuff? Feel free-see the Pintrest icon up top-to your left? Just give it a click.

What are you pinning today and are your boards organized? 

Hey everyone – RobinsBite intern Laura here! While everyone is running around preparing for Easter this Sunday, so many of us forget about the other meals we need to eat over the holiday weekend. I know I did until a few days ago…

So what is my suggestion for you? A easy crock pot soup, that can cook itself while you make all the other necessary preparations!

Robin often makes fun of my love of soup. It can be 100 degrees outside in good ‘ol Dallas and I’ll still be down for a bowl of soup! My favorite? The black bean soup from Central Market. I covet this soup, schedule my day around it, and dream of it. And every attempt I’ve had at recreating it has failed.

Then recently, while testing recipes for the Northharvest Bean Grower’s Association upcoming meeting on April 27^th (more info below)– Robin showed me the recipe for her homemade black bean crock pot soup. I was skeptical and unfortunately not present for the final product. Oh ye of little faith I was, because I recently made it and was blown away – it was identical to my beloved soup, and at a fraction of the price. I definitely recommend you try this soup, and soon!

Crock Pot Black Bean Soup

1 pound dried black beans
1 onion
1 small jalapeno
2-3 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons cumin
1 jar salsa
1 quart low sodium vegetable stock
1 bunch fresh cilantro

Optional toppings:

Salt and pepper to taste (add after soup is made)
Non-fat plain Greek yogurt
Cheddar Cheese
Tortilla chips

Soak beans overnight or using a quick soak method.

Dice onion, jalapeno and garlic and add to crock pot with soaked dried beans, cumin, salsa and vegetable stock. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Tip: Do not add salt until after beans are cooked. Salt will cause beans to stay tender and will have to be cooked longer.

Blend soup with immersion or stick blender and add chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Top soup with non-fat Greek yogurt (in place or sour cream), cheddar cheese or tortilla chips.

To learn more about cooking with dried beans, visit the Northharvest Bean Grower’s Association website and sign up for their newsletter. Or register to attend the “Beans for a Better Life” seminar in Austin on April 27^th. Robin will be speaking!

Photo credit: Epicureal

Inside the Fridge welcomes Kelly from No Sugar Sweet Life. Struggling with weight for her entire adult life, Kelly finally decided life is too short to live perpetually unhappy. She recently lost 40 pounds after celebrating her daughter’s first birthday (way to go!). Her weight loss blog is the next step in the journey towards a happy healthy life… the sweet life, no sugar added. Kelly is a busy full-time mom of a 19 month old toddler, also has a full-time job as an accountant. She’s also a wife and helper to an amazing man, and now a blogger! You’ll find easy meal ideas, healthy substitutions, encouragement, and, of course, Kelly’s adorable personality shining through.  She loves hearing about how others are choosing the sweet life too, and can be reached through her blog, email, facebook, or on twitter!

Below we ask her questions about her grocery shopping and food habits – with actual pictures from her fridge!

Inside the Fridge: Where do you shop for food? 
Kelly: I try to do most of my big weekly grocery shopping at Sprouts, as their produce and organic selections are wonderful! I do, however, stop at Walmart every so often (GASP!! I know. I’m such a heathen.) because it is the closest store to my house.

ITF: Do you love food shopping or dread it? 
K: I love what I get when I go there- new fresh goodies to incorporate into healthy meals-but the actual ACT of food shopping is not that great.  It is always an adventure with my 19 month old daughter, trying to keep her occupied/happy/sitting whilst gathering everything on my list.  I am one of those moms who lets her child eat items yet-to-be-purchased (Ella’s Kitchen pouches, string cheese, etc.) and hands the cashier an empty wrapper to scan.

ITF: How often do you shop?
K: I was never very good at meal planning, and what I recently discovered is that I just don’t like following recipes!! Why should a whole meal be ruined because of one missing ingredient? So I am trying to just shop once a week now, loading up on all the staples – fresh fruits & veggies, cheese, lean proteins, yogurt, etc… and creating meals based on what’s on hand. I really should live in France or another locale where there are fresh markets on every corner, and you’re MEANT to shop for just the needs of that particular day.  I would thrive there!

ITF: How many do you shop for? Ages?
K: I shop for me, my veggie-hating-hubby, and my 19 month old daughter. 

ITF: What is your weekly food budget? 
K: We typically spend about $100-150/week on food.

ITF: What is the most coveted food in the fridge right now for each member of the household? Why?
K: For me, it’s definitely the grape tomatoes. MMMMMMMM. I’m Italian, and I could probably eat 1,000 of them! For my hubby, it’s probably the 2 beers. Ha! (Too many veggies in that fridge for his liking). And for Babycakes- probably the cheese and yogurt. She loves all dairy (except actual milk!).

ITF: What convenience product can you not live without? 
K: I love packaged hummus!!! It’s great on wraps, to dip bell peppers into, as a side dish…so yummy and versatile! And Babycakes loves it too.

ITF: What cooking utensil/piece of equipment/appliance do you live for? 
K: My Breville juicer.  I use it multiple times a week to juice fresh veggies and fruit. 

My favorite is Mean Green: Kale, Parsley, Cucumber, Apples, Lemon, & Spinach. I also use my immersion blender a lot (stick blender) to puree various things (instead of a big bulky food processor).

ITF: What was the last meal you cooked from scratch? 
K: Honeydew Caprese Salad. Seriously, honeydew melon has finally found its calling in life! You should totally try this recipe… TONIGHT… it’s THAT good!

ITF: What was the last meal you cooked from convenience products? 
K: Italian polenta rounds.  I’ve been trying a lot of different recipes with premade polenta logs.

ITF: What words of wisdom or advice do you have for other folks who are doing their best every day to fill the fridge?
K: I was always afraid of buying many fresh fruits and veggies because what if I didn’t use them in time and they went bad? But if you buy a variety week to week and make an effort to use them in a couple of different recipes, you won’t waste them, and your health will thank you! For example, the week I bought a honeydew melon I made 3 different things using honeydew: Honeydew Caprese Salad, a Cucumber Melon juice, and Italian Shrimp Bruschetta Pasta.

ITF: What are you working on these days that you’d like to tell us about?
K: I am working on losing another 40 pounds by the end of 2012 and getting back to my wedding weight! So far I’ve lost 7, since I started the blog. And the best part is: I am getting to share my weight loss journey, recipes, tips, and encouragement with all of my blog readers. It’s been so rewarding so far!! Choose to live the sweet life… no sugar added!

Thank you Kelly!

If you would like to be featured on Inside the Fridge, please email RobinsBite Intern Laura Bartee – Laura *at* robinplotkin *dot* com

Passover begins next week, which means a new salad recipe is in the works. For the last 19 years, I have attended the Seder at the home of Marcia and Art…and it is so special to me that I hope we get invited for the next 19 years. Often, I am tapped to create salads for dinner parties and this, the Mother of all dinner parties (roughly 27 people attend each year) is no different. I do consider salads my specialty and am flattered when one is requested.

Each year, the time ticks in my mind as the event grows near. I do my best work when the clock strikes 5pm, hours before the event as I generally have no idea how to make the salad different than what I brought the prior year. A few years ago I faced this challenge and the recipe was such a hit, I actually wrote it down (rare for me!).

This year I’m sure to pull another 5 o’clock kitchen dance – but for those of you who are more prepared than I am, try this Seder salad for Passover this year.

Seder Salad

§  Gala Apples, rinsed, cored and sliced into very thin slices (leave the skin on-less work and more fiber)

§  Almonds, toasted (put into toaster oven and press “toast”)

§  Aged White Cheddar Cheese, cubed (Kerrygold’s Dubliner)

§  Spinach and/or any mild mixed greens

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl or on a platter. Add dressing (see below for recipe).

Note: if not using apples immediately, place in a container with lemon juice and water to avoid browning.

There are no amounts given for the above ingredients. Please don’t panic. Use your best judgement. If you like more apples, add more. If you like fewer nuts, use fewer nuts. You get the drill.

Horseradish Vinaigrette

§  1/3 cup white wine vinegar ( I used regular old distilled vinegar)

§  1/2 cup olive oil

§  2 Tbsp. prepared horseradish ( I used extra spicy, because that’s the kind of girl I am)

§  1 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I did not use)

§  1 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon (I did not use)

§  1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

§  1 garlic clove, finely chopped ( I did not use)

§  1 1/2 tsp. honey

§  1/2 tsp. salt

§  1/2 tsp. pepper

Whisk together all ingredients. Serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 4 days. Makes 1 cup.

I must say that while I love the horseradish dressing, the hit of the salad was the Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese. At least 5 people asked me what kind it was and where they could find it. FYI, it’s widely available and can even be found at Costco.

Tell me….. what is your go-to salad or vegetable for Passover Seder?

This is a repost from a 2011 Robinsbite blog post-just updated and more interesting! 

Inside the Fridge welcomes Nescett Wright. Nescett is a fit and healthy mom of one living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She’s hooked on yoga and enjoys the wide variety of outdoor activities that can be found in California. Nescett tries to keep things easy in the kitchen and is working on living a life of “doing more of what you love.” She blogs about food, fitness and her life at Banana Oats. You can also follow her on Twitter @bananaoats, and on facebook.

Below we ask her questions about her grocery shopping and food habits – with actual pictures from her fridge!

Inside the Fridge: Where do you shop for food?
Nescett Wright: I wish there was a one-stop-shop for everything I need but it seems like I’m always popping into different stores. I buy a lot at Costco and I’m there at least twice a month. We get all of our meats there as well as eggs, Greek yogurt and fruits and veggies. Costco has a lot of organic and seasonal options and the prices are great. They even have cage free eggs. Then there are particular things I like from Whole Foods and Trader Joes, and when I need to stock up on staples I’m at Safeway or Target.

ITF: Do you love food shopping or dread it?
NW: I dread it. I remember when I was first living on my own in my early 20’s I loved going to the grocery store. But I was also childless and full of free time. Now it feels like another chore (and an expensive one especially out here in California!). I do really like the feeling when my fridge is full and stocked and I actually like putting away and organizing the groceries.

ITF: How often do you shop?
NW: I’m buying groceries at least once a week. Sometimes more if I forget something or have to stop at a different store for something in particular. If I was more organized I could probably cut down on that. Luckily we have a Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Safeway all within a few blocks of my home.

ITF: How many do you shop for? Ages? 
NW: In my house it’s me and my daughter. She’s 9.

ITF: What is your weekly food budget? 
NW: Food budget kills me because I really feel like we spend a lot of money on food. Prices are really high in this area (even compared with an hour north of here) but it’s only the two of us and we must really eat a ton! I don’t budget it closely but we spend $350-$400 a month.

ITF: How many times a week do you eat out? (based on 21 meals/week)
NW: We almost never eat out. My daughter would actually like to eat out more but I like to have control over what we’re eating and it’s easier to have a handle on my diet if we’re eating at home. When I do eat out it’s usually with friends, but even then I offer to have them come over and I’ll cook. They don’t usually take me up on it.

ITF: How do you plan your weekly meals? Create a spreadsheet of fly by the seat of your pants? 
NW: I really wish I had a spreadsheet of meals! I want to be that kind of person, who is that organized. We really just fly by the seat of our pants. I always keep chicken, fish and turkey stocked in the freezer and I throw together a meal with that and the veggies I have on hand (I always make sure we have fresh vegetables too). When I have more time I’ll look through Pinterest and other blogs and find inspiration to try something new.

ITF: What is the most coveted food in the fridge right now for each member of the household? Why?
NW: My daughter puts parmesan cheese on everything! I’m addicted to peanut butter. I like the fresh one you make yourself at Whole Foods.

ITF: Do you believe in leftovers?
NW: I am all about leftovers. With it being just the two of us we eat a lot of leftovers. I have a love/hate relationship with that. I like that it’s faster and easier and less waste but sometimes I get tired of eating a lot of the same things.

ITF: What convenience product can you not live without?
NW: Pre-cut butternut squash. It makes it so much easier. I buy it at Costco, but they have it at Whole Foods too.

ITF: When you hear the word “homemade” what is the first thing that comes to mind?
NW: For some reason, “homemade” makes me think of baked goods. Yum. I’m not really a baker though. I don’t do well with the precise measurements. Plus it’s just a ton of sweets in the house I don’t need. We’ll walk down to our local baker and get a cupcake instead.

ITF: How have your cooking/shopping habits changed over the last 10 years?
NW: 10 years ago I didn’t cook! Ok that’s not true. I did make all of my daughter’s baby food from scratch but how that happened is kind of a miracle because I was pretty useless in the kitchen back then. I still have a lot to learn but I’m cooking so much more and trying new things and I have a much greater appreciation for vegetables.

ITF: What was the last meal you cooked from scratch?
NW: Last night I grilled fish and served it with parmesan crusted smashed potatoes and roasted carrots.

ITF: What was the last meal you cooked from convenience products?
NW: On Friday we had Italian sausage raviolis that I picked up at Costco. I drizzled them with olive oil and parmesan cheese and served them with a salad. A super tasty and easy Friday night meal.

ITF: If one person could cook for you tonight, who would it be?
NW: Oh my gosh. My mom. I love having her cook for me. Second would be Ina Gartner.

ITF: What words of wisdom or advice do you have for other folks who are doing their best every day to fill the fridge?
NW: Make it easy! For me big recipes are too time consuming for a weekday night. Grill some chicken, roast up some vegetables, and serve with some crusty French bread. Done.

ITF: What are you working on these days that you’d like to tell us about?
NW: My blog is fun place where I share what I’m eating and cooking, my random thoughts during yoga class and other fun musings. Come check it out!

Thank you Nescett!

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