Goodbye Beta, hello real deal! It has been two weeks of crazy around here. The beta launch went so well, and I hope you all are loving the new website. So tomorrow, we're flipping the switch to the real site! This url will become the new One Family One Meal. If you wanted to sign up as a paid member, don't forget to go to the beta and get friends and family pricing for one more night! http://beta.onefamilyonemeal.com Next week I'll be sharing an entire Thanksgiving menu with you on the new site! Continue reading

Well hello Loyal Followers of One Family One Meal! I can't believe I'm saying this, but the beta version of my website is finally here! It's a little rough around the edges, but I would love for you to check it out. You can go to http://beta.onefamilyonemeal.com . This url will be switching over to the new site as soon as I'm happy with the beta site. In order to motivate you to check it out, here are a few things I'm doing: -By logging into the new site and signing up as a paid or free user, you can... Continue reading

Believe me, the irony isn’t lost on me…I’m working round the clock to build a cooking website and now I don’t have time to cook! I’m trying to figure out what my low point was last week: cooking boxed mac ‘n cheese and frozen veggies for dinner -only to have my kids rave about how great it was- or going out to dinner 3 nights in a row! So for all of you out there thinking I’m some mom sent here to make you feel bad about what you give your kids for dinner, rest assured that we’re all in... Continue reading

Back to school! Back to early wakeups, the pressure to get the kids out the door, and full days for all of us. Back to school also means it’s back to work for me on this website! I’m excited to say we’re in the final testing phase for the new version of One Family One Meal. What does this mean for you, my favorite customers? Within the next few months, One Family One Meal will become a full-fledged website where you can select your favorite recipes (old and new), generate personalized shopping lists, and see pictures to go with every... Continue reading

Summer is supposed to be a time to fall off of the scheduling wagon, throw some caution to the wind, and just roll with it, right? Instead, I decided to sign my kids up for all the stuff they've always wanted to try. Bad idea! Now that it’s August, I’ve chilled out enough to give the relaxing version of summer a shot. For me that means getting away from my own menu planning and instead cooking whatever sounds good at the moment. It also included a trip to a family farm to pick tomatoes, plums, and peaches. I’ve had so... Continue reading

I’ve had a marathon week of eating that makes me happy to live in the Bay Area. My friend and I nabbed seats at The Slanted Door in the Ferry Plaza Building last week for dinner, and I was back there today for an incredible lunch at Il Cane Rosso. http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/ ) On top of that, I had an outstanding dinner at Picco in Larkspur last week, including the juiciest slider I’ve ever tasted and avocado bruschetta with chorizo that blew me away. I also managed to have my favorite Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Salad at Pizza Antica in Lafayette... Continue reading

I have nights like all moms when I don’t have my act together at dinner time. And if you know me, you know that I’m not a fast food kind of girl. (In ‘N Out is my big exception, and I try to save it for road trips.) So what do I do? I make my version of fast food, which is basically just assembling a few fabulous ingredients. This week, I picked up a roasted chicken at my local Whole Foods for 10 bucks, then used it to make chicken tacos one night and pasta sauce with chicken the... Continue reading

Happy 4th of July Everyone! I’m so not expecting you to make this cake this week, but thought the picture was inspiring in itself! (I always have some super-organized friend who actually gets her act together to make something like this, so if you’re that person, go to Oprah.com for the recipe!) I am, however, inspired to share a few of my favorite recipes for the holiday with you, one of which actually has blueberries in it. For a hearty breakfast before the festivities begin, I love to serve Blueberry Turkey Sausage with eggs and a fruit salad. Also, what... Continue reading

Hello Everyone! What a crazy few weeks it has been at my house. I always forget how nutty the end of the school year can be. Between the school parties, final sporting events, work, and figuring out summer plans, I’ve been left a little dazed and confused. I thought I'm probably not the only one, so this week I’m trying to keep it really simple for you in the kitchen. In my effort to come up with quick weeknight dinners, I challenged myself to create a Cheesy, Vegetarian Lasagna in 10 minutes or less. The results? Outstanding! (I’m not going... Continue reading

I heard the greatest radio segment with Dr. Mehmet Oz the other day. He was speaking with Tanya Wenman Steele and Tracey Seaman, authors of the book Real Food for Healthy Kids. These two moms/ professional cooks/writers were hilarious and inspiring, so I figured they were worth listening to. Two reasons I immediately loved them: 1. They share my desire not to hide healthy foods in junk foods. One of them made the outstanding point that when you hide healthy food in other foods (like putting vegetables in brownies), kids start to think the healthy foods aren’t worth eating on... Continue reading

Ah yes… Mother’s Day. I have this tendency to romanticize holidays. Let’s just say last year it didn’t go exactly as I imagined. It involved a spontaneous family trip to IKEA with two serious meltdowns. Very bad idea. So this year, I’m laying out my expectations for the day. What do I want for Mother’s Day? I want to wake up and have someone cook for me for one whole day. Seriously, isn’t there something so nice about someone else cooking for you? Let’s face it- statistics show we mothers are the ones doing the majority of the cooking, whether... Continue reading

What a great week it has been in the kitchen! I have been testing and retesting many new recipes for you. The spring produce at the market has inspired me to move away from slow cooking to focus on quick cooking techniques like grilling and pan frying. These easy methods of cooking really let the ingredients shine. I’m especially excited about the Spicy Black Beans I concocted. They’re great as a meat-free entree or delicious with the Spice Rubbed Ribeye Steaks. I also loved the Pasta all’Amatriciana that I adapted from one of my favorite recipe resources-Cook’s Illustrated. With its... Continue reading

I've had the to get to know many of you readers over the past few months. A lot of times, people are curious if I actually follow my own strategy, and they want to know what I really feed my family for dinner! Well the answer is that I started "One Family, One Meal" as a means to organize my own cooking for my family, and to force me to really think about what I was buying at the store each week. Also, I wanted to prove to my husband and friends that you can buy organic and locally sourced... Continue reading

I love last week’s menu that I posted, but I thought I’d throw in one recipe for you to use this week for Easter or Passover. These Deviled Eggs are a simple and sophisticated turn on the classic recipe. My friend Jodi Liano is the author of the new Williams-Sonoma book Eggs, and this is just one of many clever recipes from the book. (If you’re a Chilaquiles fan like me, Jodi’s version shouldn’t be missed!) So if you’re in charge of bringing something to Easter brunch or Passover, think about these eggs. They’d be a lot of fun to... Continue reading

It seems almost unfair to be sitting here in 65˚ weather when I know there are people still shoveling snow. And I know it’s not here for good yet, but one week of nice weather has already influenced my cooking. I keep grilling every night and coming up with new ideas for spring produce. I know I’m jumping the gun, so I’ll try to keep my enthusiasm for springtime food to a dull roar! It’s just so fun to consider all of the great ingredients that will be arriving in our markets soon. Fava beans, peas, asparagus, and berries will... Continue reading

As I’ve mentioned once or twice before, I love food. Love it. Live for it. Wake up dreaming about my next meal. So recently, I was a little bit shocked (OK, totally shocked) to be told I needed to drastically alter my diet in order to address some health problems. “No gluten. No dairy. No sugar. No alcohol.” (Seriously, is there anything left?) Oh yeah, and no more coffee. What a joke. But I’m desperate to feel better, so for the first time ever I guess I’ll suck it up and give it a shot. In trying to find the... Continue reading

What a couple of busy weeks it has been! I just finished guest blogging for “Ciao Bambino,” an amazing website designed to help you plan kid-friendly trips to places near and far. This week, they’re focusing on ski vacations, so check out the menu I put together for a family ski weekend. And while you’re there, take a few minutes to browse the site and see how easy they make it to plan a family vacation. (It’s like someone doing your homework for you!) http://www.ciaobambino.com/ciaobambinoblog/index.php I’m busy making some big changes to the blog. (You’ve probably noticed I’m a cook-not... Continue reading

If you’ve followed this blog for long, you know that it started out of necessity. Even though I’m a professional cook, I found myself out of time and ideas when it came to cooking for my family. But I really believe that sitting down as a family for dinner is a necessary ritual in our busy lives. So I pulled myself together and created a plan. I came up with 6 different dinner ideas a week, made a shopping list for the whole week that included snacks and wines, and figured out how to buy it all for $200 a... Continue reading

I’m just back from taking my shopping spree winner Pam Martin to redeem her prize! I took her to my local Whole Foods so I could show her you can shop at a great store on a budget. (And I wanted her to meet my favorite wine guy Nick who always suggests great wines at great prices!) Pam had to listen to me go on and on as I pointed out all of my favorite tricks. Truthfully, I was just excited to share my new obsessive passion of sticking to my $200 budget with her. The more I do this,... Continue reading

People always say to my husband, “You are SO lucky to live with a cook!” We both laugh when we hear that. When the food is great, he is pretty lucky, but he has to eat all of my experiments, too. This week, I had a rough week at the office. My calzones turned out like cracker bread and I burned 3 panini in a row trying to multitask. He willingly ate all of them and even tried to tell me they tasted good. God Bless him. (I promise not to post those recipes until I get them right!) My... Continue reading

I’m staring at 3 citrus trees out my back window, and I’m embarrassed to say they all need picking. When I planted them, I pictured myself making homemade lemon curd, preserved lemons, and lime bars. I thought I’d be that cool lady on the block who could “live off the land.” Well, it’s been 5 years now, and I think I’ve made one jar of preserved lemons and 1 batch of lemon curd. My citrus are wise. They know all I’m looking to do with them is squeeze them over a piece of fish or turn them into a margarita.... Continue reading

I’m known for my ability to eat anything and everything. I’ve always considered it one of my largest shortcomings-or biggest talents-depending on the day! Today, I’m still known as The Eater in my family. I’ve spent the last two weeks overdosing on holiday treats, from Christmas cookies to homemade chocolate frosting by the spoonful. But even I have my limits. I reached it about four days ago when I finally put down the spoon to the chocolate frosting. I was honestly relieved to get back to work and make this week’s menu so we could start eating right again. This... Continue reading

I used to love the craze of the holidays. The last minute shopping, the baking, the gluttony- all of it! But a few years back, after a moment of insanity, I decided to rethink the holidays. My son had asked Santa and his parents for a really cool toy hospital. The cute college girl at the local toy store said it should take about 2 hours to assemble. But what did she know? I’m a mom! I figured I’d have that bad boy knocked out in 90 minutes. I was so cocky I didn’t even ask my husband for help.... Continue reading

First I must congratulate the winner of my shopping spree contest, Pam Martin! Out of the hundreds of you that entered, Pam probably lives the closest! I can't wait to take her on her shopping spree in January and cook up some new recipes for the blog. And if you love to win a contest-don't fret! I need everyone to spread the word that you can now sign up to receive my weekly updates by email. By entering your email address, you'll automatically be entered to wine one of three prizes: a bottle of Phifer Pavitt Date Night Wine (Wine... Continue reading