3 Proven Steps That Will Turn Around Family Dinner
FREE Masterclass ⎸ October 2nd, 2:00 EST / 8:00 CET
Hello!
A friend recently said, “I want meal-planning to take 10 minutes… but it always takes an hour!” (Waaaaahhhh!)
When we hashed it out, we discovered that she was racking her brain for dishes her family would actually eat, and spending way too much time searching for recipes.
This was before she’d even started her shopping list!
She’d keep this up for 1-2 weeks, and then land right back in the 5 PM what-to-cook-dinner-panic.
Sound familiar?
I explained that, while yes, that’s one way to build a meal plan… there’s another much quicker way to do it!!!
It involves identifying a “short list” of comfort recipes you can turn to week after week, and adapting them to seasonal ingredients so that they feel new.
I’d love to show you how…
Take a moment to click the button below and submit ONE favorite comfort dish you like to cook at home.
I’ll select ONE submission to feature next week with:
Two easy variations on the same recipe
Ways to save time making the recipe, if necessary
Ways to make the recipe healthier, if necessary
In my upcoming FREE 90-Minute Masterclass *Stress Free Family Meals*—with renowned family dietician, Sofie Di Niet, and wellness expert, Emily Gold—I’ll help you generate your own “short list” of go-to comfort recipes, as part of a 3-step process to reclaiming joy and connection in the kitchen.
3 STEPS TO STRESS FREE FAMILY MEALS
Here’s an overview of what’s included in the FREE 90-Minute Masterclass:
STEP 1 | Emily Gold prenatal and postnatal wellness coach and teacher, will:
★ Guide you through a practice to identify childhood and other held perceptions around food, and offer a simple tool for separating those beliefs from your desired parenting approach and values.
★ Introduce one essential tool you can use in the kitchen or at the dinner table for grounding and finding clarity in moments of frustration.
STEP 2 | Sofie De Niet registered family dietitian, will:
★ Introduce her top recommendations for having peaceful and healthy conversations with your children around food, including defining what “healthy” food means, and how to shift the conversation towards a more balanced perspective.
★ Offer her top 5 responses to common food-related questions with kids. (Anyone struggling with candy?!)
STEP 3 | Emma Frisch cookbook author and culinary educator, will:
★ Guide you through an exercise to identify five dishes that are comforting and appealing to you, and why.
★ Introduce her tried-and-true template for seasonal meal-planning, her #1 tool for stress-free home cooking around your comfort foods.
If you can’t make it, there will be a recording available. For live participants, we have special surprises you won’t want to miss!
I really hope to see some of you there. It’s going to be an incredibly useful class for anyone looking to heal and improve their relationships and communication around food and cooking!
WHAT I’M COOKING
Harvest time is my favorite season, and I’m finding myself constantly inspired as I put the variety and abundance of fresh food to work for my October Meal Plan:
Veggie Korma with endless possibilities. This recipe from the September Meal Plan is among our favorites right now. The sauce is mild and creamy, and generally a kid show-stopper. I have made this with tofu, shredded chicken, and any veggies around! One subscriber suggested making this with Halloumi cheese (yes please!!!)
Polenta three ways: 1) cooked in the Instant Pot with homemade broth and served as a base for sautéed veggies or meaty stew (yup, it’s edging into stew season), 2) that same polenta served for the kids with a dab of butter and grated Parmigiano Reggiano swirled in, and 3) leftovers hardened in the fridge and then cut into shapes with cookie cutters and crisped in the oven. Recipe for polenta fries!
Pancetta is my new favorite ingredient for cooking greens that kids will eat. I start by slow-cooking pre-diced pancetta (you can also use thick-cut, chopped bacon if you can’t find pancetta). Once it’s released the fat and edging on crispy, I add thinly sliced onions and let them caramelize super low for quite a while until they are like butter! Then I add washed and chopped greens - this week it was rainbow chard, which I made a point of showing the girls first so they could get excited about eating a rainbow. I cooked the greens until they were thoroughly wilted and tender. Most pancetta and bacon is salty, so always season at the end. The girls gobbled them up!
Pasta bolognese: I make a version of this nearly every week (and always try to double the sauce and slowly stock pile it in the freezer over time). This week’s version was particularly special because I made the sauce from a 25 pound box of roma tomatoes I turned into puree, from my Full Plate Collective CSA. I served it with farfalle pasta.
That’s it for today my friends!
With golden sunsets,
♡ Emma
Orecchiette with cime di rapa! 😍
THIS PHOTO!!! You two, swoon.