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Elizabeth
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| Posted: April 27 2005 at 6:20am | IP Logged
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AFter really slacking off in the meal planning department, I dusted off Saving Dinnerby Leanne Ely, the Flylady's sidekick. This time, though, I have a teenaged driver in the house. So...I took those shopping lists, talked through them with my ds 16, and sent him on his way. I think there's real merit in training this boy to grocery shop. While at the store, he ran into his art teacher, who is also the mother of a dear girl whose name I have found doodled on freewrite papers  . This mom was so tickled that he was grocery shopping for a family of nine in a health food store all by himself  . He had a great moment!
And we had a week's worth of family-friendly meals. I'm going to buy the Low carb version next in hopes that we will have fewer wheat substitutions to make.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Genevieve
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| Posted: April 27 2005 at 9:12am | IP Logged
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I must be daft but what are wheat substitutions?
Genevieve
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: April 27 2005 at 9:15am | IP Logged
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No, you're not daft, I'm just not a very good writer before breakfast  . I can't eat wheat, so when flour or breadcrumbs are in the recipe, I have to improvise.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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MEBarrett
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| Posted: April 27 2005 at 9:36am | IP Logged
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Elizabeth:
Is the Saving Dinner book worthwhile? I am hesitant to buy a cookbook, I just got rid of many in a de-clutter fit, but I am a terrible meal planner. We often have the 4:30 what to cook panic around here.
Is it kid friendly? Ryan, with his sensory issues, can be a challenge to feed. I usually end up having to boil him some plain pasta if we are having something he can't tolerate. It would be nice to have a few more meals that I can cook for everyone.
You are so lucky to have a willing and cooperative teenager! I am sooooooo far away from that. I do use Peapod quite a bit though.
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Blessings,
Mary Ellen
Mom to seven beautiful kids
Tales from the Bonny Blue House
O Night Divine
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: April 27 2005 at 9:42am | IP Logged
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We're using it. It's working for us and I think we'll use it frequently, particularly during weeks I know we'll be busy. The recipes are kid-friendly for my kids but they are pretty good eaters. They are also really simple to prepare. Each of the big kids--16, almost 13, and 10--took a turn making dinner alone last week. So, for us, it's been a good book to own.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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amiefriedl
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| Posted: April 27 2005 at 10:37am | IP Logged
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Mary Ellen,
I found a copy of Saving Dinner at my local library to try out. I love it so much that I am going to buy it.
In fact, my library had 8 copies! Check and see!
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In Christ the King through Mary our Mother,
Amie
Blessed with an awesome hubby and Mom of ds10, dd7, dd3 and dd 10months.
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MEBarrett
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| Posted: April 27 2005 at 11:30am | IP Logged
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Thanks Amie, I'll try that!!
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Mary Ellen
Mom to seven beautiful kids
Tales from the Bonny Blue House
O Night Divine
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Genevieve
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I was also just wondering about cookbooks. Does anyone have a good one to recommend? Somehow the ones people have been giving me either require "exotic" ingredients or take a long time to cook. Or mabye I just happen to like "elegant" meals? 
Genevieve
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teachingmyown
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I also have Saving Dinner. For our family, it is not a good fit. My children are very much creatures of habit (and so am I) and they didn't like having things that were different. For each week's worth of recipes there is always at least one that I know we won't eat.
Even when I am just flipping through it I find it difficult to find something that everyone (or even half of them!) will eat.
When I subscribed to Menu Mailer, I loved the convenience and usually just substituted one or two "old stand bys" for the more exotic dishes. The low-carb version was much less family friendly, in my opinion. I was spending way too much money on groceries. You just can't feed a family of 8 pork loin and salmon.
I would really like to see them come out with a Menu Mailer for big families with little kids. We do have a few new family favorites from the menus and my husband enjoyed that season when his meals actually had flavor! Just what my kids seem to not want.
Anyone tried the Frantic Family cookbook?
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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teachingmyown
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I was just looking at Savingdinner.com to see if she had added any new menus. I was hoping for a kid-friendly one. She doesn't have one like that, but she does have a new Frugal Menu!
That was one of my biggest complaints. I think I just might try it again. My kids may not be thrilled with something different every night, but at least they will be getting dinner again !
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: May 11 2005 at 7:10am | IP Logged
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Molly,
I have found it is good for getting me back on track and getting my kitchen back to organization. Now, I'm ready to go back and revisit my personal menu cycles and tweak the shoppping lists for those. I know that I can go back to Saving Dinner when I need the extra support. One thing I did find, this time around, was that my boys and husband really liked those hearty confort food dishes and that I absolutely cannot eat that way on a daily basis without putting on weight. OTOH, they need to eat that way. I'm wondering if this won't be theme for the forseeable future: teenaged boy meals and a sustitute meal for mom. 
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Marybeth
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Thank you for the inspiration to get my Saving Dinner book back out and use it. I did great with it in the winter. Elizabeth is right though I can't eat like that every night, but both of my husband and son can. Sometimes I just eat a very small portion and have a salad. Of course, I could just go with my old college standby-a bag or popcorn or a bowl of cereal.
Marybeth
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lilac hill
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Got Saving Dinner out of the library and was inspired. Thank you for the suggestion. As a household of interesting eaters, the menus do not help us much, but it has gotten me back on track.
Why do I stop planning meals? I know, it's because would like to believe I can whip up a great meal every night of the week, but when the rose colored glasses come off, I see that the structure (I really do not like too much structure but I thrive on it)works.
When Rick is on an evening shift we fall back on cereal!  Fine for me but not the girls.
Sometimes I feel creative but if I have a general outline, I can wing it or cook according to the plan.
Another benefit is that when the girls make selections for the plan, they can accept more easily dinners they do not like, after all they chose another day's menu.
So thanks all for this thread.
Tonight was supposed to be shrimp with pasta but without shrimp in the freezer(have to get the shopping list operating more smoothly), it will be pan fried fish, baked potatoes and tomatoes.
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Viv
Wife to Rick (7/83), Mom to dd#1(6/87), dd#2(1/90), and dd#3(6/94) in central PA.
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Marybeth
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We love Saving Dinner in my house. I get all my meals planned and shopping list ready in 2 minutes. My dh loves having something great to eat each night! I really like how there is a crock pot meal each week.
Have fun cooking!
Marybeth
PS I still doodle my dh's name after 8 years of marriage!
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Bookswithtea
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I have this book too, and its close by, where I can use it regularly. We just made a new recipe from it, Crock Pot Gingered Beef (or something like that), last Sunday, and everyone seemed to like it well enough (we all thought the amount of ketchup in the sauce was a bit much...we'll use less next time).
I'd like to try using the weekly format when the weather gets a bit cooler. So far I just haven't been organized enough to do it that way...then again...we've had way too many nights of Trader Joe's sausages and fries lately...maybe I should give the weekly format a try! :P
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Laura
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When using Saving Dinner what do your grocery bills run you? We shop every two weeks so that would mean taking two lists with me our using the same list two weeks in a row.
Planning our meals has always worked best for us as well. I always seem to spend much more money though when we do plan out 6 dinners. When we wing it I spend much less...but of course then our meals are pretty shabby and not very well rounded.
My biggest concern is cost. I'm sure many of you have heard of the site Laine's Letters. She manages to feed a family of 6 on $100 a week and I believe that included non-food items!!! I think I will go back to her site today and see if she ever wrote a letter on exactly how she does this!
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JMJ,
Laura
wife to Ken and mom to 8 blessings with #9 due July 26,2009
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Laura
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Your post really has me thinking now!
I used to use a program called home cookin back when we first got our computer and I went nuts getting programs for every aspect of my life! Wow, I was super organized back then, but then I got sick of the computer! 
Now, I am thinking that I should go back to it. Search, search, search, argh....my program is gone.
Do any of you use the cooking software for your meals and grocery lists? Which ones do you like best?
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JMJ,
Laura
wife to Ken and mom to 8 blessings with #9 due July 26,2009
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alicegunther
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Can I just post how much I love Saving Dinner? Of course, I am only two days into it, but the Chicken and Apples (last night) and Roast Beef Picquante (tonight) have been huge hits with my children and husband. Tomorrow night, Beany Burritos! I love it!
I have done alright with menu planning in the past, but slacked off quite a bit over the summer. It's nice to have Leanne Ely to jump start my meal plans for me.
By the way, a tip I learned from one of my daughters at dinner. If you want to get your three year old brother to polish off a saucer of steamed kale, just tell him it's kelp and that he is a clown fish!
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
  
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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alicegunther
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| Posted: Oct 13 2005 at 8:42pm | IP Logged
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Gang, just thought I'd poke my head in and update you on our Saving Dinner adventure. Now it's been five weeks, and this book has done more to rev up my kitchen, help me stay on top of things, and get me to produce great meals every night of the week than all my other cookbooks combined. We are also eating healthier, and I somehow feel like a better mother (the kind of mother whose children will miss her cooking someday. ) Shopping is easier now and my meals are on the table at 5 o'clock sharp every night, mostly because I look forward to preparing them! Who would have thought a cookbook could do all that?
By the way, I am also on a massive Flylady kick, but that's for another thread.
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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Natalia
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Alice,
Are you using the book and the menu mailer or just the book? I have toyed with the idea of getting the mailer but haven't done it yet.
Natalia
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Saving Dinner
