It is July in Kansas and that means an abundance of summer produce. I haven’t had a garden in several years, but I still have access to lots of fresh tomatoes, zucchini and other summer produce either from friends or farmer’s markets.

This week’s podcast is for the people who use recipes as suggestions. I hope to give you lots of ideas to spark your creativity and get you thinking about how you can use summer veggies.

Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Fresh Herbs are all on the list. You can see full show notes here.

Earlier this year I did an episode on the emotional burden of feeding your family. This podcast was recorded in July of 2020 and we are still dealing with a global pandemic. As school time approaches our brains are using a lot of energy to prepare for a unique school year. This means many of us have less energy for dinner.

I’m here to encourage you that it is okay to have a season of boring meals. We all have seasons where we go into survival mode and may not be very creative in the kitchen. It takes a lot more work to make a new recipe.

You can find full show notes at https://feedyourfamilytonight.com/episode-90-its-okay-to-be-boring/

Have you ever had a dinner disaster? It happens to all of us. There are three main ways dinner can fall apart and I have some suggestions to help you rescue a dinner disaster.

1-You start fixing dinner but don't have an ingredient or forgot to thaw the meat.

2-You make dinner and your family refuses to eat it.

3- Dinner is a major disaster. You burnt it, over salted it, or added too much spice.

Full show notes and links can be found here: https://feedyourfamilytonight.com/episode-89-when-dinner-flops/

I live in Kansas. It is July, and it is HOT! The weatherman says parts of Kansas could reach 108-110 this week and I just want to melt into the couch with a good book and cold glass of Lemon Ginger Water.

This week’s episode offers lots of ideas to keep things cool in the kitchen.

• Don’t eat hot food
• Cook in the morning when it is not as hot.
• Use kitchen appliances
• Rotisserie Chicken
• The Grill

You can find full show notes and links here.

Picnics are one thing we can still do this summer. They take a little work and a little planning, but it can be a nice change of pace. There are lots of ways to have a picnic. In this episode Marie talks about some of the gear you will need and some easy ways to manage the menu.

 Where are you going to picnic? What is available at the picnic site?

Full show notes and links from this episode can be found here.

This Summer feels weird and to be honest, I’m kind of over it. If you don’t feel like spending time in the kitchen you are not alone. This podcast is full of simple dinner ideas to inspire you for the summer.

Grocery Store Shortcuts

Slow Cooker and Instant Pot

Tex Mex

All the Chicken

Garden Bounty

Join me in the Feed Your Family Tonight Facebook Group

Full show notes can be found here.

This summer is weird. Almost all our regular summer activities have been cancelled. My children have turned into complete night owls staying up late and sleeping in even later. No one is eating breakfast at the same time. Make-ahead breakfasts have been key to keeping my family fed.

Here are some of my favorite make-ahead breakfast ideas and recipes. I hope they can give you some inspiration.

Links to all the recipes can be found here. 

I wear aprons almost every day. I have been caught with my apron still on when I pick up my kids from school. Aprons are and essential piece of kitchen equipment. It’s not something I just wear on TV. I wear them all the time at home.

Aprons keep you from getting your clothes messy, but for me, it is more than that. It is a mental signal that “I’m here to get something done.” When I put on my apron it means it’s time to get my hands dirty. Sometimes that is in the kitchen, sometimes it is cleaning my house. It is my “uniform” for getting things done at home.

You can find the full show notes and links to my favorite apron style here. 

The dinner table is a place where you can impart values and teach your children. From a very young age you can begin to layer bits and pieces of your values and beliefs according to the age of your children. As they get older you can go deeper into harder topics. My kids are 12-17 and we are to the point where we talk about hard topics like pornography, politics, racism, religion, internet safety and so much more. We didn’t start with the tough topics, but over the years we have built up trust and are now able to have open conversations with our children.

Full show notes can be found here.

When was the last time you cleaned your oven? It had been 2 years since I had cleaned mine. Now before you roll your eyes and call me a slob, know that I had some reasons for delaying the chore.

Cleaning ovens is dirty business. Most effective methods cause fumes and you have to weigh the possibility of causing damage to your oven.

For full show notes and cleaning instructions click here.