It was the equivalent of finding my Juliet in Verona. READ MORE...

I spotted black pepper tofu on Ottolenghi’s* Instagram last week, a fine place to gush over food. The recipe is from Plenty, an excellent cookbook that I happen to have, which means I could make it right away. However, rather than making it and then still feeling a loose obligation to make a vegetable side dish or salad, I decided to add eggplant. From there, everything went south. I don’t have three types of soy sauce. I can get them, theoretically, but I was feeling lazy about it. I was pretty sure five tablespoons of crushed peppercorns and eight thinly sliced red chiles would make my children run screaming from the room; 11 tablespoons of butter was a bit rich for my tastes. But here’s the thing with this and, I think, all recipes. Much ado is made about “internet recipe commenters” and their “I changed eight ingredients and it didn’t work, zero stars”-type presence on websites. I’m often asked how I don’t “lose patience” with these types of comments and here comes an opinion, you just know I had one brewing:

For the love of absolutely nothing holy, because this an internet recipe blog and not the 11th commandment, you are allowed to make every single recipe you come across any way you wish. Modify for the ingredients you have. Modify for the schedule you have or the free time you want. Modify for the nutrients you need. Recipes aren’t bibles; I am no goddess. I don’t find it annoying. I mean, we’re going to have to manage our expectations about the outcomes. Some changes work, some don’t, and we can talk about it, I’ll answer whatever I can as best as I can. But honestly the best thing you can do is to report back in the comments, that is, tell us what you changed and how it went, and help the next person with the question out.

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A free 7-day flexible weight loss meal plan including breakfast, lunch and dinner and a shopping list. All recipes include calories and Weight Watchers SmartPoints®.

This week we have Lighter Eggplant Parmesan, Food Cart-Style Chicken Salad with White Sauce, and Madison’s Favorite Beef Tacos on the meal plan, to name a few. Also don’t miss the Skinnytaste by Vremi Air Fryer and Air Fryer Cookbook giveaway on Instagram this week. Ends August 20th.

If you’re new to my meal plans, I’ve been sharing these free, 7-day flexible healthy meal plans (you can see my previous meal plans here) that are meant as a guide, with plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food, coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc or swap recipes out for meals you prefer, you can search for recipes by course in the index. You should aim for around 1500 calories* per day.

There’s also a precise, organized grocery list that will make grocery shopping so much easier and much less stressful. Save you money and time. You’ll dine out less often, waste less food and you’ll have everything you need on hand to help keep you on track.

Lastly, if you’re on Facebook join my Skinnytaste Facebook Community where everyone’s sharing photos of recipes they are making, you can join here. I’m loving all the ideas everyone’s sharing! If you wish to get on the email list, you can subscribe here so you never miss a meal plan!

Also, if you don’t have the Skinnytaste Meal Planner, now would be a great time to get one to get organized for 2019! There was a print error last year, but it’s perfect now! You can order it here!

THE DETAILS:

Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, are designed to serve 1 while dinners and all meals on Saturday and Sunday are designed to serve a family of 4. Some recipes make enough leftovers for two nights or lunch the next day. While we truly believe there is no one size fits all meal plan, we did our best to come up with something that appeals to a wide range of individuals. Everything is Weight Watchers friendly, I included the updated Weight Watcher Freestyle Points for your convenience, feel free to swap out any recipes you wish or just use this for inspiration!

The grocery list is comprehensive and includes everything you need to make all meals on the plan. I’ve even included brand recommendations of products I love and use often. Cross check your cabinets because many condiments you’ll notice I use often, so you may already have a lot of them.

And last, but certainly not least, this meal plan is flexible and realistic. There’s plenty of wiggle room for cocktails, healthy snacks, dessert and dinner out. And if necessary, you can move some things around to make it work with your schedule. Please let me know if you’re using these plans, this will help me decide if I should continue sharing them!

MONDAY (8/19)
B: 2 hard-boiled eggs (0) and 1 cup strawberries (0)
L: Food Cart-Style Chicken Salad with White Sauce* (8)
D: Lighter Eggplant Parmesan (4) (½ recipe) with 1 ½ wedges Vegan Caesar Salad (5)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 17, Calories 986**

TUESDAY (8/20)
B: 6 ounces nonfat plain Greek yogurt (0) with a sliced peach (0), 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (3) and 1
teaspoon honey (1)
L: Food Cart-Style Chicken Salad with White Sauce (8)
D: Madison’s Favorite Beef Tacos (9)

Totals: Freestyle™ SP 21, Calories 1,003**

WEDNESDAY (8/21)
B: 2 hard-boiled eggs (0) and 1 cup strawberries (0)
L: Food Cart-Style Chicken Salad with White Sauce (8)
D: LEFTOVER Madison’s Favorite Beef Tacos***(6) over 2 cups Romaine (0) with Zesty Avocado Cilantro
Buttermilk Dressing (2)

Totals: Freestyle™ SP 16, Calories 863**

THURSDAY (8/22)
B: 6 ounces nonfat plain Greek yogurt (0) with a sliced peach (0), 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (3) and 1
teaspoon honey (1)
L: Food Cart-Style Chicken Salad with White Sauce (8)
D: Chicken and Zucchini Stir Fry (3) with ¾ cup brown rice (5)

Totals: Freestyle™ SP 20, Calories 1,026**

FRIDAY (8/23)
B: 2 scrambled eggs (0) with 1 ounce avocado (1) and 1 piece whole grain toast (3)
L: Chicken Club Lettuce Wrap Sandwich (5) and an apple (0)
D: Tuna Noodle Casserole (7)

Totals: Freestyle™ SP 16, Calories 985**

SATURDAY (8/24)
B: Easy Bagel (3) (recipe x 2) with 2 tablespoons light cream cheese (3) and an orange (0)
L: Barbeque Chicken Quesadilla (5) (recipe x 4)
D: DINNER OUT!

Totals: Freestyle™ SP 11, Calories 599**

SUNDAY (8/25)
B: Easy Bagel (3) with 2 strips bacon (2), 1 egg (0) and an orange (0)
L: Summer Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad with Creamy Buttermilk Dijon Dressing (3)
D: Sloppy Joes (2) on a whole wheat bun (3) and Quick Cabbage Slaw (2)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 15, Calories 803**

*Prep Sunday night, if desired.

**This is just a guide, women should aim for around 1500 calories per day. Here’s a helpful calculator to estimate
your calorie needs. I’ve left plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food such as coffee, beverages, fruits,
snacks, dessert, wine, etc.
***Omit taco shells.

(more…)

The post Skinnytaste Meal Plan (August 19-August 25) appeared first on Skinnytaste.

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Part two of Ed Levine's conversation with Max Falkowitz and Matt Rodbard, focusing on food media's past and present. Read More

I’ve learned that the way that our kids feel about the food they eat, and the environment in which they eat it, often means so much more than what the food actually is. READ MORE...

You know what they say: Mayo every day keeps the messes away. READ MORE...

I LOVE LISTS

1. Brene Brown on What Toni Morrison taught her about parenting
2. Home Alone, 2019  lol
3. Nebraska is not for everyone.
4. How did people react to Instagram taking away their likes in a beta test?
5. Some people live in the strangest conditions.
6. Kids who know what they want.
7. What guests hate most at weddings.
8. This grandma is so freaking cute.
9. The streets of San Francisco in the 1950s.
10. I didn’t have any Mom friends for the fisrt few years of Cooper’s life.
11. I feel like street tacos are very fitting for California. We LOVE them.
12. How to reduce your Amazon packaging waste.
13. I wish we could split a spiked coffee milkshake together.
14. Why a cat always lands on its feet.
15. I really want to see this movie.
16. Converse that change color in sun! WANT.
17. Some pretty creative moms in this roundup!
18. I’m pretty sure Cooper would love this exhibit.
19. What to do with that leftover buttermilk.
20. To make: vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream/ coconut curry meatballs
21. All of the art from my lists goes here!
22. Two of my friends (named Lisa!) have new books- Finding Your Artistic Voice + A Field Guide to Color

Need something to do with the kids this Summer or looking to take classes (art + business) online?  Here’s 2 months FREE Premium membership to Skillshare.  My creative practice has improved greatly since I started taking classes several years ago!  You can see more on @thehandwritingclub

 

The post I LOVE LISTS appeared first on Shutterbean.

Are there any foods you love but find yourself avoiding in your own kitchen due to hassle, mess, or unreliability? Granted, getting your hands dirty is par for the course in the kitchen. But some people would rather avoid the mischief, the mistakes that certain ingredients beget.

For me, that food is mangoes. Don’t get me wrong (not even for a second!), I love them. They’re sumptuous and velvety and sweet in a way that makes me feel like a kid again, but I sometimes—sometimes!—find them a bit messy. I have to be prepared when I eat a mango, you know? It's not an apple, for crying out loud. If I'm going to eat a mango, I have to lay down a cloth towel and roll up my sleeves and carve out 10 minutes for the sucker. Mangos require my attention.

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I might have mentioned this once or several dozen times over the past few weeks of working our holiday pop-up, but I used to gift wrap as my job. I started out at a fancy menswear store, eventually graduating to an art gallery/home furnishings store—both of which were excruciatingly fun experiences. (Please hold autograph requests until the end of this post.)

But what did I learn besides how to tie a fluffy bow of ribbon?

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