How To Use Dinner Magic So It Works For You

 Photo/Limonada on Flickr

Each week of the year has a list of seven dinner menus. You can find them in the right sidebar under Recipes and Categories. They're labeled with the month and the week, like this:

Dinner Magic Menus July Week 4

Click on the link for the week you want. You can print this out or email it to yourself. At the bottom of the post is a link to the grocery list for that week. It is also named by the month and week, like this:

Dinner Magic Shopping List July Week 4

If you ever need to look up the menus or a shopping list for a week, use words just like my examples in the search box, except with the month and week you need.

The menus are linked to each recipe. Just click on each link for easy instruction for a complete meal.

You can also search for a recipe by typing in what you’re looking for in the search box. You can also scan the Recipes and Categories to see if something catches your eye there. You can scroll down now to see the latest recipes I've posted.

I hope you enjoy the recipes and I hope the menus help make your life in the kitchen easier. If you find something odd, please email me and tell me.

Suzannepitner at gmail dot com

I’ll fix it right away! Even good cooks sometimes make mistakes in typing!

Have fun, and Bon Apetit!

New Year's Resolution to Cook at Home

It's that time of year again. The time of year when we make lists and resolutions.

Let's face it. Most people don't keep their resolutions beyond the month of January. This year, why not try a resolution to change gradually over the course of the year? Specifically, with a resolution to cook more at home, you can work into it with baby steps. It won't feel overwhelming, and in six months, you'll be in full control of your New Year's resolution.

Start small with your New Year's resolution

Begin in January by cooking one more meal at home each week than you do now.

In February, cook one more meal each week. Now you've increased your home cooked meals each week by two.

In March, do the same thing. Continue increasing the number of home cooked meals each week by one every month until you reach your goal.

Tips to help you cook at home

If this all seems a bit overwhelming, there are ways to lighten the load. Having a cooking buddy can help you share the effort. Also, it helps you stay on track with your resolution to cook at home, because someone else will be waiting for your meal.

Use Dinner Magic menus, recipes, and shopping lists to make cooking easier. Before starting you might want to read How to Make Dinner Magic Work for You. After that, you can start with January Week 1 or any week of the year you desire. The theme for January is "Light." All of January's recipes and meals are light on calories, light on fat, light on your budget, and light on time to prepare them. 

Enlist the help of others in your house. Don't try to do all the cooking and cleanup yourself. You don't do all the eating by yourself, right? In my home, we have a rule that if you don't help cook, you must help clean.

Five reasons to cook at home

There are far more reasons to cook at home than just five. These are the top five that I've included in this cooking at home article for Examiner.com.

Here's to wishing you a wonderful, healthy, and happy New Year with plenty of delicious food in your future.

AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

How To Use Dinner Magic So It Works For You

Each Wednesday, I will post a list of dinner menus for the week. It will be labeled with the month and the week, like this:

Dinner Magic Menus July Week 4

You can print this out or email it to yourself. At the bottom of the post is a link to the grocery list for that week. It is also named by the month and week, like this:

Dinner Magic Shopping List July Week 4

If you ever need to look up the menus or a shopping list for a week, use words just like my examples in the search box, except with the month and week you need.

The menus are linked to each recipe. Just click on the link.

You can also search for a recipe by typing in what you’re looking for in the search box. You can also scan the Recipes and Categories to see if something catches your eye there. You can scroll down now to see the latest recipes I've posted.

I will try my best to post a short article every week about kitchen tips and tricks to make your life in the kitchen easier. If I find a wonderful gadget, I’ll blog about it too. But during this first year, I’ll be working my tail off to get you all of my family’s favorite recipes, posted here on the blog, so you don’t have to worry about what you’re doing for dinner!

I hope you enjoy the recipes. If you find something odd, please email me and tell me.

Suzannepitner at gmail dot com

I’ll fix it right away! Even good cooks sometimes make mistakes in typing!

Have fun, and Bon Apetit!