Julie/Julia: No WHINE with Dinner

I ordered my copy of "No WHINE with Dinner" today from the Meal Makeover Moms. I've been waiting at least two months to order this recipe book.


Why? Have I mentioned two of my little lovies, Sunshine & Diva Princess, who stick their noses up at every meal I put in front of them? Sunshine won't eat anything which may be referred to as "healthy". She likes grilled meats and carbs. That's about it. Diva Princess, who can eat like her oldest sister, Hollywood, under the best of circumstances, has recently followed in Sunshine's footsteps; however, she's decided now that she "doesn't like meat" and only wants to eat carbs. Grrrrr. 


So why would I once again put myself through the torture of cooking meals which could possibly remain uneaten? Because I am a mom who believes in eating healthy, every day  meals. I will not force my kids to eat outlandish-out-of-the-norm foods, such as: portabella burgers, eggplant lasagna or Adzuki Bean Tacos. When my three little princesses grow up and want to explore their options, I will be more than happy to help them try some of the exotic foods out there, but I have enough trouble trying to get three kids to eat chicken let alone offering foods which would cause a temper tantrum even before we set the dinner table.


As a result, I am taking Liz & Janice up on their offer of "No Whine with Dinner". I'm going to try the great experiment of testing each of their recipes in our home. Each child will be given a grading sheet where they can provide feedback to my husband and I on each recipe. Every week each child will pick one new recipe for our family try to try. Hopefully, by having them do the picking, they will feel a degree of ownership in the recipes and want to give them a fair shake AND we will create a repertoire of recipes which I can make again and again. 


Have I mentioned that I love the movie Julie & Julia? Think about it! First off, Julie Powell sets a goal (you know I love goals!) to attempt all 542 recipes from Julia Child's "Masting the Art of French Cooking" in a one year time span. 542 brand spanking new recipes in one year and these weren't EASY recipes by any means. 


Now not only do I lack the culinary skills of Julia Child, but I don't even have the desire of Julie Powell to master skills such as boning a duck, steaming a live lobster or fixing boeuf bourguignon. I am a modern wife & mom of three with very little time who lacks virtually any cooking skills other than the desire to provide my family with healthy meals served on a platter of family memories created at the family dinner table.  


Combine my desire for healthy meals with too much whining at our dinner table recently and you'll see why I've decided to embark on my own Julie Julia project with the Meal Makeover Moms new cookbook, "No Whine with Dinner".  We'll make three new recipes a week, a total of 150 recipes, so the entire project should take 50 weeks. The project will start as soon as the cookbook is in my grubby little hands which should be before November 1st. 


I'll keep you posted the moment it arrives and what the first recipe picks will be!

Bon appétit!!