Posts Tagged ‘Food Swap’

  • 16 Nov

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Menu for November 15-21, 2009

    0

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    I made it ten days without gluten. Then I ate a biscuit with a whole wheat bread chaser. I did feel a bit better while I was gluten-free, but I don’t know how much I can attribute it to the change in my diet. The weather has been fantastic in Chicago, and Jude and I have spent a ton of time outdoors. I think the sun and fresh air might have had something to do with my elevated feelings of happiness, health, and goodwill, but I guess I’ll never know for sure.

    Today was food swap day at the Frank household. We had two new families join us this month, bringing the total number of participating families up to six! I had a fantastic time hanging out with all my food swapping friends. So, with little effort on my part, here’s what’s cooking this week!

    Breakfast
    Oatmeal with Ground Flax meal and Frozen Fruit or Raisins
    Green Smoothies and Greek Yogurt

    Lunch/Dinner
    Split Pea Soup and Fresh Bread (my contribution to this month’s swap)
    Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers (from MaryJo and her family)
    Spinach and Feta Quiche (thanks to Corrin and her family)
    Butternut Squash Au Gratin (from Anita and her family)
    Costa Rican Rice and Beans (from Sarah and Kirk)
    Taco Casserole (thanks to Marc and Sarah and their family)

    If need be, I’ll supplement these meals with the following:
    Large Salads made from mixed greens, dried cranberries, almond slices, sunflower seeds, bleu cheese, and dressing
    ALTs with Chips, Salsa, and Guacamole
    Pasta with Homemade Marinara Sauce

    Want more? Check out the Weekly Menus archive.

    Need more dinner ideas? Check out Jenna’s Chive Talkin’ Blog!

  • 15 Nov

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    A Star is Born

    2

    Back in September, I wrote about my highly anticipated haircut and the fairly humiliating eyebrow wax I subjected myself to. In that post, I alluded to the fact that the following day had the potential to be a special one here in the Frank household. I hesitated to say more at the time because I was a bit nervous about the upcoming event, but no more! Today I bare all.

    A few weeks before that post in September, I was contacted by Desiree, a television news producer for NewsProNetVideo. She had come across the post I wrote about the food swap I organized, and she was interested in interviewing me for an upcoming television segment on food swaps and how they can save you time and money. I agreed to the interview, and on September 20th, Desiree sent a photographer over. The photographer’s name was Gavin Gantner. He was really a fantastic guy… very personable and professional. He interviewed me and two other of my food swap’s participants and also taped footage of us swapping the food and chit-chatting. It was a nerve-wracking experience, but also a lot of fun.

    I just found out that the footage was aired and that’s it’s available for viewing online. So, without further adieu:

    Save Time and Money with a Food Swap.

  • 22 Jul

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Menu for July 19-26, 2009

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    Days and days late; bucks and bucks short. I know. I KNOW.

    Breakfast
    Oatmeal made with almond milk, seasoned with cinnamon, sweetened with honey, and topped with fresh fruit (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and peaches). Also, green smoothies.

    Lunch/Dinner as I see it now
    Homemade Pizza with Spinach-Packed Marinara Sauce
    Pasta with Spinach-Packed Marinara Sauce and Fresh Bread
    Lentils with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Feta (and Zucchini)
    ALTs with Chips, Salsa, and Guacamole
    Fresh-from-the-Freezer Minestrone Soup
    Vegetable Stir-Fry over Basmati Rice
    Some kind of Bulger Salad-TBD

    On Sunday, I’m getting together with some friends for another food swap. My contribution is going to be the Lentils with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Feta, and Zucchini recipe that’s mentioned above. I’m not sure what everyone else is making, but I’ll be sure to post what’s for dinner after the swap. Cheers!

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  • 05 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Food Swap

    1

    Food swaps are a great way to keep food costs down, try new dishes, and save yourself some cook time. All you need is a group of like-minded individuals (and by that I mean, if you’re a vegan or vegetarian, make sure you hook up with vegan or vegetarian friends!), a recipe, and some time to cook!

    Each month, pick a dish you want to make for the swap. The dish need not be fancy… just tasty!

    Within your food swap community, decide on a number of servings each family is going to receive. For simplicity’s sake, this should be a set number, not one that fluctuates for each family. Six servings is usually enough to include larger families, but not so large that smaller families feel overwhelmed. For each family that’s participating, make six (or the agreed upon number of) servings of your dish. In other words, if there are 5 families other than your own taking part in the swap, you’ll need to make 30 servings of your dish.

    Before the swap-make your dish, divide it into family-sized portions (6 servings/family), package it up, and freeze it if need be. If you end up cooking the day before, freezing the meal probably isn’t necessary.

    On the day of the swap, come to the designated ’swap joint’, dole out your dish and pick up some yummy new meals for the upcoming week(s)!

    So, how does a food swap save you money? Well, you’ll have a solid month to decide on a dish, make your shopping list, and shop the sales! It’s often times economical to buy foodstuffs in bulk; a food swap allows you to utilize large quantities of ingredients at once. If you decide to take part in a vegetarian food swap, vegetarian dishes tend to be on the cheaper side of things. Beans, for instance, are fairly inexpensive. Taking it a step further, dried beans sold in bulk are even cheaper!

    While you’ll likely spend a few solid hours in the kitchen cooking your 30 or so servings of whatever dish you choose, taking part in a food swap will save you time in the long run. You’ll likely find your ‘cooking groove’ and bang out your meals with minimal effort. Making a few batches of soup on a Sunday afternoon takes time, but it’s better than slaving away weeknight after weeknight in the kitchen.

    Have you ever participated in a food swap? Do you have any tips to share?