For a few years now, I’ve been weaning our family onto organic produce. But with that wean has come an increase in my grocery bills and a few questions of “really? must we buy everything organic?” While my husband and I are convinced that organic is the way to go for milks, I’ve come to realize that not everything I buy has to be organic, every time at the grocery store. So, I found “The Dirty Dozen”: a listing of 12 produce products you absolutely want to buy as organic produce because of the likelihood of contamination from pesticides in the regularly farmed produce. [Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists are created by the Environmental Working Group. The lists change, so it's important to keep an eye on the EWG webpage.]

My issue has become remembering what’s on the Dirty Dozen list, and what’s not. Because I rarely remember and I’m often in a rush, I’ve found that I err on the side of caution and just buy it all as organic produce, lightening my wallet each week. It occured to me that what I needed was a credit card-sized card that I could slip into my wallet and carry with me, and I found a .pdf pocket guide.

This printable lists the Dirty Dozen produce: the foods you definitely want to buy as organic produce, as well as the least contaminated produce products, the Clean 15. Print it out on a heavier paper, cut it out and slide it into your wallet.

Looking for this week’s menu plan? Check out the Meal Plan Calendar, which is now listed in the menu bar at the top of the page. 

© 2012, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.

The cakes kept falling off the pop. Such a sad cake pop.

© 2012, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.

We were invited out for breakfast Saturday morning, but, knowing how my kids would much prefer a laid back Saturday morning at the house, I offered to host a brunch. I had been sent a sampler pack of Udi’s Gluten Free Bread loaves and searched for a recipe that I could prepare the night before, using their bread. I finally combined a few recipes and came up with my own: Gluten Free French Toast Bake, a make ahead breakfast casserole. This recipe can be prepared Gluten Free by using Gluten Free breads and flour, or “regular” using whole wheat flour and a loaf of your favorite bread. Plan to make most of this breakfast casserole the night before–it’s ideal for a homemade breakfast on a busy Christmas morning.

Believe it or not, I had a picture. It was a beautiful picture. The picture is gone and I’m sad. I do plan to make this again on Christmas morning, so I’ll take a picture of it then. Thanks to Udi’s for the bread!

© 2011 – 2012, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.

Over on Facebook, the moms at Ragu’s Moms the Word on Dinner page are talking about dinnertime routines, which is ironic because Whitney recently asked me what our 5:00′s have been like lately.

Inspired by her question, I sat down to prepare a post for Just Precious about how crazy the 5:00 hour is. It’s the witching hour. The hour when everyone is hungry, antsy and tired and the last thing anyone wants to do is wait calmly for Daddy to come home from a day at work and eat dinner. Because we don’t usually eat until 7, our witching hour has always been long–usually 2 to 2 and a half hours.

But a funny thing happened (and I hope I’m not jinxing myself by putting this in writing today).  For the past week, my kids have been calm. The TV has been off, no one has been begging for snacks or to be held… everyone has been sitting, crafting, reading, playing.

I don’t know what made this switch happen. For months I complained that dinner takes three times as long to cook because I can’t cook dinner and hold a 2 year old and get cheese sticks and milks and carrots to the table 87 times. Not to mention running to the potty every 7 minutes.

Is it that my kids are getting older? Are they maturing? Did something happen that made it click that the witching hour can be a calm and pleasant time? I have no idea. My computer is still on during that time, and, though I don’t pour over it and ignore my kids to tweet, I do have it open to a recipe and tend to be distracted while I cook.

Perhaps the big change was buying a shelving system that keeps the coloring books and markers in my kitchen. Or it’s that we cleaned up our basement playroom enough that the kids have their own spaces to play quietly and calmly with their toys. We also got rid of the chaos in there so that many of the toys were moved into a closet. Maybe it was turning off the TV.

Whatever the reason, I, bite my tongue, wasn’t able to capture a witching hour period to share with you all.

It exists, I promise. The screaming, disorganization, chaotic demand for all things attention… that happens in every home. But I’m embracing this new calm routine that has enveloped my kitchen.

Join the conversation! What’s your dinnertime routine like? Do you enjoy a calm, peaceful journey into dinner or is it high-tempered chaos? Share here, or at the Ragu Moms the Word on Dinner facebook page. This post is a part of the Ragu Moms the Word on Dinner campaign.

© 2011, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.

This year, rather than hosting Thanksgiving, we’re having immediate family visit for an Open House. As a Ragu Moms the Word on Dinner ambassador, I’m turning this into my second Ragu Party and have collected a menu that mixes afternoon eats–perfect to put out on a buffet for a few hours so that when family drops by they can enjoy food, drink, chatter and football.

One thing that’s so great about planning a party with Ragu is that so much of the hard, tedious and time-consuming work is taken out of the process. Each of these recipes is simple to prepare. Here’s what we’re planning:

Restaurant-Style Artichoke & Spinach Dip
Pizza Pinwheels*
Sweet n Tangy Meatball Subs
Aunt Debbie’s Pizza Dip*
Creamy Spicy Mango Salsa
Chicken Paremsan Stromboli
Green Salad
Hummus
Cheese & Crackers
Desserts

I anticipate leftovers to last through most of the first few days of December! Check back next week for recipes, a recap and another B-I-G giveaway.

*Recipes to come next week

This post has been compensated as I am an ambassador in the Ragú® Mom’s the Word on Dinner Program.  Visit http://www.facebook.com/ragusauce to join the conversation, where they’re currently discussing ”what’s Dinnertime Like At Your House? Do you have it down to a science or do you play it by ear? What’s your secret for navigating the nightly dinnertime scene?”

I’m pretty sure you know my secret is to plan, plan and plan some more. But that doesn’t stop me from dealing with the “just got home from school, have to do homework, have to get the sillies out and need attention afternoons. I’ve found the best way to calm the crew is to keep coloring books and crayons nearby. It worked tonight and last night… hope my kids can keep it up.

© 2011, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.

© 2011, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.

Part 2 of my awarding winning (yes, I’m milking it) Thanksgiving Leftover meals is a Turkey Reuben. I was thrilled when I saw this on the menu for our competition, I know how to make a good Jewish sandwich. (Which, for those of you who don’t know what I’m referring to, we load on the meats–a Jewish deli makes very thick sandwiches.)

The images in this post were taken with my iPhone as I forgot my camera. Save this recipe. I really think this is why I won the competition.

© 2011, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.

Who doesn’t have leftovers after Thanksgiving? We love them. In the past, we’ve just snacked for lunches and dinners for the following week and called it our meals. This year, however, we’ll be snacking on a few other ideas, thanks to Bottom Dollar Food and Chef Dan D’Angelo who provided me with recipes at an event last weekend.

As the cooking contest winner, I wanted to share my Thanksgiving Leftover Empanada recipe. Thanks to Chef D’Angelo for creating the base recipe. (I added the cheese which made it a bit creamier and consistent.)

© 2011, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.

While at Blogher in August, I met with representatives from California Raisins. Sadly, the Raisin himself was on a potty break, but I couldn’t help but pose with them. My kids? Big raisin fans. Huge. I wanted to learn  more.

While posing and discussing, I learned that raisins are said to be one of the healthiest foods on a budget:

• fat and cholesterol free
• naturally low in sodium
• packed with antioxidant protection for heart and colon health
• a great addition to the day’s total intake of dietary fiber and potassium
• known to contain compounds that may inhibit growth of the bacteria associated with tooth and gum disease
• an ideal source of all-natural energy.

(Source)

Raisins can be added to so many meals, as a topper on a salad, baked into to a chicken dish or a dessert, or mixed in with vegetables, rices and grains. They’re one of our favorite items to have out for snacking while I’m cooking. Their Seasonal Showcase gives great ideas for adding raisins to your recipes.

That's me at Blogher11, posing for California Raisins. This picture and my tweet won the prize below!

Over the summer, I met with representatives of California Raisins and learned of their back-to-school promotion: Give Kids Their Day in the Sun.  Through this promo, they asked raisin fans to share their favorite healthy snacks, featuring California Raisins, for an opportunity to win a premium playground structure (valued up to $10,000!) and a year’s supply of raisins. Plus $1,000 and a year’s supply of raisins will be donated to a local food bank in the winner’s name.

I read tonight that California Raisins received more than a thousand entries, and now they’re down to their final 5. It’s time to vote. Through October 31, you can vote your favorite by liking their Facebook page, then voting.

As if I didn't love California Raisins enough already, at Blogher11 I won this gift: a kindle and gift card, a Michael Kors beach bag, beach towel and product from Philosophy, all perfect for a day in the sun!

© 2011, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.

For some time, Big has been raving about my apple pie. Even while eating at Aromas, a cafe in Wililamsburg known for their apple pie, he proclaimed that it was *almost* as good as my apple pie.

Problem is, I don’t remember ever making a delicious apple pie. A decent apple pie, maybe. But a delicious one? I think it’s all in his head.

So, I searched online for an easy apple pie and found Heather’s Favorite Apple Pie at Home Ec 101. Within seconds, she convinced me to buy an apple peeler/corer/slicer.

Thank you, Heather. I spent $19.99 at Wegmans and my life is better because of it. (I bought the one linked to, above. I had no idea it retailed for $36.99. It’s currently $20 and change at Amazon, and, yes. If you plan to make apple pie, it’s SO worth it.)

You really must go over to Heather’s site for the recipe. There was just no need to adapt it (I opted to use nutmeg as directed as optional. I still can’t believe that Heather doesn’t like nutmeg.)

The only difficult part to follow for those of you who, like me, have never actually made an apple pie (even if your kid swears you did), is making the lattice top. It’s so easy to make, but, Heather’s right, it’s hard to explain in words. So, here’s how in pictures:

How to make a Lattice Crust top to an apple pie

You’ll need:

1 pie crust (use a separate pie crust for the bottom of the pie)
Pizza cutter

Lay out the pizza crust on a flat surface. Using a pizza cutter, cut into strips about 1/2 - 3/4" wide.

Place the largest strip in over the pie. Then skip the 2 strips on either side of where the largest was, and take the next 2, covering the pie with about a half inch space between. (Basically, you're laying these strips on the pie in the positions they would have been, had you not cut the crust.)

Lay the largest strip that remains on the surface over the middle of the pie, perpendicularly to the other strips. Leave the middle strip where it was, but peel back the 2nd strip and the new strip half back.

Lower the new strip, then the 2nd strip, making a criss-cross lattice layer.

Repeat on the opposite side of the middle strip.

Lay the next largest strip next to the strip you just latticed. This time, peel back the middle strip half way, and the newest strip. Then fold them back, creating the lattice pattern.

Continue the pattern until you've completed the lattice crust top.

Even with pictures, it’s much harder to demonstrate than it is to just do it. But once you start, it all makes sense. Right? Have you tried it?

© 2011, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.