Written by Danny.

As the loving husband of your favorite Simple Bites Editor (Aimee), I’ve got the inside scoop on what really happens around here and today, I’m going to spill the beans and tell you one of our family secrets. We have a serious problem in our home, one that could very well lead to instability, sharp words, lost sleep and much, much worse.

Usually when there’s a problem in a relationship, both parties are partially responsible, but this time, I confidently accept no blame. It’s all squarely on Aimee’s shoulders.  You see, Aimee alone has a problem.  A serious one.

Her doctor has said that she needs to slow down and stay off her feet, but instead, she’s nesting.

Okay, so maybe it’s not so dramatic as all that, but I have come home from meetings at 11:30PM to find Aimee scrubbing pots and pans (the ones in the far back of the cupboard) with a vehemence I have rarely seen.  And although we both believe in the benefits of a well-stocked pantry, having enough to fill our backyard bunker until Y3K is a little excessive.

So as it turns out, I’ve had to take my own advice from my previous post on helping, and chip in to do the things that need to be done. Aimee is growing our third child; I’m more than happy to pick up the slack so she can give every ounce of energy to this pregnancy.

Here are some examples of ways that our family is coping with this gestational malady. Perhaps you’re experiencing something similar – a sick spouse, a deadline, or a shift in priorities. If so, here are a few ways to team up with your spouse to equally share the household load.

Stock Food

During the Christmas holidays, we got out our biggest pot, and made a huge batch of spaghetti sauce/chili, which we portioned out and froze.  Along with some stews, coconut chicken curry, lasagnas, and pot pies, we have 25 meals stocked away in our chest freezer.

These easy meals will only need a fresh tossed salad and warm loaf of crusty bread to become instant meals for the weeks ahead while we adjust to a newborn. Although Aimee conceptualized and oversaw the production of those meals, I did much of the legwork and washed every dirty dish.

Lists, lists, lists.

Aimee is a FANTASTIC list maker.  Me – not so much (but I’m getting better at it every day). I try to anticipate what needs to be done, but it helps to have a list.

If I have a list of stuff that she wants done, I can ensure that any “heavy lifting” ones are crossed off before she gets to them. With that crazy nesting instinct, things can’t just sit on her list, because she’s driven to do them.  I need to ensure that I’m just one step ahead.

Also, lists come in handy when you’re stocking the food mentioned above so that you know what you have left once you start drawing from your reserves.

Communicate

This probably should have been the first one listed, but they’re all so important.  Communicate verbally.  Send emails.  Write lists.  Draft plans. Schedule the week. Review all of the above.  Together.

Plan

We never know when the little one will come, so we’re planning on having all the main stuff done by early February (and hopefully that’s early enough!).  If we wait until the last minute, it probably won’t be the end of the world – after all, we’ve already been through this twice before.  But for that exact same reason (we have 2 boys now), our family isn’t quite as flexible.  The kids are going to have to eat at some point – and I’ll probably be in charge of that.

Actually, Aimee once mentioned that she wouldn’t have time to spoon-feed them at the table if they were taking too long to eat at our family meals.  The boys look of concern was genuine as they both heard: Mommy is not going to feed us anymore once the baby comes.

I guess that’s what daddy’s for.

Do you have any suggestions to help us manage this delicate time in our lives?

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CURRENT SPONSORS:

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A few weeks ago, bits and pieces about a project called #Unprocessed filtered through my Twitter stream – my main source for all things hot and newsworthy – and seeing that they were mainly initiated by @eatingrules, or Andrew Wilder, I just had to follow up and see what the buzz was about.

I was glad I did. I came across Andrew’s challenge to his readers – to go a whole month without eating processed foods – and I was instantly motivated to take part. After signing my name to the pledge, I started clicking around some of the posts from October Unprocessed 2010 (yes, this is an annual event) and was fascinated by the guest posts, testimonials and stories that arose from the challenge.

I knew I had to share the #Unprocessed challenge with my readers. After all, I can’t have all the fun in October by myself now, can I?

What is the Unprocessed Challenge?

Andrew of Eating Rules is a terrific guy with a fantastic message about healthy food. We met briefly at BlogHer Food in the spring and I am is constant awe of his drive and super impressed with his story.

His goal behind the October Unprocessed challenge is to try and get as many people as possible off of processed foods and eating whole, healthier foods on the month of October. The thought behind this goal is to show people that they will ultimately feel better after the challenge – and hopefully be inspired to improve their long term eating habits.

What are the ‘rules‘?

“Unprocessed food is any food that could be made by a person with reasonable skill in a home kitchen with readily available, whole-food ingredients.” – Andrew Wilder.

Sounds do-able, right? After all, we’re already on the whole food track here at Simple Bites. This just means no cheating. Like, none.

My October Unprocessed

I’m showing my support of Andrew’s cause with a one-week unprocessed challenge for my whole family. Perhaps we’ll continue for the rest of the month, year, that remains to be seen, but we are starting with one week because I’m confident we can do at least that.

October holds travel (I’m speaking at Blissdom Canada), a holiday (Canadian Thanksgiving), and lots of other situations where a no-cheating, strictly-unprocessed diet might not be feasible.

Plus there is the small matter of my pregnancy to think of. Since my last update, I still have not gained a pound (or an ounce, for that matter) and my doctor is becoming quite stern about the whole situation. As I’m in my fifth month, she wants to see at least a pound a week of weight gain. For me that is going to require plenty of cheese, ice cream, Montreal bagels, and more of those decidedly ‘processed’ foods.

What You Can Do

Enthused? Excited? Here are seven steps you can take to join October #Unprocessed.

1. Sign the petition. And join 450 1294  2100 others as you do so.
2. Discuss the challenge as a family.
3. Set a goal. Three days? A week? The whole month?
4. Make a menu plan.
5. Blog about it and add a badge to your site.
6. Follow the #Unprocessed hashtag on Twitter.
7. Read Eating Rules for daily updates and tips in October. (Look for my guest post on October 7!)

Homemade granola & fruit-bottom yogurt. Photo by Cheri

#Unprocessed Menu Plan

Being the organizer that I am, of course I’ve been working on a menu plan for #Unprocessed week. A proper menu plan is a live saver on an average week, and completely essential for a busy family of 4 1/2 during the Unprocessed challenge.

A menu plan will help you stock your pantry, figure out your meal options, facilitate a one-stop shop, and finalize your October unprocessed challenge. It’s a vital step in succeeding with this project.

I’m posting my menu a week early (we start next Monday) in hopes that it might inspire you in your unprocessed challenge. Perhaps once you see that it’s not such a scary, ‘out there’ project, you’ll draft up a shopping list of your own and join in on the fun.

Here is my October Unprocessed Dinner Menu Plan and below it, I’ll give my breakfast, snack and lunch ideas. This is a realistic menu plan for us, perhaps not as hard core as a Andrew would be, but it is only marginally different form how we normally eat, and this, I believe, will be the secret to our successful October Unprocessed.

Monday

• Homemade tortillas. The boys and I made and froze these already. I adapt Amber’s recipe with whole-grain flours.
• Refried beans. Diana’s delicious Frijoles Rancheros are the base for my refried beans.
• Garnish: tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, limes. Also, crème fraîche, which I’ve been making on my own. Marisa has some tips on making it from scratch.

Tuesday

• Sausages, grilled, locally-made, high-quality, nitrate and preservative free.
• Braised cabbage & leeks with apples.
• Perfect mashed potatoes, with crème fraîche and chopped chives.

Wednesday

• Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Mash, slightly adapted for October Unprocessed (no ketchup, etc)
• Green salad

Thursday

• Shrimp Fried Rice (brown rice) with egg, grated carrot and peas, possibly shredded napa cabbage. Adapting this recipe for the challenge.
• Garnish: green onion, crushed chillies, chopped peanuts

Friday

• Roast Beef
• Roast new potatoes
• Seasonal roasted vegetable.
• Yorkshire pudding, with whole grain flour

Saturday

• Roast chicken with root vegetables. Perfect one-pot meal.
• All-natural Apple Pie

Breakfast

Oatmeal, steel cut oats, fresh fruit, wholegrain toast & apple butter, homemade fruit bottom yogurt, granola, most of our usual breakfast items.

Lunch

• Homemade Yogurt & fresh fruit.
• Minestrone.
• French lentil soup with bacon.
• Roasted carrot soup.
• Apple & Bacon Frittata (adapted)
• Dinner leftovers.

Snacks

Dried fruit, homemade apple chips, granola bars, fresh vegetable crudite, nuts, cherry tomatoes, apples & other seasonal fruit, popcorn.

~ For more weekly menu plans, visit Menu Plan Monday. ~

Will you take the October Unprocessed pledge?

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With late summer produce so plentiful and affordable at the markets, it makes sense to stock up while the “going” is good. A recent chat with my mother about preserving garden vegetables turned me on to this idea for freezing blanched (lightly cooked) stir-fry vegetables in meal-sized portions.

The concept is simple – prepare and cook vegetables separately, then combine them and package in resealable freezer bags for use all winter long. (We covered this last summer when we preserved broccoli for the freezer.) While the texture of the reconstituted-from-frozen vegetables is missing the firm, toothsome quality of fresh, they still retain their flavor and color, and are by no means mushy.

Blanching Benefits

You may ask: why bother blanch the vegetables at all, as I’m just going to have to cook them later?  Here’s why:

1. Slows down enzymes. And I quote from the NCHFP: “Blanching slows or stops the action of enzymes which cause loss of flavor, color and texture.”
   
2. Preserve the color: If you just chop and freeze your vegetables without blanching first, they loose much of their vibrant color – something you want to preserve when you pull them out of your freezer in mid-February.
3. Wilts: Although they don’t completely lose their “crunch”, the blanching process does make the vegetables a little more “floppy”, which helps them to pack closer and thus take up less space in your freezer.
4. Time: By blanching your veggies now, you will save that extra time later when you need something quick to throw together.  And of course, the benefit of cooking them now is because they’re market fresh, and probably cheapest of the year.  It just plain-old makes sense to do it now.

Uses for Homemade Stir-fry Vegetable Packages

Stir-fry packages should not be thawed before using. Instead, add them directly to a hot wok and cook quickly, moving them around until they thaw and finish cooking.

Here are some ideas for your homemade stir-fry freezer packages:

• Add to sauteed shrimp and serve over rice noodles.
• Add to marinaded chicken strips and serve over rice.
• Add to sauteed beef or pork strips and wrap into a tortilla for a quick veggie-lovers fajita.
• Toss with pasta, top with cheese and bake for a vegetarian casserole.
• Toss with lemon zest and melted butter and serve as a side dish to supper.
• Stir-fry with tofu and serve up with rice.

Recommended stir-fry vegetables and blanching times:

• bell peppers – all colors :: 1 minute
• fresh green peas, sugar snap peas (plump pods), snow peas (flat pods) :: 1 minute
• zucchini (yellow/green) :: 1 minute
• broccoli, Chinese broccoli :: 2 minutes
• cauliflower, romanesco :: 90 seconds
• carrots, all colors :: 2 minutes
• fennel :: 2 minutes
• green/yellow wax beans :: 90 seconds
• parsnips :: 2 minutes
• baby bok choy :: 90 seconds
• asparagus :: 1 minute
• celery :: 2 minutes
• brussels sprouts :: 2 minutes

Freezer Stir-fry Packages: The Method

• 2 red bell peppers, washed and sliced
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 8 young carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 young yellow zucchini, washed and sliced
• 1 lb snow peas

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water thoroughly.
2. With the water rapidly boiling, blanch the vegetables, one variety at a time, for the recommended time suggested above.
3. Remove vegetables from water with a large spider and spread out on a tray or baking sheet to cool.
4. Once vegetables are completely cool and well drained, toss together gently with your hands.
5. Divide into meal-sized portions suitable for your family (I weighed mine into 1 lb portions) and pack into heavy-duty freezer bags. Press as much air out as possible and seal.
6. Place as flat as possible in the freezer, spreading the bags over lots of surface area so that they freeze as quickly as possible.

Yields: 5 – 1lb bags.

What would you use these stir-fry veggie packages for in January?

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My lazy summer mornings are about to come to an end. Oh, how I have enjoyed not having to hustle my kindergartner out the door with a lunch and a school bag during these summer months.

I’ve been pregnant for the entire summer and mornings have not been my forte. The kids come and jump on me and we snuggle and read in bed until their tummies start rumbling. Yes, summer has been sweet.

However, as I slowly move out of the first trimester (can I get a high five?!) I feel my strength returning, just in time for fall, school, and those action-packed school-day mornings.

Energetic or not, pregnant or not, I need to have a morning plan. In this post I’ll show you my strategy for providing nourishing breakfasts this fall and throughout the winter. It’s simple, organized, and cost effective, perfect for the next installment of our Eat Well, Spend Less series.

Back-to-School Breakfasts

Here’s the honest truth: we eat a hot breakfast every day. Cold cereal only shows up on the occasional camping trip or when Mama is out of town (as I have frequently been this year).We eat hot cereal because we genuinely prefer it over cold. Hot cereal is also far more nourishing, keeps us feeling fuller longer, and is much more affordable!

My boys eat a large breakfast, usually a bowl of oatmeal, polenta with maple syrup, or Red River/ 7-Grain cereal. A jar collection on the table holds our favorite toppings:

• wheat germ
• ground flax
• coconut flakes, unsweetened
• dried cranberries
• raisins
• chopped nuts
• honey
• granola

One or twice a week, I’ll alternate hot cereal with one of the following quick meals:

Granola & Yogurt. Sometime the yogurt is homemade and sometimes it isn’t, but the granola is always from scratch. We love our chai-spiced granola, but have also been playing around with Mark Bittman’s Crunchy Granola.

Muffins, made ahead and frozen. Why use any recipe other than my Best Ever Muffins, with their many variations? As these muffins freeze well, I’ll often make a batch on the weekend and freeze eight or so for a weekday morning.

Pancakes, made from my mix. If I’m lucky I’ll have a jar of our favorite Buckwheat Pancake Mix in the freezer. It’s perfect for turning out pancakes on Friday morning for a special someone.

Quick Egg Sandwich, with ham and cheese. Also known as a ‘non-supper’, this fast eggy sandwich keeps you going until lunch. Add bacon strips and a sliced tomato to round out the breakfast.

Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits, with or without cottage cheese. Cheri’s got a healthy breakfast wrapped up with this idea for breakfast parfaits. Add in any fruit you like, as well as chopped nuts and seeds.

Smoothies, usually with a handful or two of quick oats blended in for fiber. They’re a fast way to get dairy, fruit and fiber in the morning.

Baked Oatmeal (recipe below), a favorite of my children, this hearty breakfast can be mixed up the evening before and baked off fresh and warm in the morning. Drizzle with cream and top with fresh fruit for the perfect start to the day.

Recipe: Overnight Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

Adding a grated apple to the mix provided both sweetness and tang – and my boys can’t pick out the lumps of fruit! Quebec apples are plentiful and fresh all winter long and are my fruit of choice for breakfast.

Applesauce cuts down on the fat in the recipe and also adds more flavor. If maple syrup is scarce, substitute honey or agave syrup in its place.

ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 small apple, grated
• 1 1/4 cups organic milk
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats

method:

1. Butter a 2 quart baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients, except the oats.
3. Fold in oats and combine well.
4. Transfer mixture into the buttered baking dish and spread evenly around. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly on top of the oat mixture. Refrigerate overnight.
5. In the morning, preheat oven to 375°F (I have Danny do this when he gets up to shower). Unwrap oatmeal and place in oven. Bake for about 30 minutes until oatmeal is set and browned on top.
6. Serve hot with more milk or cream.

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Be sure to check out the other participating bloggers in our Eat Well, Spend Less series. For the duration of the week they will be adding their take on the back to school season.

• Alyssa from Kingdom First Mom :: Quick Suppers
• Carrie from Denver Bargains :: Quick Snack Ideas for a Busy School Year
• Jessica from LifeasMOM :: Tips for Packing Affordable School Lunches
• Katie from Good Life Eats :: Easy Recipes for Homemade Snacks
• Katie from Kitchen Stewardship :: Back to School with Food Allergies
• Mandi from Life Your Way :: Preparing for Busy School Weeks
• Shaina from Food for My Family :: The Art of Back to School Lunches
• Tammy from Tammy’s Recipes.

How do you start your school mornings?

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I‘ll bet that you didn’t expect to see homemade salad dressing as the top photo for a post about batch cooking, did you?

The term ‘batch cooking’ refers to dishes that are made in double or quadruple batches, and frozen for convenience. It usually refers to vats of chili, seas of lasagna, and spaghetti sauce by the gallon.

Here’s the thing. For me, batch cooking (and baking) applies to all aspects of feeding the family, not just hearty, ‘wintery’ main dishes. Summer is a busy time and I’m sure you don’t want to hang out forever in the kitchen any more than I do. Right? We want to get in there, be immensely productive, and then hit the beach with girlfriends. Or in my slightly less glamorous case, the plastic kiddie pool on the back lawn.

Batch cooking in summer allows you to get a leg up on dinner. These suggestions are not necessarily entire meals unto themselves, but all provide the base of wholesome -and delicious- summer fare. Last summer I introduced my warm weather batch cooking theory and covered ideas such as pizza dough, homemade pesto, and even a do-ahead dessert. Be sure to revisit that post for more inspiration!

Now we’ve just wrapped a series on frozen treats, but as everyone knows, man cannot live on popsicles and ice cream alone (although some of us would sure like to try), so here are few ideas for more substantial fare.

Cubed Fruit & Berries for Smoothies

Prep for smoothies and other frozen treats by washing, peeling and cutting fruit in large amounts. Freeze flat on a tray and then transfer to baggies or airtight containers. Store in the freezer for up to three months.

On hot summer afternoons, I’ll toss a handful of frozen fruit, a cup or two of yogurt, and a drizzle of honey in the blender for a fast, ice cold smoothie. Other add-in flavorings such as cinnamon, vanilla, buttermilk, or peanut butter are all optional, of course.

Stewed Pinto or Black Beans

Our family loves beans, even during the hot summer months. I’ll frequently cook up a big pot of pinto or black beans to have on hand for wrapping into Black Bean Burittos, forming into burgers, tossing into salad, or folding up in Frijoles Rancheros.

Beans are a perfect protein to simmer on the back burner during busy summer afternoons, enjoy for supper, and then parcel up to freeze for future meals. I freeze mine -with plenty of the cooking liquid- in airtight containers or jars for up to six months.

Spiced Taco Beef

For taco salad, campfire burittos, or family taco night, this is one protein that I keep around during the summer. It makes for quick and light dinners when we don’t want to overload on red meat. It’s also an affordable option as it stretches that organic beef to feed a few more mouths.

Recipe: Spiced Taco Beef

• 2 lbs organic ground beef
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano or 2 Tablespoons fresh, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons mild dried chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon salt

1. In a large cast iron skillet, heat olive oil, then add onions and garlic. Saute until soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from pan.
2. Add ground beef to the skillet and brown all over, using a sturdy spatula to break up the chunks. Drain of most of excess fat, but leave a little to help keep the meat moist.
3. When meat has browned for about five minutes, add sauteed onions and garlic and the remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine.
4. Add about 1/4 cup of water, reduce heat to low and allow to cook gently while the flavors meld together.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. if you like your meat spicier, add more chili powder or a dusting of cayenne.
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Package in airtight containers and freeze for later use.

Homemade Vinaigrette

As illustrated in the header photo, I like to keep an assortment of salad dressings around that I make from scratch. It’s mid-July and we’re eating a large salad every day, sometimes twice a day. That’s a lot of salad!

Having a stash of vinaigrette around means one less task for daily dinner prep; having an assortment means that no matter what salad I’m prepping, there’s always a complementary dressing.

Pictured at top: Lemon & Garlic Basic Vinaigrette, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Buttermilk Ranch with Dill, Maple Poppyseed Vinaigrette. Not only can you save money by making your own pantry staples like salad dressing, but I find they taste much better than processed dressings.

Recipe: Lemon & Garlic Basic Vinaigrette

• 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 large garlic clove, grated on a microplane
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. In a jar, combine all ingredients except the olive oil. Top with lid and shake well.
2. Add olive oil and shake again. Vinaigrette is ready to use or be stored for up to one week.

Photo by Poor Girl Gourmet

Braised Pork for Sandwiches

This braised pork shoulder is another favorite for summer dinners and perfect for serving company. It doesn’t require the oven, but slowly cooks in a Dutch oven on the back of the stove.

Once cooked and cooled, the pork can be shredded, tossed lightly with barbecue sauce and frozen in airtight containers. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then gently warm in a skillet with more barbecue sauce to keep it moist.

Homemade garlic-dill pickles make a perfect accompaniment, but I’ll leave that up to you!

Pie Crust

We’ve fallen hard for summer pies, but none of them would be possible without my monthly batches of Rich Pie Crust that are made, wrapped and stashed in the freezer.

The task of pie for dinner -er,dessert- seems much less daunting when one can pull the crust from the freezer in the morning for an afternoon pie-making party. I say, head for the nearest u-pick and stock up on berries for those summer pies!

Marinated Meats for Grilling

Our meat consumption drops off dramatically over the summer months, so I can’t say that I marinate chicken breasts and pork chops by the dozens. However, I know this is a great system for many and can definitely understand the convenience factor.

Visit Jessica over at Life as Mom for her snappy chicken in marinades with three different marinade recipes and instructions on freezing.

How does batch cooking help you contribute to dinner?

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Marché is French for ‘market’, and one of the early words my three-year-old picked up, even though we’re an English speaking household. The open markets in and around Montreal are a pretty big part of our food shopping routine, hence Mateo’s early handle of the French word.

Shopping – conscientious, intentional shopping – is an integral part of eating well while managing to spend less.

Today, in our final post of the Eat Well, Spend Less series, I want to talk about how I stock my kitchen from bottom to top. I’ve already covered homemade pantry staples and frugal dinners in this series, but the ingredients for all that cooking and baking don’t just materialize on their own.

Food shopping is as particular and unique to each home as is their cooking style, taste preferences and health goals. My particular approach may not work for you, but I am confident I can offer a few nuggets of wisdom to help you get the most bang for your buck.

Now, what I am about to divulge might shake things up a little: I don’t use coupons. Go ahead, wag your finger, but just don’t stop reading!

Yes, coupons might be the first trick that comes to mind when contemplating ways to save money while stocking the fridge, but then one would have to shop at the supermarket to use those coupons. On a usual shopping outing, the supermarket is the last stop of the day – and I often don’t even need to stop.

So where do I buy our groceries? Let’s take a little city tour, shall we?

Diver-’City’: My Selective Shopping Solution

As a resident of one of the top cities in the North American food scene, I am fortunate to have a wealth of ingredients at my fingertips. Spices from a top quality spice merchant, local cheeses, apples by the bushel, and, of course, pure maple syrup are just a few of the choice local ingredients that reside in my pantry.

Because I have options for shopping, I don’t have to stick to the supermarket. Quite the contrary, in fact.  Sitting down to write this post really made me realize how much I jet all over town (and country) to get what I need.

I am convinced, however, that the savings I make when purchasing from the source, far outweigh the time (and gas) spent in seeking the items out. Not to mention the selection offered is wider and the quality of the ingredient are generally much better.

Here is a breakdown of eight places we go to get our food in a typical month.

1. City markets

Montreal is fortunate to boast several year-round public markets which showcase the best products our province has to offer. I live just outside of the city, so in the summer months I also shop at roadside stands and farmers’ markets.

Grocery List Items: Local fruit and vegetables, honey, cheese, organic meat, bread, cured meats, and much more.

2. Costco

My husband ‘converted’ me to Costco. And it wasn’t an easy reform. I loathed the cold approach to shopping the warehouse offered, but Danny, ever the numbers guy, proved to me just how much we could save by buying certain items in bulk. We frequent Costco probably twice a month.

Grocery List Items: organic milk, coffee beans, olive oil, butter, eggs (for now), organic dried fruit, chocolate chips, some organic grains and more.

3. Local Farms

I’ll admit we’ve been lax in discovering local farms that sell directly to the customer, but with a wide variety of farmers represented at the city markets, we are still tapping the local .

It’s not summer without berry picking and an autumn doesn’t pass without several trips to the apple orchards – those farms, at least, are taken advantage of. We also buy half a cow every fall from a small producer we know. We actually visit the farm and pick out the cow; that young Angus on the right? Yep, he inspired an entire series once.

Grocery Items Sourced: Organic beef, cheese, lamb, berries, apples, squash, and more.

4. Ethnic Shops

Again, Montreal has a rich ethnic diversity and we have the shops to prove it. From the smallest Chinatown corner store to the near-Costco sized Kim Phat – these are the places to get basement prices on international ingredients.

Grocery List Items: rice, soy sauce, fish sauce, hoisin, rice paper, noodles of all kinds, tofu, bones for stock, coconut milk, and much more.

5. Health food store

Tau is our chain of health food stores, like a small version of Whole Foods. As it is one of the only “all organic” stores around town, prices are a bit steep, so we shop conscientiously for those critical items we can’t get elsewhere.

Grocery List Items: baking staples, grains, organic ‘dirty dozen‘ produce, natural sweeteners, and more.

6. Supermarket

While I’ll admit to an occasional Sunday night “blitz” for the upcoming week’s menu (due to lack of planning – yep, it happens!), I try to avoid the supermarket as much as possible. Why? It won’t offer the best produce, ethnic ingredients will have sky-high prices, and processed food is rampant. Reasons to avoid supermarkets are a post in themselves (or, if you’re Michael Pollan, a book).

Grocery List Items: sour cream, yeast, some baking ingredients, fresh baguettes.

7. Specialty Shops

Montreal is known for its bagels, so why bother buying the sugary, doughy supermarket versions when I can stop off at St-Viateur and get a couple dozen straight out of the wood burning oven? Bagels are just one specialty item that I am willing to drive out of my way for.

Grocery List Items: bagels, spices, tortillas, coffee beans, SAQ (our local liquor monopoly)

8. Homegrown

We are working towards having our own garden produce and fresh eggs. Hopefully in a matter of weeks it will be a reality! Since we recently moved to the third acre we now call home, we are starting from scratch, and as anyone with a garden will concur, these things don’t happen overnight.

Everything in good season.

The Equation

If there was an equation that could quantify how to best do your shopping, while factoring in the extra time to shop at multiple places (time is money), the extra gas dollars spent getting there, but also the increased quality of food as well as the savings – then I’m sure it would rank right below Angry Birds on the App Store.

Although not for everyone, there are ways to make selective shopping work for you. Do you have the time it takes to visit a butcher, bakery, ethnic corner store and the farmers market each week? If you (or hubby) can incorporate it into your day, or make it a weekend outing, then this could be possible for a family with two working parents.

Do you have the means of transportation to get around? Groceries get heavy fast, which can limit foot travel. Is it realistic to cross town to get condiments from Chinatown?

If you can

• a) source the cheapest versions of your grocery staples
• b) take the time to gather them from their various locations and
• c) easily transport them back to your kitchen

then you are going to be eating well and spending less.

Dollars and Cents

We spend about $150 per week on groceries. I’ll be the first to say that, yes, it is somewhat high for a modest family of four, but here are a few reasons why we are willing to spend that much.

I entertain frequently, everything from casual lunch play dates to parties of up to 50 people. I also cook for others often, participate in bake sales and church social events, and edit two food blogs. It all adds up!

In fact, considering the amount of food that passes though my kitchen, $150/week is actually a fairly low number. Certainly, selective shopping helps keep it as low as it is, as well as these ten ways to conserve grocery coin.

We eat out perhaps twice a month, never order take-out, and watch our ‘impulse buys’. If we didn’t take care, those three actions could quickly gouge the budget.

Shopping Tips for Saving Money and Sanity

• Make a List. And don’t leave home without it! I keep a running list in plain view and add items as they are close to being depleted. Sticking to a list helps avoid impulse buys as well as ensures you only purchase what you need for the week and no more. Less waste means more money in your pocket.
• Stock Up. A well-stocked pantry means less shopping trips, inspiration for last-minute meals and helps maintain a diet of healthy, natural food. You wont go ordering take-out if you have the fixings for a great meal in your pantry.
• Don’t Rush. Admittedly a hard rule to follow when were all so busy, but when I slow down during a shopping trip, I am able to correctly cross-check prices, read and understand labels, select properly ripened produce, and spot the shrinking packaging scams.
• Bring those Reusable Bags. Its embarrassing to admit, but upon a recent tally, I discovered I owned twenty-one reusable bags – and I still occasionally forget to bring them with me on shopping trips. Doh!

Final Tip: Read flyers online

Just because I don’t use coupons and check grocery store flyers, doesn’t mean they aren’t helpful to many, many people. But here’s my tip: read flyers online!

I detest the flyers that pile up outside my door. At Smartflyer Canada you can shop coupons for your city, just head to the grocer & drink section and pick the store. Also Taya over at Simply Frugal brings Canadians the best freebies, coupons, shopping deals and money saving tips daily.

Have a question about my grocery shopping strategy? Ask away! Feel free to offer your own tips as well.

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The second week of our Eat Well, Spend Less series brought a wealth of tips and helpful  suggestions to reach our goal of spending less on groceries, while still eating well.

I’m learning tons from the eight other bloggers that I have teamed up with on this series. It’s obvious that these ladies have the task of feeding their families down to a science and I can’t wait to share the round up from Week 2 with you!

On Monday I listed my top five favorite frugal meals and shared a recipe for a Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Mash for my contribution to Eat Well, Spend Less. Let’s take a look at the topics the other girls covered this week, and then I’ve got a one-time-only offer for you at the bottom of the post.

5 Frugal Meal Ideas

from Alyssa of Kingdom First Mom.

“I am convinced that soup is one the biggest restaurant rip-offs. Wanna know a trade secret? “Soup-of-the-Day” is often just repurposing the previous days’ leftovers. You can make an entire pot of soup at home for less than the price of one bowl in a restaurant. If you keep stock and veggies on hand, you have soup. I resisted making my own soups for years until I realized just how easy and frugal it really is. We enjoy it year round!”

Alyssa shares her rock-solid strategies for making meal-time a success as well as five of her family’s favorite frugal meals.

Read the post at 5 Frugal Meal Ideas.

Recipes From The Pantry

from Carrie of Denver Bargains.

“For me, the key to cooking frugally is to be willing to experiment: there aren’t very many recipes in my house that are set in stone. I try not to let the lack of one or two ingredients keep me from making a meal, so I often experiment with different substitutions! Sometimes we find that the experimenting leads to new favorite dishes; other times we learn we really prefer the “old way” better.”

Carrie then lists five meals that she finds to be very versatile and can be made primarily from ingredients she keeps in the pantry.

Read the post at Recipes From The Pantry.

Meal Planning: 5 Meals to Help You Eat Well, Spend Less

from Jessica of Life as MOM.

I have a few go-to meals that my family enjoys but that don’t cost a lot of money. They are simple meals that are filling when times are tight, but they can also be dressed up deliciously when the budget is a little looser.
One of the tricks that I’ve found to make simple, inexpensive meals more palatable is to make sure that there’s a little “extra” involved to make the meal fun.

Jessica shares how to save time, money AND sanity, and also lists five frugal meals, each with their own ‘extra’.

Read the post at 5 Meals to Help You Eat Well, Spend Less.

Pantry Meals to Keep the Budget on Track

from Katie G of Good Life {Eats}.

“I’ve found that I can be pretty resourceful when it seems that there is “nothing” in the house to eat. In reality, there’s quite a lot when you take a look through the pantry items. Very few of us actually have “nothing” in the house. The only thing that can get you out of making dinner is ordering take-out, and doing that regularly isn’t easy on your body or wallet. Dinner is just something we have to do.”

Katie shares some of her favorite budget recipes for breakfast, dinner and dessert from the pantry.

Read the post at Pantry Meals to Keep the Budget on Track.

Five Frugal Must-Have Real Foods

from Katie K of Kitchen Stewardship.

“Making some foods from scratch saves a couple bucks. Making other foods from scratch saves a couple cents. Your job, as a good kitchen steward, is to figure out the difference. Unless you have the luxury, like I do as a Type A stay-at-home-mom, of working your behind off making literally everything from scratch, it’s vital to run a cost-benefit analysis to prioritize.”

Katie also shares five expensive foods that jack up your budget, some which you may not even think about.

Read the post at Five Frugal Must-Have Real Foods.

Menu Plan Monday: Eat Well, Spend Less Edition

from Mandi of Food…Your Way.

“This week, rather than sharing my actual meal plan for the week, I’m sharing my favorite “budget meals” for eating well on a budget! As it turns out, inexpensive and easy tend to go hand-in-hand (in our house, at least).”

Mandi’s go-to frugal meals will leave you hungry. Be warned!

Read the post Menu Plan Monday: Eat Well, Spend Less Edition.

When Two Meals Become Five

from Shaina of Food for My Family.

“In our house, we often start by planning two main meals for the week and building from there. We aim to plan five total meals each week, leaving some room for flexibility. Flexibility is key when you have two working parents and four kids, each with their own schedule for life. Those five meals are intended for Monday-to-Friday consumption, though they have been known to creep into the weekend here and there. Weekend meals are generally whatever we have left that needs to be cleared out of the fridge: makeshift quesadillas and wraps, leftovers or something that will end up on the blog that is separate from the meal plan.”

Shaina lists several ways she gets the most bang for her buck, plus a clear look at how she plans the meals for the week.

Read the post When Two Meals Become Five.

5 Favorite Frugal Meals

from Tammy of Tammy’s Recipes.

“I’ve found that regularly serving meals that we like that are affordable is the easiest way for me to stay within budget at the grocery store.”

Tammy lists her family’s top five frugal staples and gives tips on sourcing and preparing them.

Read the post 5 Favorite Frugal Meals.

BONUS! The Everything Beans Book Discount

Katie from Kitchen Stewardship is offering a special discount on The Everything Beans Book for the Eat Well, Spend Less series. I been cooking a-plenty from Katie’s book (which I reviewed not too long ago) and it is certainly helping me stay on budget.

HEAD HERE to get your discounted copy of The Everything Beans Book, and use coupon code LESSSPEND to get 40% off the list price of $9.95 through Friday, April 15 at noon!

Don’t miss this great sale. Remember, it ends tomorrow at noon!

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Tattler - reusable, BPA-free canning lids.
• Relish! - Time.Food.Life.
• Plan It Don't Panic - A complete meal planning resource.
• Real Food on a Real Budget - Good frugal food.

© 2010-2011 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Bites subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.

Our recent Q&A on sympathy meals received a tremendous response. Thank you to all who took the time to share your experiences with either giving or receiving meals. It was very, very interesting to read your comments and I took note of all the questions. I hope to answer them in this follow-up post.

We agreed that there are people in need all around us, and a small gesture like giving a meal can be a blessing both to giver and receiver. In fact, by the sounds of things, lives were very nearly saved just because a meal -or series of meals- was received during a time of need.

It was interesting that many more readers had given a meal than accepted one. Those who had been recipients spoke passionately about how touched they were and how helpful it was to be given a practical gift, in lieu of flowers. And there was another theme – the food that was brought is the best, or very near to the best, food that they had ever eaten. I’d have to agree with that one, too.

Plenty of questions also arose, all of them extremely pertinent. When is the best time to deliver a meal? What about allergies? Should a casserole be pre-baked or not? Hot or cold? Frozen or fresh?

This post will highlight the best tips, helpful suggestions, and friendly advice on bringing meals to others. Hopefully you will be encouraged to look around and reach out to people in your community through a hot meal.

Get the recipe for Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese.

Make it a Main Meal

What is best to bring a family dealing with illness? A girlfriend on bedrest? The couple that moved in next door?  Well, cookies, muffins and other treats are all wonderful, but in most situations, what are really needed are nourishing main meals, especially if there are children in the family. Snacks can only go so far; a hearty stew, a comforting lasagna – these are the dishes that will benefit your recipient the most.

TIP 1: If you don’t enjoy cooking or think you won’t have the time, drop off a bag of groceries instead with some ready-to-eat foods such as bread & cheese, cut vegetables and fruit, or perhaps a nice meat pie from your favorite bakery.

TIP 2: Consider a dinner invitation to your home, instead of bringing over a meal. Perhaps good company and a break from the house is what some folks really need.

Get the recipe for Quebec Pork Pie

Practical advice for making & delivering meals

When I know of a family or individual who could benefit from a home cooked meal there is a natural progression of steps that I usually take to bring them food. Each home situation is unique, and my relationship with the person varies, so these are not hard and fast rules, but more suggestions to consider.

Communicating

If I feel the family can be disturbed, I’ll call directly to communicate about meals. If I don’t want to bother them, I’ll speak to a close friend or relative.

1. First I let them know that food is on the way. I don’t give them an option, because many times people will protest that they don’t need it, even if they do. (We’ll talk about rejection below.)
2. I inquire about allergies, strong aversions and special diets (especially if a family member is sick, or the mother is breastfeeding).
3. I ask about timing. When will they be home? Will they eat the meal that night? Freeze it?

Cooking

It’s important to put some thought into what you bring, but don’t stress over it. Take note of what has been communicated from the family as you plan your dish.

Reader Darienne of Cook. Play. Explore shares these excellent guidelines when she brings a meal:

• avoid common or serious allergens (never peanuts, for example) and foods people have strong opinions about (such as olives, fish)
• pack it in containers that don’t need to be returned, and be sure to note I don’t need them back
• make large servings of at least one thing that freezes well, in case they already have more than enough and want to save something for later
• include a detailed menu that lists ingredients (again, a nod to dietary issues) and explains how to reheat and how to store extras, if necessary
• include enough that would satisfy a somewhat fussy kid so the family hopefully won’t need to prepare something else for wee ones
• focus on fresh, healthy food with a modest sweet for dessert. I know some friends have felt inundated with cakes and pies!

Thanks for sharing, Darienne! Yes, specific directions on how to heat and serve the meal are essential.

Caring

Just like any act of service, there are always small ways to show you care. Here are a few.

1. Call ahead to let them know you are coming, then leave the food on the step. Folks may not necessarily wish you to come in a chat (and see their temporarily chaotic home). Be sensitive to that.
2. Skip the flowers and desserts and offer babysitting services instead. A note with an offer to babysit or take the kids overnight can be a priceless gift.
3. Reader Alissa says: “I also try to include a couple “extras” – jar of apple sauce, gallon of milk, boxed mac n’ cheese, box of crackers – to help stock the pantry/fridge.” It’s the small things that make the impact.

What are the best meals to bring?

Ideally, sympathy meals are:

• easy to transport
• easy to eat
• hold well
• freeze well

By hold well, I mean they can sit a day or two in the refrigerator without getting soggy, drying out or turning into something altogether nasty. They should require little to no assembly, shouldn’t be overly complicated to eat (think, one-handed breastfeeding mama), and at the very least, need to survive the trip over.

Types of suitable dishes include:

Soups & Stews: Chili of all types, hot nourishing soups, hearty stews and chowders.

Crockpot/Slowcooker meals: Spaghetti sauce, Pulled pork (accompanied with slaw, and buns), chicken cacciatore, chicken curry.

Savory Pies: Quebec meat pie, Chicken Pot Pie, Quiche, Steak Pie…

Casseroles: Lasagna, Macaroni & cheese, Tuna noodle casserole, Shepherd’s pie – turkey, beef or vegetarian…

Sauced Meals: Chicken Parmesan, Meatballs & Sauce, Ribs, Meatloaf..

**Be sure to check out my recipe round-up: Weekend Links Cooking for Others Edition.**

Websites to help you cook for others

• Food Tidings – A place to manage meals for your family & friends in need
• Take Them A Meal – A free online tool for coordinating the delivery of meals to someone in need.
• MealBaby – Meal registry made easy.

A Note about Rejection

Don’t be discouraged if your meal is occasionally turned down, nit-picked, or unappreciated. You have done your part in expressing love and caring. For whatever reason, some acts of kindness are not well received. Perhaps some folks have trouble accepting help,  and can’t see past the ingredients to appreciate the love that went into a dish.

On the flip side, please don’t ever refuse a meal! Accept it graciously, even if for some reason you can’t eat it. Accept the hug and the smile that comes with it, and appreciate that someone is thinking of you.

Still have questions? Leave them in the comments and we’ll discuss.

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Tattler - reusable, BPA-free canning lids.
• Relish! - Time.Food.Life.
• Plan It Don't Panic - A complete meal planning resource.
• Real Food on a Real Budget - Good frugal food.

© 2010-2011 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Bites subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.

A little blogging conference called Blissdom is happening in a few weeks in Nashville and I’m skipping the country to attend. I’ll also be skipping out on four days of laundry, lunch-packing and cooking. Woo-hoo!

Hmm, the last time I traveled internationally on my own? It was over a decade ago and included sights such as the alluring Tuscan countryside, Thailand’s best beaches, and the most memorable spice market in Istanbul, Turkey. This trip isn’t going to be quite as exotic, and I’ll be inside a sprawling hotel most of the time, but it provides the opportunity to meet some very dear food blogging friends, not to mention, the whole Simple Living Media team. I’m so excited!

Freezer Cooking

To make up for this mom-bloggers’ absence, I’ve been slowly stocking the freezer with meals for Danny to heat and serve to the kids for the five dinners I’ll be gone. Sure he knows his way about the kitchen, but we’ve agreed it is best for him to focus on our little ones as much as possible. I’m also stashing a few extra meals, because I know I’m going to need a couple days when I get back to connect with Blissdom alumni on Twitter get back on my feet.

We’ve talked about warm weather batch cooking, practical do-ahead ideas to help jump start dinner, but I haven’t shared some of our cold weather favorites. Like most families, we enjoy classics such as lasagna, stew, and –my boys current favorite– spaghetti & meatballs, but they do tend to get rather old though, wouldn’t you agree?

Today I’m giving suggestions for recipes that are suitable for freezing, adapt well to big batches, and provide a fresh take on family favorites. Macaroni & Cheese with vitamin-A rich butternut squash? Slow-cooker chili with a handful of chocolate chips? Homemade chicken fingers kept moist with buttermilk? It all sounds so good, I almost wish I was staying home to dine with the family. Almost.

Seven Do-Ahead Dinners for Winter

Photo by Guilty Kitchen

1. Buttermilk Chicken Strips

Chicken strips are a fast, healthy meal if done correctly, and this family-friendly version is a snap to bake up. If there are any left, freeze them for another meal or for topping a Caesar salad.

To reheat, simply preheat oven to 400°F, place frozen chicken strips on a baking rack set on a baking tray, and bake until heated through and crispy on the outside. Don’t forget the Honey Mustard Dip and a platter of chopped vegetables for the best finger food around.

2. Layered Taco Bake

This Mexican-inspired casserole contains all ingredients that my children currently love: beans, tortillas, cheese, and taco beef. The recipe is simple to expand so you can make one for dinner and one for the freezer. It bakes from frozen.

Serve the Layered Taco Bake with shredded lettuce, a few diced avocados or tomatoes, and sour cream, of course.

3. Tourtière (Québec Meat Pie)

Although it’s our Christmas Eve fare, this traditional Québec pork pie is enjoyed all winter long. With its lightly spiced ground pork layered between flaky pastry, tourtière is total comfort food, and needs nothing save a tossed salad or bowl of roasted vegetables to make a complete meal.

It can be frozen either before or after baking, and is reheated in the oven.

4. Roasted Carrot & Cilantro Soup with Whole Wheat Buttermilk Rolls

Not every meal needs to feature meat. During the winter, our weeknight suppers often consist of soup and bread. A favorite of ours is this vibrant roasted carrot soup, which also freezes quite well in small batches and can last up to three months in a deep freeze.

Warm buttermilk rolls (baked any old way) and a wedge of firm cheese round out the meal.

5. Cider Braised Pork Shoulder with Tangy Barbecue Sauce

It’s hard to remember that this is a frugal meal, especially when your piling the tender, shredded pork on a bun and topping it with a dark, homemade barbecue sauce.

• To freeze: toss pulled pork with a light coasting of BBQ sauce to help keep it moist and then freeze.
• To serve: thaw meat overnight in the refrigerator, then warm gently in a saucepan, adding more BBQ sauce if it seems dry. Do not boil.

Serve Cider Braised Pork Shoulder on a bun with a tart Roasted Beet and Pickled Golden Raisin Salad on the side to help balance out the rich pork.

6. Butternut Squash Whole-Wheat Mac & Cheese

This recipe is surprisingly healthy for mac & cheese, as it incorporates nearly an entire squash and uses whole-wheat egg-white pasta for a substantial yet low-cholesterol meal. I love this dish because it feels like a hearty main dish even though it is meatless, plus the kids get a serving of vegetables in their favorite meal!

To Freeze:

• Prepare the butternut squash mac & cheese recipe in full, but stopping just before baking.
• Wrap entire pans tightly in plastic wrap, mark with the date, and flash freeze.
• To reheat, remove wrapping and place in a 350°F oven. Bake until heated through and bubbly around the edges.

7. Chocolate Chip Chili with Cheddar Skillet Cornbread

This hearty one-pot wonder comes together looking like a bit of a mess, but after 4-5 hours in a low oven or 6-7 hours in a slowcooker, the final result is remarkably presentable! If you are a fan of batch cooking, this chili freezes beautifully and I might even go as far as to say it improves with age.

This recipe offers everything we love about chili, but is a welcoming change from the usual Super Bowl sludge. It has plenty of textures, thanks to the sausage as well as ground beef, and is completely satisfying in the most substantial way.

And for the chocolate-chips? They added another dimension of flavor and complement the chilies superbly. Plus, they make a great sell to the kiddos, who often request ‘Chocolate Chip Chili’.

Note: Sometime I like to add frozen sweet corn to the chili, for an extra bite of sweetness. The chili in the photos contains corn.

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Chili with Sausage

• 5oog sweet Italian sausages
• 1kg lean ground beef
• 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed chillies (or less, if your children are very young)
• 1 medium can tomato purée
• 3 x 400g cans red kidney beans, drained
• 3 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 2 cups water
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F or prepare a crock pot.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof pan (with lid) and add ground beef. Remove sausages from their casings and add to the pot also. Brown both meats on medium heat, using a sturdy wooden spoon to break them up.
3. Add onion and garlic, cook for a few minutes until soft, then add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon and dried chillies. Stir well to combine.
4. Stir in the tomato purée and chopped tomatoes. Add the water and bring the chili to a boil.
5. Once it’s started bubbling, sprinkle the chocolate chips and the kidney beans over the chili, and give it a good stir.
6. At this point you can transfer it to a crock pot or slow cooker for up to 7 hours or put on a lid and transfer to the oven for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Season with salt & pepper before serving.

Yields about 3 quarts of chili.

Serve with your favorite toppings which may include any combination of the following: green onion, cheddar cheese, avocado, sour cream, or tortilla chips.

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What is simmering on the back of your stove during this chilly month?

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Tattler - reusable, BPA-free canning lids.
• Relish! - Time.Food.Life.
• Plan It Don't Panic - A complete meal planning resource.
• Real Food on a Real Budget - Good frugal food.

© 2010-2011 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Bites subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.