You know what I have a talent for? I have great skills at taking recipes that probably should be good for you and turning them into something not so much. Take this Saucy Chicken and Spinach recipe. The first time I made it my intention was to just do a simple baked chicken with tomatoes and spinach. Then the next time I decided that it needed a sauce of some sort, and of course, a cheesy sauce was absolutely what it needed. At least I didn’t take it one step further and suggest it be served over pasta…(which would be really, really good, not that I’m recommending that or anything).

This Saucy Chicken and Spinach recipe is not the best for you, but it has some healthy elements… so don’t give up on it! It’s a tasty addition to your weekly menu plan and one of those recipes at least the grownups in your house will love. (2 out of 4 of my kids loved it…and my husband and I both love it). I think you’ll love it too!…

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When someone asks me what my favorite tip is to simplify mealtime, besides menu planning, my answer would be to let breakfast save dinner.

Breakfast saves dinner around our house quite often. In fact, even though I’ve been trying my hardest to stick to a weekly menu plan, there are times in our real life where a meal I have planned isn’t going to get made. Either I’m too tired or not in the mood for what’s on the plan or I just don’t want to cook something complicated…whatever it is it is nights like that where breakfast saves dinner. …

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We have been working hard here in the Dine & Dish household to lessen our environmental footprint. We have been taking small steps and are easing our way into the habits that will hopefully help our future generations to live in a thriving environment.

All this green business can be very confusing and it has taken us awhile to catch on. We are trying though and hopefully with our efforts we will continue to build an interest in our children about the significance of how an even small step can make a big impact.

• About a year ago, we purchased reusable fabric tote bags for our grocery shopping trips. 9 times out of 10, I forget to take them into the store, and only remember when I am checking out. So, I tell the clerk to just put my groceries in the cart and I will bag them at the car. When I do actually remember to take them into the store, I feel like I have accomplished something big that day. Yay for me… remembering my fabric tote bags.
• We have replaced almost all of our light bulbs with those ugly energy efficient compact florescent light bulbs. Why do they have to make those things so darn ugly? Still, I feel a little burst of pride every time I see my little ugly light bulbs.
• We have attempted to stop the junk mail. We get so much crap in the mail that immediately gets tossed (or recycled if applicable). Hubby doesn’t get to browse the Victoria’s Secret catalogs anymore, and I don’t dream shop out of the Pottery Barn catalog anymore. Sacrifices…I tell ya’.
• Recycle. We do recycle. Our town has a great curbside recycling program and they make it so simple to take part in recycling. It is a bit of a challenge among my family members to see who can recycle the most things during the day. Sometimes I’ll open things up just so I can win in the daily recycle race in our house. Shhhhh!
• Freecycle. How many of you know about Freecycle? This is the most fun I have ever had helping the environment. When I get on my decluttering binges, I almost always choose to Freecycle the items I am decluttering. Now, you do have to watch out for your serial Freecyclers/Freebie Hunters… those people who respond to each and every item you post. I can only imagine the fire hazard their homes are with all their freecycled goodies stashed around. The truth is, they are probably becoming millionaires Ebaying and Craigslisting all of the stuff they have received.
• Reuse. This is where I have to draw the line. My mother-in-law is probably the best “reuser” I have ever met. We will often drive up to the farm to find ziploc bags and tin foil hanging on the line to dry. She doesn’t have Tupperware. Instead, in her cabinets, you will find butter containers, sour cream containers, ice cream pails, etc. She hand washes all of her disposable flatware and plates. To do my part, we are trying to limit our use of disposable things. Napkins are now cloth, we try to not use disposable plates/flatware. I, however, cannot get into washing my tinfoil, plastic wrap and ziploc bags. Heathen as I am, I just can’t do it.

So there you have it… just a few of the small things we are doing to go green. We implement new things all the time. I know we aren’t as accomplished about this as some of you, but hopefully with each baby step we take, we are making a difference.

Speaking of green, I have to tell you about this meatloaf from the now infamous Table Talk Cookbook by Carol McManus. Yes, I’m still completely and totally loving this cookbook! Carol told me via email that she has been making this meatloaf to serve to her family for the past 25 years. This is a time tested recipe that I can now attest to being the very best meatloaf recipe I have ever tried. My children, who can be somewhat persnickety about hidden veggies, didn’t even complain about the “seaweed” in the meatloaf. In fact, I was preparing to sit down when my six year old said “Mom, you had better try this giant meatball. It is so good!”.

Go green. Green is good, people. Really good.

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Fresh Spinach Leaves, Washed and Spun Dry (I just use the pre-packaged bag of spinach)

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