Getting dinner on the table EVERY SINGLE NIGHT can be challenging enough...but when your kitchen is a disaster -- it's at least twice as hard!  Never fear, Shelley from OneRoastVegetable.com to the rescue!

Shelly's hosting a FREE teleclass where she'll actually walk you through organizing your kitchen -- right there on the phone!  

Just imagine what you could get done with a little support and motivation.

So go sign up for it RIGHT NOW at:  http://www.OneRoastVegetable.com/teleclass.htm

And while you're there, get her incredible FREE Roast Vegetable Salad instructions as well. You can get that at  www.OneRoastVegetable.com

Enjoy!

As you may know, I love food! I have more cookbooks than one person should be allowed to own by law!

But as much as I love food, and cooking and cookbooks,  you may also know that I don't LOVE planning out meals every week.

And yet...when I don't plan out my meals for the week, I find that we eat too much junk, and spend too much money on "quick" food. 

 That's why one of my all-time-favorite solutions for busy moms is to subscribe to an online menu-planning service. For a small fee these services will deliver premade meal plans & shopping lists RIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL INBOX every week. No More "What's for Dinner?!?" crisises at 4:30 in the afternoon.  Just print out the shopping list and go to the grocery store on the weekend (or whenever you do your shopping). Then follow the meal plan and you'll be prepared for the week!

I'll get right to the point -- one of the best menu planning services is having a half-price sale and I URGE you to take advantage of it!  

MenuPlanningCentral  offers  more value than most of the online menu planning services out there. Instead of one type of menu, this program offers three (one family friendly, one healthy menu, and one vegetarian) – enough of each type for one entire month.

You also get a special monthly report (with past products archived), covering different  culinary topics  - such as grilling or Mexican - expert advice, videos, a community forum, and a "menu maker" service for even MORE personalized options - coming soon.  

Menu Planning Central usually costs $19.97 to join and then $19.97/month  (and it is worth it at that price!) but if you sign up before the end of January, you can join for only $9.97 and then pay only $9.97 per month for as long as you choose to remain a member. 

You'll definately want to check this one out at: http://www.solutionsforbusymoms.com/menuplanningforbusymoms.

Just sign up for their terrific freebies...and then you'll be taken to a page where you can learn more and sign up  for pre-made dinner plans, complete with shopping lists, and more for just 9.97!  

When we were new moms, we all heard it said at least once, "Babies don't come with instruction manuals, you know"

But that didn't stop us!  We STILL bought every baby book, hoping for a magic manual, or combination of manuals, to help us get motherhood right, and demystify the learning process of that first year.

As our kids grew, we never stopped reading those parenting books, searching for solutions...

And if you are 'domestically challenged' like me,  you probably also kept reading books and magazines, trying to figure out how to keep your home neat, clean and clutter free.  

If you grew up with household help, like I did, you may have also  assumed, that one person should handle pretty much everything related to housekeeping -- and never got your husband to help or taught your kids to pick up after themselves.

And if you're anything like me, you ended up hating the housework and, yes, a little bit resentful of your family (Even though it wasn't their fault -- they were behaving the way YOU trained them to.)

If you're anything like me, you kept searching and searching for "solutions" that "magic bullet" to make managing it all (almost) effortless! You kept looking for the "Missing Mom Manual"  You watched videos, joined flylady, read books on housekeeping and organizing -- and not much changed. You were seeking something that would make homekeeping so simple that it would just "CLICK" into your life (and maybe you could even get your kids and hubby on board)...

And nothing ever "Clicked"

Until now...

Ladies, I started to tell you about this the last time I posted...

And I am still doing a bit of work on it...

But I am so excited that I just wanted to tell you...

Relax Mom. The search is over. I think that I have FOUND "The Missing Mom Manual"   That ONE book, that ONE system, that we should ALL be handed the day our chilldren are born.

You all know how I love to find and share solutions -- and  I don't take that job lightly either.   When I say I have found something this good...I really mean it!

This is  NOT another baby book.  Rather it will help us manage our home and familes, much more easily  THROUGHOUT OUR ENTIRE LIVES.

And I am PROUD to bring it to you...

In my next post!

I know it's only September, but do you feel stuck in a 'lunch rut' already?

If you pack your kids lunches (which probably is the healthier way to go, unless your live in an 'enlightened' school district)  you know it's not easy to keep coming up with healthy, interesting lunches that you're child will love.

I was stuck in a lunch rut for a long time, until I found The Visual Guide: How Make a Healthy Lunch for Kids. This 90 minute DVD walks you through making a healthy, fun kids lunch step-by-step. You'll get so many ideas, you'll never get stuck in a rut again, and your kids will love opening up their lunchbox.  

Don't worry, these ideas are not fancy or exotic, they are simple ways to make food fun again that really don't take much extra time at all.  (Really, I mean it. I'm a busy mom too!)

As an added bonus, my son (Mr. Picky Eater) loves just WATCHING  this video, over and over again and it makes him want to try new foods!   

If you visit their website, you'll see a brief video with previews of what you'll find in the DVD so you can get a better idea of if this video is for you.  But I do highly recommend it!

Check it out at:  http://www.solutionsforbusymoms.com/healthylunchdvd
 

Crockpot cooking can be a terrific solution for a busy mom. Just pop the ingredients in the pot in the morning and, as Ron Popiel would say, "Set it and Forget it" 

The problem is...for vegan and vegetarian families...There are SO MANY crockpot cookbooks out there -- and SO FEW for vegetarians and vegans.

I love the idea of crockpot cooking, but if I see one more recipe for "vegetarian chili" or "vegetable soup"  as the only vegetarian options, I'm going to burn that crockpot book!

Usually, when I'm stuck, I turn to the internet for recipes, but even there I see the same vegetarian crockpot recipes  repeated over and over...

But never fear, your SolutionDIVA is here. (Oh...how cheesy is that?!?)

First of all, I recently found ONE and ONLY ONE website with some unique vegan/vegetarian crockpot recipes. So Check it out here (It's free! Yay!)

But if you want even more than that, check out the vegan/vegetarian slow cooker books I have listed here.  They are hard to find, but worth a good look. I particularly like  Fresh From The Vegetarian Slow Cooker By Robin Robertson.

And remember that the Glorious One-Pot Meal Method that I reviewed here, is a great alternative to a crockpot as well. You can prepare the ingredients in the morning for a WHOLE meal in the pot, then just pop it in a very hot oven about 45 minutes before you want to eat. It works with all kinds of vegetarian protiens.