My Microplane zester/grater is one of my favorite kitchen tools. It is perfect for grated cheeses, citrus fruit, fresh nutmeg, and more. It transforms a simple block of hard cheese, such as parmesan, into what the boys call "cheese snow!"
I love my Microplane tools and I want you to love them too. I am giving away 2 Microplane zester/graters to two Sweet Peas and Pumpkins readers:
To enter, leave a comment with your biggest weekday dinner challenge. I will choose two winners on Tuesday, August 24th at 9pm EST.
In the meantime, I am off to get ready for R's big back to school and 1st grade experience!
SPC
87 comments:
If by "challenge" you mean feeding a carivore husband, a 3yr old who only eats chicken and cereal, a newly self-feeding 9 month old, and myself the vegetarian, then I'd have to say the challenge is cooking 3 different meals a night! I usually end up too worn out to worry about myself and end up eating scraps.
My biggest meal challenge is finding dinners that are easy to make, use fresh ingredients and do not cost too much money to make. I guess I want it all: Fast, Healthy and Cheap, oh yea and Delicious!
I think my biggest challenge or challenges are getting a healthy meal on the table for a family of 6, all while helping the kids with their homework, keeping the lil ones at bay and getting everything out in a timely manner...Then when it's all done, it's time for clean up...I make big meals for dinner and the dishes and pots and pans are out of control so I'm trying to clean up, while preparing the next day, getting baths in and finishing up the nightly routine. I feel very overwhelmed as dinner is upon on. It's pretty exhausting.
Jaime
I leave for work by 6am and arrive home at 7:30pm. I like to have healthy cooked meals in the freezer that can be defrosted in the fridge and heated for dinner. My challenge is that I need ideas so that when I spend a day cooking and freezing it goes smoothly & the food is good for my husband & without mystery fatty ingredients!
The thing that gets me every summer is coming home from the pool just in time for dinner, the kids starved and me dripping wet. I know I could just leave the pool earlier, but that is the last thing I (or the kids) want to do. I think if I pre-cut and pre-measured everything, it would make it easier...but someone has to remind me to do that before 6:30pm Monday morning! ;)
Great giveaway!
My biggest weekday meal challenge is keeping my 18-month-old occupied, happy, and in view while I attempt to prepare a healthy and yummy meal.
My biggest challenge is serving meals that all five family members will eat. I struggle trying to get my 6-year old and 8 year-old to eat protein-rich foods. They're not big meat eaters, don't like beans or tofu, and I dislike relying on peanut butter sandwiches. Perhaps if I had one of those fancy tools, I could create appealing-looking (and tasty) meals everyone will like!
My biggest dinner challenge is trying to keep both ears on the four kids from my secluded kitchen post. Houses built in 1902 pre-date the "open floorplan."
My biggest challenge is stocking food and coming up with ideas to feed my family good nutritous dinners when i really enjoy the "white" diet......potatoes, cheese, pasta, etc.....if I only loved veggies too!!!
My biggest challenge is coming up with new and healthy meals. By the time I get home I am exhausted and have no creative energy .. I guess it all comes down to planning!
cheryl_429@hotmail.com
I have a challenge for you- I wonder if you could replicate the lemongrass chicken kashi frozen dinner. You turned me on to it years ago and I love it. But would love it more if I could make it myself. Thanks!
Gosh- my stove doesn't work so that's a challenge. My other challenge is cooking for my bf. I'm a pesto and sushi type of girl; he's a meat and potatoes type of guy .
Flyergal82 at (yahoo) dot com
My biggest meal challenge is getting the time to feed a dozen people meals that everyone like, 8month old up.
supergrand2009@yahoo.com
Time. I struggle with time. I have boatloads of good food ideas that will never come to fruition because I just don't have the time. And that breaks my little heart.
The challenge: giving a damn.
It's me and the husband. Evenings are when I go to yoga, and I can't make myself dig up any interest at all in even making a salad when I get home. I suppose that means we miss out on some togetherness time, but when it's just the two of us--even though we both work--finding time for date night isn't all that hard. The dog doesn't need a sitter.
My biggest challenge is getting everything done before I have to go to work. I have to be at work at 4:00pm so dinner has to be made before I leave.
hewella1 at gmail dot com
My biggest challenge is keeping the kids from bugging me in the kitchen so I can cook anything! I need a supper nanny.
My biggest challenge is getting my family to eat at the right time. When we eat at 5pm, they are hungry an hour later and snack for the rest of the evening. If we push it back to 6pm, they are starving and want snacks BEFORE dinner.
The hardest thing for me is breaking away from the summer fun that happens outside our neighborhood all afternoon to go inside and cook. I need something quick and easy that I can prepare easily early in the day and just throw in and cook right before we eat.
I think my biggest challenge is finding and fixing a variety of meals without meat in every one. We eat meat, just not in every meal.
biggest dinner challenge is keeping the kitchen from feeling like Hell's Inferno while I'm cooking. it's such a deterrent to know I'm going to be sweating just to fix dinner.
My biggest challenge is finding something healthy that my husband and toddler will eat!
My biggest challenge is finding something my whole family will like with one daughter being a vegetarian and the rest of us are carnivores!
We are following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info) due to my daughter's ulcerative colitis. My biggest dinner challenge is coming up with something easy and appealing. We seem to get a lot of the same thing, so variety is going to be my new goal.
susan (at) cravingthesavings (dot) com
My biggest challenge in making dinner is finding the energy to whip something up after a long and usually stressful day. Some days it's just easier to have cereal or tortilla chips.
My biggest challenge is trying to creatively feed my vegan friends (with food that I want to eat too)! Why won't they just give it up and eat cheese already? :)
My biggest challenge is not getting bored with the meals I make. It seems I keep falling back on a core group of recipes, burn out, try a bunch of new ones, half the family hates them, then I go back to the same recipes. Help!
My biggest dinner challenge is to find the motivation to cook something healthy as opposed to just making something quick and easy (like a frozen pizza).
mkzellmer@yahoo.com
My biggest challenge (weekday or otherwise) is picking a meal and closing the cook-book, web-page or magazine. I have way too many resources - and I end up thinking, no DREAMING of all things I could eat, and then end up making macaroni because I got lost in a land of delicious imagination and ran out of time to do anything else. That is always the biggest problem. The decision of what to do...
My biggest challenge is choosing something that my picky son and I can both enjoy. Thanks for the entry!
Oh dear. A CHALLENGE. Writing only ONE challenge is the challenge! Supper time is crazy hour at our place. Everyone is hungry. Baby wants to be held. The pantry is often empty no matter how often I hit the store. I need food wired underground from the store. My desire is to prepare wholesome, quick, and relatively inexpensive....AND (HUGE) EASY CLEAN UP in the KITCHEN!
My biggest challenge is getting the motivation to cook a homemade meal after a long day at work. Thanks for the challenge.
Chris
zekks at yahoo dot com
My biggest challenge is coming up with meals that can be ready in less than 30 minutes...including regualar interruptions from the peanut galler on how starving they are and how they just might pass out if they don't have another handful of Goldfish.
A lot of casseroles, etc. that can be prepped ahead easily require too long in the oven, and "conventional" meals can be tricky to coordinate getting ready at once (unless you are an octopus and have 8 hands).
My biggest challenge is making something quick but healthy after a long day at work- I'm always so tired that I'm always tempted to go and get take out, but I'm really trying to change my eating habits. It's hard!
Jenn
iheartdante at gmail dot com
My job keeps me very busy in the summer. My hardest thing is just finding the time and energy to plan, shop, cook and clean it up. The winter is a different story. It's actually fun when I don't have so many other things pulling at me.
Lately my biggest challenge is getting my little guys(21 months and 3 1/2 yr old)to eat green veggies.
Finding something that my kids will actually EAT and the hubby and I can ENJOY! I love to try new recipes...but the kids won't eat them and I hate the idea of making them something else.
I am kitchen challenged most days, but I just can't get myself out of the kitchen. One struggle I have is just deciding what to make. I enjoy searching for recipes and making what I crave, but sometimes I am just not creative at all.
My biggest challenge is time. I am adamant about eating whole foods and cutting out as many processed items as possible. This often times takes more time (although I've found it to be worth it as it is much better for our health).
love you blog! My challenge is doing it all! Working and then coming home to make a healthy, simple meal with not too many steps. Love some of the ideas here! Would love a grater to make mealtimes quick and fun!
so handy! i would love this!
My dinner challenge? Well since I am a stay at home Mom, most nights dinner is not too challenging. I try to do my prep work while the kids are occupied. However, there are nights where I just can't seem to get it together. I think timing is probably my biggest challenge, as in what time to feed everyone when they are on different schedules.
My biggest challenge is trying to find something lighter to eat on the nights my husband comes home at 8 at night so we don't just feel sick by the time we go to bed.
My most recent biggest challenge is simply finding the desire to cook something nutritious and delicious.
Having recently returned to the workforce full time and with all but one of my six children off on their own and a husband who travels for work, it often seems more like a bother than an adventure to create a meal.
My biggest challenge is finding the motivation to make a big meal when I know my husband won't be home to eat it and my son probably won't.
Love your blog!!
biggest challenge?
5pm often finds me out of energy and uninspired.
I would love some ideas for prepping a meal ahead of time so that 5pm would be mindless. Also any crockpot meals that can be made in early morning or even the night before.
thank you!!! Barbara
Time- I love to cook, but after a day at work it seems like there is not enough to really enjoy cooking and to include my 4 year old in the preparation and cooking process. I want him to be involved and to love cooking as much as I do!!
My biggest challenge is TIME. I work 10hr days, and by the time I pick my boys up from their respective daycares and get home, it's after 6. Not only am I exhausted, but everyone is starving! It's so tempting to grab prepackaged, quick food.
My biggest challenge is deciding what to cook, I prefer healthy meals with lots of veggies while my husband would eat steak and french fries every night
uncashbug6 at aol dot com
Ugh, I think my current biggest challenge is that I'm due in two weeks and just don't feel like cooking in the hot kitchen lately!! I am trying to stick to the routine though and have something healthy/quick/delicious for the family by 6. Clean up is also a challenge! ha
My biggest challenge is finding the energy to prepare wholesome, quick and healthy dinners once I get home from work. Oh, and my husband doesn't want to see another piece of chicken even though I only cook it once a month or so.
renae dot m dot scott at gmail dot com
my biggest challenge lately has been getting a vegetarian dinner (since we have been vegetarians for only a few months)on the table with a two year old and an eight month old begging for attention all while dragging my first-trimester-pregnant self exhaustedly through the kitchen.
Finding a way to prepare healthy food that is still filling so tht we aren't craving snacks before bed!
I would say hating to cook is my biggest challenge!
kzupancic[at]yahoo[dot]com
My biggest challenge is definitely finding the motivation to make a weeknight dinner after a day alone with my daughter!
timing... my kids are starving by five and my husband isn't home until 6.... it's a problem. Plus my daughter won't eat anything that has any kind of sauce/seasoning/dressing/flavor of any kind and my son will only eat something if my daughter says it is good.
Basically, I have a lot of issues.
Feeding a husband that works from 6am to 10 pm quite frequently and not just eating cold cereal myself. You know you all do it when you hubby is working late!
My biggest challenge is to even get dinner on the table when I get off work at 7PM. I must plan ahead!!!
I just had a baby so my bigest meal challange is actually making a meal!
Making a meal for 1 where I won't have to eat it for the rest of the week as left overs.
My biggest challenge is trying to get everyone to eat veggies. I LOVE them but when I add them to pasta or serve them on the side, they end up piled on the edge of the plate and then in the trash. So disheartening!
kristib80 @ yahoo
Time time time. Oh, and energy. hahaha! Just kidding...kind of. =)
Really it's just consistently making well rounded meals that aren't the same thing over and over. I love a good meal, and I don't hate cooking, but it's not my hobby of choice if ya know what I mean. It's gotta be fast, yummy, and healthy. My son is diabetic, so avoiding simple carbs is definitely a part of it too.
PS: We're big fans of your crockpot chicken taco soup posted on Rookie's site. I'm happy to finally click over to yours.
Mine is to find time to buy groceries. As a college student, I don't get too much time to go out and actually buy fresh groceries for healthy eats.
Our biggest challenge is timing the meal so that everyone eats at the same time. The hubby works late, the kids have to be in bed early...I have to make meals that will reheat nicely and not turn to mush.
Hazel
uniquecritiques@gmail.com
I have too many challenges to list. I just need the energy to be able to make anything other than cold cereal. I work the graveyard shift and then come home and take care of my kids during the day while my husband is in school. I need a Fairy Godmother to grant me a few wishes...
My biggest weekday meal challenge is to buy fruit and vegetables in season and "kilometer zero", bought as close as possible to their place of production.
Great giveaway, thanks for the chance!
I have a lot of food allergies and a very busy evening schedule. If I don't plan ahead, I'm often stuck with buying a salad. I get tired of salads!
My biggest challenge is getting my Autistic son to eat anything other than pizza, cereal or peanut butter toast.
I get so tired of eating the same things over and over again, so I like to come up with new ideas to try. But my biggest challenge is to pair a side dish with a good main dish.
deciding what to eat.
trying to find something healthy that my picky husband, and 4-yr-old son will eat.
I need to figure out the timing of everything. I take fitness classes every night from 7-8 and I don't get home from work until 6, and my step-daughter's bedtime is 8:30. So basically I have 45 minutes to prepare and eat as a family. Half the time I just leave my fiance and his daughter to eat on their own and I have the warm ups later. Not ideal at all...
Sharing leftovers - so I don't have to eat them all week! But I love to cook!
So many challenges! One,My son is allergic to dairy so I have to make separate things for him most the time.Two,I have been meaning to get a set of good knives because mine are so dull they won't hardly cut butter so cubing potatoes yesterday was terrible! AHH!!!!!
Cool giveaway,thanks for letting me enter!
jacksoncrisman@yahoo.com
Mine is figuring out what to make my picky eaters. I spend time to make good homemade food and they will only eat mac n cheese and sandwiches....so sad. My 2 year old will eat almost anything though so she makes it better!
My biggest challenge is sticking to a pre-planned dinner plan. Sometimes I just don't feel like what I bought for that night. Also, finding the energy to cook at the end of the day after taking care of a 2 year old and a 6 month old is tough.
My biggest challenge is finding the time and energy to get dinner on the table. I'm often tempted to just go grab something to eat instead of making my planned meals... UGH!
It would have to be being motivated to actually make something from scratch when my husband works late and it's just dinner for one.
When my husband works nights I have a hard time cooking something for my kids, so I give them a bowl of cereal or an egg with toast. So sad but true,
my biggest challenge is going to the grocery store often enough and planning ahead by having the right ingredients on hand.
My biggest challenge is making a plan, a grocery list, and going to the store. Sometimes it's hard to believe that I love to cook when you look at my bare refrigerator!
sarainjapan at gmail dot com
i havent read many but my BIGGEST challenge is actually wanting to do something when i get home. i need easy-to-make meals that dont require a whole lot of effort, but are still clean and healthy.
I want one of these so bad! My SIL showed me hers and I realized just how cumbersome using the zester holes on my box grater is.
My biggest challenge is streamlining the mealing planning. I'm super organized and if I spend several hours each week, then I'm all set with a complete grocery list and it's easy from there. But I don't have 3 hours to sit down and plan every week, so most weeks it just doesn't get done. I need to learn how to wing it better. I'd love to be able to just go to the store, visualize the week's meals, and get what I need. That's a skill I'm working on. :)
i am a great menu planner. always carrying it out (ie. getting the ingredients) is another story. i always say that if i had everything at my fingertips, we'd eat like kings every night.
that being said, i am getting better about planning out the timing of my purchases better, so everything gets used. the ladies at the grocery store down the street know my girls by name;)
so long story short: grocery shopping is my biggest challenge.
My biggest challenge is timing: I don't know exactly when my husband will be coming home from work and I have to feed my one-year-old on a fairly consistent schedule.
My biggest challenge is having a well rounded meal. With only my husband and I to feed, our meals tend to be small and I don't always get a veggie and fruit in there like I desire.
We also desperately need one of these zesters! We use our cheese grater and it never ever works like a zester does i'm sure!!!
Post a Comment