1 “Research shows that children who eat with their families make healthier food choices than when eating out with their peers.” —Martha Marino, a dietician for the Washington State Dairy Council and a member of the Nutrition Education Network of Washington

2 Every Sunday night, let your family choose which three dinners to thaw in the refrigerator for the coming week.

3 Scallions are sometimes referred to as green onions. When using scallions or green onions use the dark green parts only.

4 All of our recipes have been designed using products that are low in fat unless flavors would be compromised. You will see in the ingredients lists which products are best used in each recipe.

5 To toast nuts, preheat the oven to 325°F. Spread the nuts on a cookie sheet and bake them just until they start to turn brown, checking the nuts every few minutes. Smaller nuts such as pine nuts will toast more quickly than larger ones such as walnuts.

6 When it comes to entertaining for holidays, there’s nothing worth celebrating more than a freezer full of food for guests, especially unexpected ones.

7 If you would like to use the real thing, ¼ cup nonfat liquid egg product is equal to 1 egg. Just crack the eggs and whip until smooth, then use like the liquid product (just remember, there are 5 grams of fat per egg).

8 In all of our recipes with cheese, unless we note a specific cheese type, we use a blend of low-fat shredded cheeses, cutting the fat content. Blend equal parts of 2 percent Cheddar and Monterey Jack, and low-fat mozzarella.

9 Freeze any sauce in a separate resealable freezer bag on top of a casserole so the sauce does not get soggy.

10 Start children off in the kitchen with easy and safe tasks, such as tearing lettuce for the salad, using a can opener, and toasting bread in the toaster.

11 We have found that making many batches of our muffins is a lifesaver—the dough is easily frozen in paper-lined muffin tins, removed from the tins once frozen, and sealed in plastic bags. To bake them, just pop them back into the muffin tins and bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.

12 Modify the recipes to suit your family’s tastes—use fewer onions or add more hot sauce, depending on their likes and dislikes.

13 Lemon or lime zest brightens the flavor in almost any dish.

14 Kids are creatures of habit. It takes up to six months to change their eating habits, so be patient—they will come around and they’ll be better eaters in the long run, and healthier children, too.

15 For truly fuss-free meals, use your crockpot. Not only does cooking slowly over low heat result in the most tender pieces of meat but you will arrive home to a wonderful aroma in your kitchen, one that suggests you’ve been cooking all day!

16 Pick one day a week and encourage your family to invite friends over for dinner and start a wonderful tradition.

17 When cutting up vegetables, dice them into 1-inch pieces. They will freeze well and reheat better than smaller pieces.

18 It is better to undercook, or cook just until tender, all types of rice to be used in freezable dinners. They will finish cooking when dinner is reheated.

19 Make life easier; use chopped garlic in the jar.

20 Use your slow cooker to cook your dinners. This is a great way to take dinner right from the freezer in the morning and come home to the aroma of a dinner already cooked.

21 If you plan to freeze cooked pasta dishes, do not fully cook the pasta. It should be a bit chewier than al dente.

22 Wash your lemons, limes, and oranges before zesting the rind. Avoid the white part or pith of the fruit as it is bitter.

23 If using lemon juice when freezing a recipe, bottled juice is easier and just as good as fresh.

24 “Teens who have family dinners five or more times a week are twice as likely to get A’s in school compared to those who have family dinners twice a week or less.” —The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University

25 Have a family meeting and look at the recipes together. Let each child choose one that sounds promising. Allow your children to help prepare the salad, vegetables, or bread.

26 If you need more pans, line your baking pan with foil, build your casserole, and freeze it. Remove the frozen casserole from the pan, wrap it with another layer of foil, and place it back into the freezer without the pan. When ready to thaw and bake, unwrap the foil, and place the dinner back into the original baking dish.

27 We always use lite soy sauce, which reduces the sodium content by 40 percent.

28 Red meats and thick cut fish may be cooked using the muscle between your thumb and forefinger as a guide. Make a fist and squeeze hard. Press on that muscle and note the resistance. Well-done meat and fish will feel the same when pressed. Cooking to medium will feel the same to the touch as a light fist, while rare will feel the same as a relaxed fist.

29 “Parents’ table talk can help children to understand their families….Positive family mealtime conversations can…foster positive relationships that help children and parents talk through tough issues when they arise.” —Dr. Karen Cullen, Baylor College of Medicine

30 When stir-frying, hot pan-cold food is the rule. Heat the frying pan over high heat—if it’s hot enough, a splash of water will dance on its surface—add the ingredients, stir-fry, and serve.

31 Never dish up food for your children. Instead, let them serve themselves and ask for things to be passed to them. This way they learn to take responsibility for their choices and for the amounts taken.

32 If you are assembling multiples of more than one recipe, pick recipes that use the same meat. For example, make Tried-and-True Lasagne, Shepherd’s Pie, and Beef and Corn Enchiladas on the same day, since they all use ground beef.

33 Be flexible. If having dinner as a family is a priority, eat at 4:00 P.M. or 8:00 P.M. if you need to. The point is to sit down together and enjoy a healthy dinner at home while building relationships.

34 Cooking for someone with a food allergy? Make one individual serving of the dinner without the ingredient that causes the allergy for that person. That way everyone can eat the same dinner!

35 Tortillas are a way to use leftovers creatively. Lay out a tortilla, add leftovers, some salsa, and sour cream, and perhaps lettuce or fresh spinach and a slice of cheese. Roll up and serve warm or chilled.

36 Thaw dinners completely in the refrigerator; they will taste better when reheated.

37 A meat-based dinner will hold longer thawed in the refrigerator than a starch-based dinner (with rice, pasta, beans, or bread). A good rule of thumb to follow: Allow 2 to 3 days for thawing in your refrigerator, and then be sure to cook and consume the meal within the next 3 to 4 days.

38 If you are gentle and your chicken is completely thawed, you can skewer your rolled chicken with a raw spaghetti noodle and you won’t have to warn your dinner partners about the toothpick.

39 When deciding what type of wine to cook with, unless noted in the recipe, it is up to your personal taste. If you like things on the sweet side use a sweeter wine. If you prefer more of the wine flavor use a dry Chardonnay or Cabernet. You are the chef!

40 Zesting fruit is easy. Use the smallest holes of the grater and remove just the color of the peel. Move the grater over the fruit to remove all the color. The oils in the peel are what you want instead of the white part of the peel, which tends to be bitter. The oils are what impart the intense flavors.

41 Having dinner together is a tangible way for parents to show they care by investing time in talking with and listening to their children. Children also learn about their parents’ values just by listening to them talk about the day’s events.

42 We always use yellow onions. One medium yellow onion will yield 1 cup diced onion. To easily prepare an onion, cut it down the middle, through the root. Slice off the root, peel each side, and then slice or dice as needed.

43 Dice vegetables no smaller than 1 inch. Frozen dishes with larger chunks of vegetables taste better when reheated.