Brought to you by Maris Callahan www.ingoodtasteblog.net

Whether you’re picnicking with the family or turning a sunset picnic into date night with your spouse or significant other, there are a few key elements that will make your outing simple and satisfying. You can even save preparation time – and use that extra half hour for a second glass of wine.

Rain, Rain, Go Away: If an unpredicted afternoon shower rains on your parade, don’t let it bring you down. Spreading a blanket or mat on your living room floor can be just as fun and spontaneous as a picnic in the great outdoors. If you’re entertaining the kids, dim the lights and take turns telling jokes or ghost stories. If you’re picnicking indoors with a special someone, light a few candles for a romantic atmosphere.

Plan Ahead: If you’re making your meal from scratch, do the prep work at home. Wash and chop fruit and vegetables and assemble sandwiches ahead of time. If you’re preparing picnic for a large group, websites like GoPicnic.com offer a variety of shelf-stable, ready to eat boxed meal combinations made with organic and all natural ingredients – the next best thing to a homemade picnic. Healthy meals made up of ingredients like couscous, Wild Alaskan Salmon, vegetables, organic crackers and dried fruit.

Don’t Sweat It: If you’re spending the afternoon outdoors, be sure to dress for the weather. Though a picnic can be a special occasion, some parts of the country grow quite hot during warmer seasons. Wearing loose cotton clothing and drinking plenty of water can help prevent dehydration and heat exhaustion – and leaves you with plenty of energy for a game of Frisbee.

No More Brown Bagging: If you’re picnicking in a mountainous area and expect to be climbing some hills to or from your destination, there is no need to haul a heavy picnic basket. Instead, an insulated, eco-friendly tote like the Neela bag (pictured) can fit as many items as the average picnic basket and comes with a convenient shoulder strap for easy lifting.

Play it Safe: Outdoor dining can be pleasurable, but also leaves food susceptible to unknown germs and bacteria. “Pack plenty of ice in your cooler or picnic basket to keep cold foods cold, “ said Rebecca Houseal, registered dietitian. “Foods left out in the hot temperatures longer than one hour are likely to spoil and are best discarded.” And of course, practice handwashing as you normally would before meals.

Pass the Bubbly: If you’re sharing a picnic with a significant other and want to sip something a more special than cola, don’t worry about packing wine glasses and a corkscrew in your picnic basket. Some brands of wine and champagne are available in single serving bottles – and some in cans! Perfect for portion control, Sofia Minis from Francis Ford Coppola come in a petite pink container, offering ¼ a bottle of wine per serving ($15). They even have wrapped straws for sipping – perfect for a day in a park where glassware may not be permitted.

Maris Callahan: Since graduating from Susquehanna University in 2006, Maris has worked in the world of PR. While she began her career in the fashion/beauty industry, she now works in the consumer sector. She maintains a personal blog, In Good Taste, primarily about cooking, food and life. In her “me” time she enjoys running, knitting, yoga and a good latte.

	Maris Callahan
	Writer In Good Taste

Just because February is upon us doesn’t mean you need to abandon your New Year’s Resolutions. If you’re like many Americans and resolved to lose weight, as well as make more time for yourself, you aren’t alone. The harsh reality is that approximately 75% of Americans recently surveyed do not follow through with their resolutions.

If you vowed to eat healthier in 2009, there’s no reason why you should have to sacrifice me time by slaving away in front of the stove. If cooking isn’t your hobby, instead of logging hours in the kitchen, spend time exercising or warm up with a brisk walk with family members or friends.

“Most of us have enormous roadblocks that we need to manage [in order to commit to a weight loss plan],” said family lifestyle coach Amy Hendel, R-PA, who authored Fat Families, Thin Families. She suggests planning and preparing meals ahead of time to eat a balanced diet.

“A lot of us have budget constraints, emotional relationships with food and daunting schedules to manage. The best way to deal with those realities is to make health, rather than weight loss, our target and slowly change our eating habits.”

Whether you’re cooking for the whole family or for yourself, try these time-saving tricks and tips to cut down on stove-to-table time while you’re watching your waistline:

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• Buying bulk and breaking veggies down into mixed amounts in small baggie-sized portions so that you’ll have a great grab-and-go snack at all times
• Every Sunday, cut up a fruit salad and garden salad to start the week. Make these two dishes the only ones that are served family style – plate the rest of your food and don’t go back for seconds.
• Puree veggies to add bulk to your meatloaf, chili and soup recipes. You can also add vegetables to homemade pizzas and omelets to add bulk without additional calories.
• Embrace your crock pot – pile in all of the ingredients for your favorite soup or stew in less than ten minutes. Let it slow cook for eight to ten hours while you’re at work – or a spa day – and you’ll come home to a great meal.
• Brown Bag It: Rather than dashing out on your lunch hour or swinging by the drive-through after picking the kids up from school, prepare a simple sandwich or salad the night before so in the morning, you have a healthy meal ready to take with you. Turkey on whole-wheat bread with a smear of honey mustard or a low-fat tortilla wrap with veggies, reduced-calorie Caesar dressing and grilled chicken are simple options that taste great.

Maris Callahan: Since graduating from Susquehanna University in 2006, Maris has worked in the world of PR. While she began her career in the fashion/beauty industry, she now works in the consumer sector. She maintains a personal blog, In Good Taste, primarily about cooking, food and life. In her “me time” she enjoys running, knitting, yoga and a good latte.

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	Maris Callahan
	Writer In Good Taste

When you want to show your special someone a night on the town without breaking the bank, look to your very own kitchen. We all know that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so a cozy, candlelit dinner at home can be the ultimate date night. Whether you want to invite a new honey over for some romance or reignite a flame with your hubby, you can strut your stuff in the kitchen without spending the day slaving over the stove. To allow yourself more me time and take the stress out of being the hostess with the mostess, try these quick tips to wow him off his feet.

Plan, plan, plan ahead – Women today are busy. Between juggling jobs, children, blackberries and a social life, there aren’t enough hours in the day for the modern woman to check off every item on the to-do list and take some me time for her. Plan the menu for your mini-soiree a few days in advance so that you can shop for ingredients in multiple trips, leaving yourself a few moments at the end of the day to take a deep breath and put your feet up.

Shop online – Rather than spending time wandering from aisle to aisle debating between Shiraz and Pinot Noir, Wine.com, the #1 online wine store, as ranked by Internet Retailer Magazine, will do the thinking for you. With shipping available to 26 U.S. States, you can order your favorite wine for delivery right to your door – and learn about the history of its variety and origin for dinner table fodder.

Put your best foot forward – Don’t get so wrapped up in the detail that you forget to set aside some me time for one of the best parts of the night – getting glam before your date arrives.  While the wine is chilling or the oven preheats, pamper your tootsies with a quick pedicure. Take ten to place your feet in plastic bowl of warm water with a few drops of essential oils: chamomile will soften and lavender rejuvenates so you can start your evening feeling calm and pampered.

Keep It Simple – We all want to go above and beyond when we’re entertaining, but by keeping the menu basic and the dishes simple you can slash hours off your prep time. Stick with a simple one-dish meal such as AOL Slashfood’s Chicken Pasta Parmigiana, alongside a simple green salad and crusty Italian bread paired with extra virgin olive oil for dipping.

Make enough for leftovers – If you’re cooking for two, make enough dinner for four. Refrigerate the two extra portions and you’ll have lunch for the next day as well, saving yourself a step from the morning rat race. And maybe you’ll even have enough to send your sweetie off with a doggie bag!

It’s Your Party and You’ll Cry If You Want To
Don’t forget that even though you’re doing the cooking and prep, you’re there to enjoy the evening also. Let him do the dishes if he offers – while you sit back and enjoy the much coveted me time with a second glass of vino.

Maris Callahan: Since graduating from Susquehanna University in 2006, Maris has worked in the world of PR. While she began her career in the fashion/beauty industry, she now works in the consumer sector. She maintains a personal blog, In Good Taste, primarily about cooking, food and life. In her “me” time she enjoys running, knitting, yoga and a good latte.