Janelle Brown: Smarter Than Your Average Brown (Maybe)

[Jellybeans]

51 minutes ago, DakotaJustice said:

This is an example of "eating more vegetables"? There must be 6 lettuce leaves and a half cup of pasta sauce (probably from a jar) on top of that fried whatever.

Never take weight loss advice from someone who gains weight every year.  

And you are right...where are the vegetables?  A few lettuce leaves do not count in my world.

[TurtlePower]

5 hours ago, ginger90 said:

Janelle will be in Arizona next month

https://www.strivewithjanelle.com/upcoming-events/arizona-womens-expo/?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=arizona_expo&utm_medium=post

And yesterday she made lunch woo hoo!

https://mobile.twitter.com/JanelleBrown117/status/842182313085616128/photo/1

Quote: "If you’re in the AZ area the weekend of April 22-23, (or want to take a little road trip), I would love to personally meet and chat with you." 

The AZ area? It's not like being near a certain part of town, AZ is a big state! It takes 4 hours to get to Phoenix, and I don't have an Iron Man suit to jet over there quickly. 

5 hours ago, tabloidlover said:

It is amazing to me that she is just now discovering that people actually shop and cook/prepare meals at home.  It really looks as though she has discovered some new crazy trend.   Leaves me just shaking my head.

The lunch Instagram post sure did look like a fried piece of chicken under that lettuce..... 

I was trying to figure that out. Whatever it is, is likely cancels out the 12 pieces of lettuce covering it.  Usually one has a bed of greens and some lean protein on top, not vice versa.

[DakotaJustice]

@Runnergirl you freaking killed me with the Iron Man reference!

Imagine a woman in her mid-40's and she still has to be induced to eat her vegetables...yesterday she BBQ'd and provided a photo of an overcooked, plain piece of grilled chicken, three Brussel sprouts, some plain lettuce and apparently undercooked baby potatoes on a paper plate and a clear plastic fork.

It reminded me of Offred's meal descriptions in the book "The Handmaid's Tale".  No wonder the woman can't stay on a diet.

3 hours ago, Roslyn said:

Yes, that is something fried under the tomato sauce.  Learn to poach things!!  My husband is a master of the grill.  He can grill chicken to perfection....me?  I've never been able to grill like him.  However, I poach :D  Low temp poaching is the key to tender chicken.  Never never boil and keep the water (or stock) just below the shimmer simmer.  Its done quickly and is tender and juicy with zero fat.  Either make a sauce and just toss chopped chicken into it to warm through or toss the chicken in a salad.  No frying needed!

ETA...At least its a REAL plate!!  WooHoo!!!

I'm a single woman so I just preheat my Breville oven to 450, and bake my chicken breasts 10 minutes on each side.  (oh and I buy the pre marinated ones at Costco, and bake several at one time so I can toss in salads and so forth).

[AZChristian]

The event where Janelle will appear is in downtown Phoenix.  I live in a suburb of Phoenix.  I'm not interested enough to go gawk.

[TurtlePower]

1 hour ago, DakotaJustice said:

@Runnergirl you freaking killed me with the Iron Man reference!

Imagine a woman in her mid-40's and she still has to be induced to eat her vegetables...yesterday she BBQ'd and provided a photo of an overcooked, plain piece of grilled chicken, three Brussel sprouts, some plain lettuce and apparently undercooked baby potatoes on a paper plate and a clear plastic fork.

It reminded me of Offred's meal descriptions in the book "The Handmaid's Tale".  No wonder the woman can't stay on a diet.

I'm a single woman so I just preheat my Breville oven to 450, and bake my chicken breasts 10 minutes on each side.  (oh and I buy the pre marinated ones at Costco, and bake several at one time so I can toss in salads and so forth).

Wow someone else who has read "The Handmaid's Tale". It was required dystopian reading for one of my college classes. That and "Clockwork Orange", "Ecotopia", "Brave New World." Good stuff!

Not knowing how to cook can definitely derail healthy diets, especially when it comes to vegetables. When I was a kid, I hated zucchini--turns out my mom did not know how to prepare it, it was always mushy. I've learned to cook it hot and fast, sear each side and with the right seasonings, it is delish. I also do all the grilling, a card my husband has gladly passed off to me. 

[Natalie68]

2 minutes ago, Runnergirl said:

Wow someone else who has read "The Handmaid's Tale". It was required dystopian reading for one of my college classes. That and "Clockwork Orange", "Ecotopia", "Brave New World." Good stuff!

Not knowing how to cook can definitely derail healthy diets, especially when it comes to vegetables. When I was a kid, I hated zucchini--turns out my mom did not know how to prepare it, it was always mushy. I've learned to cook it hot and fast, sear each side and with the right seasonings, it is delish. I also do all the grilling, a card my husband has gladly passed off to me. 

It IS delish that way!  My mom would slice it in rounds, cook in a bit of butter, add cheddar cheese and onions.  Tasted like pizza.  But my fav is grilled/seared.

This is simply my opinion which amounts to just about nothing but...  when you have 5 million kids and are cash challenged and you don't know how to cook I am gonna judge you.  Wonder how much of their cc debt was for fast/convenient foods?  It seems like Christine's kids know how.  Aspyn was heading up the crepe making wasn't she?  Maybe Janelle's kids know how because they HAD to.  But looking at J's pantry they didn't have much to work with.

[ginger90]

Meanwhile, Logan's girlfriend made this

https://mobile.twitter.com/_michellecp/status/840037075395133441/photo/1

[toodles]

18 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

It IS delish that way!  My mom would slice it in rounds, cook in a bit of butter, add cheddar cheese and onions.  Tasted like pizza.  But my fav is grilled/seared.

This is simply my opinion which amounts to just about nothing but...  when you have 5 million kids and are cash challenged and you don't know how to cook I am gonna judge you.  Wonder how much of their cc debt was for fast/convenient foods?  It seems like Christine's kids know how.  Aspyn was heading up the crepe making wasn't she?  Maybe Janelle's kids know how because they HAD to.  But looking at J's pantry they didn't have much to work with.

Christine did the cooking and fed the kids.  Logan made breakfast for everyone when the kids were young.  Before TLC,  I doubt the stay at home part of the family ate out much.  One of the early episodes showed the family eating take out pizza and they said it was a big deal because they couldn't afford it.

Once again, the Browns made a terrible choice with this strive thing.  We all know the reasons this is a terrible idea, but running a cooking contest and posting about it when you have no idea how to cook is just wth to me. Another top notch idea brought to you by the Brown Clown Brain Trust.

Edited March 18, 2017 by toodles

[ginger90]

And now Janelle has a garden

https://mobile.twitter.com/JanelleBrown117/status/843476477400109056/photo/1

[Absolom]

Did TLC set that up to make episode fodder?

[Jellybeans]

I will be impressed if she EATS from it without frying it.  No fried green tomatoes, tempura, etc... sorry I have no faith.  

Everything they do is a fraud.

[CofCinci]

3 hours ago, Absolom said:

Did TLC set that up to make episode fodder?

I wouldn't be surprised.  Great way to get TLC to finance backyard landscaping.

[lookeyloo]

And she will have to remember to water it very frequently.  Or have dried herbs on the vine.

[laurakaye]

On 3/17/2017 at 3:29 PM, ginger90 said:

Meanwhile, Logan's girlfriend made this

https://mobile.twitter.com/_michellecp/status/840037075395133441/photo/1

Ooh...what is that?  Looks like roasted asparagus, some type of sauteed mushrooms and greens, but what is the main course?  Looks good!

LOVE LOVE the wine on the table.  LOL, take that, Kody.

And @Roslyn, thanks for the tip on poaching chicken.  I have never been able to do that correctly!

[ginger90]

It's spinach/artichoke cream cheese salmon, and I want some, lol.

[MrSmith]

Janelle's picture of her meal is just sad. I don't think I could force myself to eat that. Logan's girlfriend's meal looks a lot more appetizing and like it'll have a more interesting and enjoyable flavor profile. Contrasting the two, it makes me wonder if Janelle even cooked anything. Looks like she plopped some marinara on a piece of chicken, put some veggies on the plate, and drowned them in ranch dressing (among the highest fat dressings you can get). I wouldn't be surprised if she picked the chicken up from Wal-Mart, cut it into pieces and put marinara on it.

Just FYI Janelle (or any other Brown) when you read this: Getting chicken from Wal-Mart, putting marinara on it, and putting some veggies on your plate with ranch dressing is not cooking and shouldn't count toward your "10 meals in 10 days" thing. Of course, you have to cheat when it comes to everything else, why not this, too?

[ginger90]

A dinner (she only shows one plate in these posts)

https://mobile.twitter.com/JanelleBrown117/status/844011830632579072/photo/1

[DakotaJustice]

11 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

A dinner (she only shows one plate in these posts)

https://mobile.twitter.com/JanelleBrown117/status/844011830632579072/photo/1

No protein which means that she probably set herself up for a binge later.

[MrSmith]

39 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

A dinner (she only shows one plate in these posts)

https://mobile.twitter.com/JanelleBrown117/status/844011830632579072/photo/1

I disagree. A salad does not a dinner make. It's fine to have a salad with dinner (and probably one of the better ideas, since veggies add basically no calories and serve to make you feel full [and like you got to eat a lot of food, thereby psyching your mind out]), but your entire dinner cannot consist of a salad because most people's minds just won't accept that a salad was "dinner". As @DakotaJustice notes, she's set herself up for a binge later.

[Wings]

I have just a salad for lunch or dinner often, I love them!   I never eat chicken breasts; they are dry and tasteless. Janelle will be more successful losing weight if she just counted calories.  You can eat anything you want including a cheeseburger.   

On 3/17/2017 at 11:08 AM, AZChristian said:

The event where Janelle will appear is in downtown Phoenix.  I live in a suburb of Phoenix.  I'm not interested enough to go gawk.

I am only 20 mins away but will skip it.  It is all day and looks like many women speak.  Sounds boring. There must be other things going on.   Unless an event boasts good food vendors, I am not interested.  

Edited March 21, 2017 by wings707

[AZChristian]

OK - I looked at the "famous" women who will be there.  I'd love to see Judge Milian, too.  But I have to balance that with my total resistance to be anywhere near some of the other "stars" they are featuring.  Nene Leakes?  Nope.  Wendy Willliams?  Hell no.  I think I'll just stay out here in the East Valley.  I may have jury duty downtown later that week, so I'll save up my light rail money for that.

Back to Janelle.  She seems to know as little about good nutrition as the people on My 600-Pound Life.  It's not rocket science.  Even if you aren't willing to give up things you love, CUT THE SIZE OF THE PORTIONS.  Either your weight gain will level out (proving that you CAN affect your weight), or you will LOSE.  Once your body is adapted to smaller portions, cut the size again.

[TurtlePower]

8 minutes ago, wings707 said:

I have just a salad for lunch or dinner often, I love them!   I never eat chicken breasts; they are dry and tasteless. Janelle will be more successful losing weight if she just counted calories.  You can eat anything you want including a cheeseburger.   

I am only 20 mins away but will skip it.  It is all day and looks like many women speak.  Sounds boring. There must be other thing going on.  

They aren't being prepared properly if they're dry and tasteless. My grilled skinless, boneless chicken breasts are very juicy and my picky husband devours them. Come over here for a cookout:).

But I agree, one can eat things they like and still lose weight. I didn't always eat healthy when I was anorexic and sometimes enjoyed things like hamburgers, I just never went over 700 calories a day. There's proof right there (of course it took me 2 hours to eat the burger).

[MrSmith]

11 minutes ago, wings707 said:

I have just a salad for lunch or dinner often, I love them!   I never eat chicken breasts; they are dry and tasteless.

I tried doing just a salad for lunch for a while, including having chicken or tuna or some other protein on it. I got through a couple of weeks and then the very thought of salad made me gag. And if your chicken breasts are dry and tasteless, then you're overcooking them and not seasoning them. Overcooked chicken is dry, but properly cooked chicken is moist, tender, and tasty. You could try marinating them. (This reminds me that I have to get after my wife to get me her meatloaf recipes!)

3 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

CUT THE SIZE OF THE PORTIONS.  Either your weight gain will level out (proving that you CAN affect your weight), or you will LOSE.  Once your body is adapted to smaller portions, cut the size again.

I've been doing this. And it is a "graduating down" sort of process. It helps if you can get a smaller plate. Most Americans' plates are so huge and that's part of the problem. When we look at a plate that isn't full, our minds think we're not getting enough food. But if we have a smaller plate that's full, our minds think we're getting a ton of food even if it's less food than if we used a larger plate.

[Wings]

I have had chicken breasts cooked correctly, I just find them blah.   I buy boned, skin on thighs from Costco often.  Very delicious.  

[MrSmith]

OK! @HeyNow, @crazycatlady58, I finally got one of two meatloaf recipes from my wife. Here it is:

Five pounds lean ground beef**
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup finely chopped broccoli
1 1/2 cups corn
2 cups mashed peas
2 large diced tomatoes

Mix well. Bake at 375 until meat thermometer hits temp.

**NOTE: We use 93% lean beef because the extra grease from 80% lean beef causes me problems. You could probably make one just as good with regular 80/20 beef.

I'll work on getting the Italian meatloaf recipe from her this week, as well.

Edited to add: This makes an easy 6 portions, but we usually can eat this two nights once you add in sides, salad, and etc. (There's usually five people eating this: me, my wife, my mother-in-law, a niece, and a nephew.)

Edited March 21, 2017 by MrSmith

[crazycatlady58]

Give my thanks to Mrssmith , and thank you for sending it.It sounds great  

[Jellybeans]

Thank you MrSmith, I love meatloaf.  I will give this one a try.

[ginger90]

More salmon for Logan and Michelle. No 10 day cook challenge hash tag for her!  I like these two as a couple, can you tell, lol.

https://mobile.twitter.com/_michellecp/status/844009577746116608/photo/1

Edited March 21, 2017 by ginger90

[HeyNow]

Looks good MrSmith, thank you kindly.

[Celia Rubenstein]

47 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

More salmon for Logan and Michelle. No 10 day cook challenge hash tag for her!  I like these two as a couple, can you tell, lol.

https://mobile.twitter.com/_michellecp/status/844009577746116608/photo/1

I like them, too, and I am thinking about putting salmon on my grocery list.  Asparagus, too.  Haven't had that in ages. 

And I agree with those who think Janelle hit the jar of peanut butter with a big spoon later that night.  Then washed it down with cheese popcorn and orange Fanta. 

[Absolom]

Thank you, Mr. Smith.  I'll try it at my daughter's where we'll have enough people.  :)

[DakotaJustice]

Thank you so much MrSmith! I wonder if it would work well with ground turkey?

Chicken breasts- love em but yes they can be dry. I used the premarinated Costco fresh ones - 450 degree oven, ten minutes on each side and done. 

I have dinner salads often. I'm a busy bee so I use the bagged salads that come with the dressings and toppings, and add protein (diced chicken usually but I'll even chop up a baked tilapia loin in there). 

I count macros, rather than calories, it works for me ?

[MrSmith]

@DakotaJustice I can't see any reason why you couldn't make it with turkey instead of beef. May want to try making it in smaller loaves instead of one big one, since turkey might dry out on the outside before the inside is fully cooked. I brought up to her using bison last night and she had made mention of that issue with that, too. Makes sense since bison is something like 99% lean.

[cinles]

18 hours ago, Celia Rubenstein said:

I like them, too, and I am thinking about putting salmon on my grocery list.  Asparagus, too.  Haven't had that in ages. 

And I agree with those who think Janelle hit the jar of peanut butter with a big spoon later that night.  Then washed it down with cheese popcorn and orange Fanta. 

 

I eat salmon all the time. I usually just throw it the oven. However, I just read an article that said Salmon from Asia and now Alaskan Salmon have tapeworms. I really wish it was fake news. I'm always so impressed by Michelle's photographable meals, but that's the first time I saw someone cooking salmon since I read that article and I can't stop thinking about it, even though it says if cooked thoroughly the larvae are killed. It still makes me gag. Here's the article from USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/01/13/salmon-large-tapeworms-arrive-us/96534500/

[Aethera]

Psst guys - might want to take all the recipe talk (which is making me hungry!) to small talk :)

[MrSmith]

LOL. @Aethera Thanks for re-railing the thread! :D

ETA: Can we get some simple emoticons?

Edited March 23, 2017 by MrSmith

[Wings]

Since Janelle is posting pictures everyday it is hard not to go down the rabbit hole of nutrition and losing weight.  I will keep my comment to, UGH, since I never want to eat her lack of creativity!   But good for her for trying.  

[MrSmith]

Quote

Cooking at home has given us a chance to connect in the kitchen. An unexpected bonus Gabe is chopping tonight.

This quote from her latest tweet is really sad. I can't believe people don't realize that dinner preparation was a social activity in by-gone times in America and is still an important part of social life in many countries around the world. I guess that's one reason fast food is so prevalent in our society: We've forgotten there are worthwhile and pleasant aspects to dinner and its preparation, and that it isn't all about inhaling your food as fast as possible in order to get back to whatever else you had planned.

[Natalie68]

4 hours ago, MrSmith said:

This quote from her latest tweet is really sad. I can't believe people don't realize that dinner preparation was a social activity in by-gone times in America and is still an important part of social life in many countries around the world. I guess that's one reason fast food is so prevalent in our society: We've forgotten there are worthwhile and pleasant aspects to dinner and its preparation, and that it isn't all about inhaling your food as fast as possible in order to get back to whatever else you had planned.

That is kind of sad.  6 out of 7 nights I remember sitting at the dinner table with my family eating together food one of us made with help from others.  I know life is busy and I cannot always cook an actual meal but I sure appreciate it when I can!  Yesterday would have been my mom's 78th bday so I made a dinner from my childhood.  She made THE BEST mac and cheese (baked style) so that's what I made (with various sides).  Yum!

[CofCinci]

4 hours ago, wings707 said:

Since Janelle is posting pictures everyday it is hard not to go down the rabbit hole of nutrition and losing weight.  I will keep my comment to, UGH, since I never want to eat her lack of creativity!   But good for her for trying.  

She's not really "trying" though.

[MrSmith]

1 minute ago, Natalie68 said:

That is kind of sad.  6 out of 7 nights I remember sitting at the dinner table with my family eating together food one of us made with help from others.  I know life is busy and I cannot always cook an actual meal but I sure appreciate it when I can!  Yesterday would have been my mom's 78th bday so I made a dinner from my childhood.  She made THE BEST mac and cheese (baked style) so that's what I made (with various sides).  Yum!

I don't often get to help my wife make dinner. Mostly because my commute home is about 1h 40m on average, and that doesn't count the time between having left work and waiting for the bus. So, when I get home I have only about 2h 30m before I have to be in bed. On the weekends, she doesn't like me in the kitchen because the kitchen is small (and it is). But I'll stand in the dining room and talk to her, at least. (And she makes Kraft Mac & Cheese, which now is free of chemicals and high fructose corn syrup; but she makes it with maple butter and it's so delicious with just a hint of maple syrup in it.)

[Wings]

5 minutes ago, CofCinci said:

She's not really "trying" though.

Oh LOL!  You can't tell by her chicken breast/salad meals though.  I guess we don't know what her other meals look like.  I have a soft spot for her.  I hope she does loose weight because that is what she wants to do.  

[Natalie68]

2 minutes ago, MrSmith said:

I don't often get to help my wife make dinner. Mostly because my commute home is about 1h 40m on average, and that doesn't count the time between having left work and waiting for the bus. So, when I get home I have only about 2h 30m before I have to be in bed. On the weekends, she doesn't like me in the kitchen because the kitchen is small (and it is). But I'll stand in the dining room and talk to her, at least. (And she makes Kraft Mac & Cheese, which now is free of chemicals and high fructose corn syrup; but she makes it with maple butter and it's so delicious with just a hint of maple syrup in it.)

I am intrigued by that flavor profile.  Mr. Natalie LOVES Kraft Mac and Cheese.  I didn't grow up on it but like it.  I don't know how you commuters do it.  EXHAUSTING!

With all those kids in those households I am surprised there aren't more joint HOMEMADE dinners.  So many hands and large kitchens to make the work easier.  And why have a large kitchen with good appliances if all you are going to do is nuke something or bring home takeout?  I grew up with a small kitchen so I am used to it.  When I went to the Smithsonian and saw Julia Child's kitchen it was crazy small.  I watch house hunters and laugh when people say they cannot cook in such a small kitchen (which looks fine to me) because Julia freaking Child cooked gormay in a tiny kitchen!

[Wings]

I don't think any of them get along much anymore when it comes to working together on a meal or project.  Their households are very separate.  It is up to each of them to make the meals for their own kids and no one seems into cooking at all!  

[MrSmith]

2 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Oh LOL!  You can't tell by her chicken breast/salad meals though.  I guess we don't know what her other meals look like.  I have a soft spot for her.  I hope she does loose weight because that is what she wants to do.  

I agree. I hope she loses weight. My wife has been heavy in the past and I'm currently not at the weight I would like to be. And it sucks. So, I'm definitely in her corner on that count. I just think she's going about it in mostly the wrong way, and she doesn't strike me as very motivated. I find her apparent lack of motivation disappointing because back when I first got motivated to lower my weight, I had a hell of a lot of fun in the gym. (I've regained some of it; entirely my own fault.) At that time, my commute was 15 to 20 minutes (on foot), and only 3 minutes if I drove; I lived exactly one mile from work, door-to-door. And since we don't have kids, I was able to spend two to three hours in the gym every day. Going to the gym was the most fun part of losing weight. It seems like she doesn't particularly enjoy it, which is too bad and seems to me that she's doing it wrong. Even my wife had a blast in the gym when I got her to go with me. She ended up being able to out-lift most of the guys at the gym working with free weights. And it was especially hilarious when they'd try to give her pointers on calf raises; she played ice hockey when she was young and her calves are huge. She was able to easily lift 900 pounds using one calf! And there I was working hard to lift 600. LOL

1 minute ago, Natalie68 said:

I am intrigued by that flavor profile.  Mr. Natalie LOVES Kraft Mac and Cheese.  I didn't grow up on it but like it.  I don't know how you commuters do it.  EXHAUSTING!

There's a farm near here that makes their own butter and they have a maple syrup-infused butter that is just amazing. ( https://www.nordiccreamery.com/ in case you're wondering.) She uses that in the Kraft Mac & Cheese and it's just outstanding. Goes great with a hot dog or two.

As for the commuting, I hate it. My commute in the morning is almost two hours, as well. I work in Minneapolis and live in Red Wing, and I use the bus from Cottage Grove to Minneapolis to keep my costs down (and to encourage them to build more mass transit closer to me.) I don't enjoy using the bus, but it does beat driving all the time and I know that using the bus is the price required to get them to extend the route.

[ginger90]

Logan's turn

https://mobile.twitter.com/_michellecp/status/844729426256416769/photo/1

[Natalie68]

42 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

Logan's turn

https://mobile.twitter.com/_michellecp/status/844729426256416769/photo/1

Is that lobster?  Don't have my glasses handy

[Kohola3]

Quote

With all those kids in those households I am surprised there aren't more joint HOMEMADE dinners. 

But this would mean that all Sister Wives are mothers to all kids.  Wait, isn't that what this show is supposed to be about?  Silly me.

The other things that makes no sense is that prepared foods and take out foods are WAY more expensive than home cooked, even if you are talking about organic stuff.  Once I retired and went on a fixed income I know that eating out days were a thing of the past; plus I had time to cook.  And I have saved so much money and the bonus is that there are no hidden additives.

[lookeyloo]

Some people just don't like to cook.  My mother was one of them.  We didn't cook together.  She was an uninspired cook and wanted us out of the kitchen while she smoked and made one of the 5 very basic plain dishes (her two "spices" were garlic salt and salt - we didn't even have pepper in the house) she rotated during the week.  Weekends we kids found leftovers and I learned to do basic things myself until I got married and mostly repeated her 5 meals during the week until later when I got a little more interested and had more time.  I'm back to the being totally bored with the cooking, but got one of those Instant pots and am much more interested.  So I can understand Janelle's lack of cooking mojo, but, I also think she might be depressed (as was my mother, but that wasn't why she didn't like to cook). Plus it must take a lot of energy just to haul that body around, let alone shop and stand in the kitchen.

[TurtlePower]

20 hours ago, MrSmith said:

I don't often get to help my wife make dinner. Mostly because my commute home is about 1h 40m on average, and that doesn't count the time between having left work and waiting for the bus. So, when I get home I have only about 2h 30m before I have to be in bed. On the weekends, she doesn't like me in the kitchen because the kitchen is small (and it is). But I'll stand in the dining room and talk to her, at least. (And she makes Kraft Mac & Cheese, which now is free of chemicals and high fructose corn syrup; but she makes it with maple butter and it's so delicious with just a hint of maple syrup in it.)

Long commutes suck and combine that with a long day, I don't think anyone wants to cook every day. During the busy summers my day is around 13 hours including commute, and hubby's days are also long (tourist traffic through Boulder City sucks). I usually spend one day of my weekend planning and grilling food for the entire week--lots of grilled chicken and fish. We also bring our lunches, so there's even more prep there. Eating out is almost never an option.

So for Janelle, better late than never. She's got to realize that this is "normal" for many busy families. And in the end it's quicker--you get home, re-heat some chicken and pop it on a big green salad.