On September 19th, I was fortunate to attend a press release from RI

throughout the state to join in the mission of helping those in need. Women Ending Hunger is dedicated to empowering women to improve the health and well-being of children and families served by the Food Bank 9s network; however, the Common $ense Cooking series is helpful for everyone including Seniors.<br><br> Rhode Island PBS Development Director, Tracy Cugno facilitated the production of the series. Common $ense Cooking is hosted by Nancy Verde Barr , the former Executive Chef to Julia Child for 18 years and the culinary producer for PBS 9 Baking with Julia and ABC 9s Good Morning America. Nancy is also an author of 3 award-winning cookbooks and has written articles for many magazines.<br><br> The series includes guest appearances by Dr. Mary Flynn, who is a registered dietician and nutritionist at Lifespan and the Miriam Hospital where she teaches patients how to make better food choices for a healthier life style. Mary also maintains academic appointments at Brown University and the University of Rhode Island.<br><br> The series targets women because they tend to be the primary shoppers, cooks and care givers; although men can also benefit from the helpful tips on meal planning, nutrition, and shopping on a budget. The segments will air between full-length programs throughout the Rhode Island PBS broadcast schedule. Episodes of Common $ense Cooking are also available, in their entirety, on the Food Bank 9s website 3 www.rifoodbank.org .<br><br> The website also provides recipes that are designed to be low cost, contain nutritious ingredients and easy to prepare, as well as helpful shopping tips. NEW SERIES (COMMON $ENSE COOKING) WILL STRETCH FOOD BUDGETS Diane Stacy Page 2 of 2 February 8, 2008 Common $ense Cooking episodes are listed below: 1. How to Prepare a Shopping List 2.<br><br> The Magic Three: Store Cards, Circulars and Coupons 3. Eating Healthy: The Fab 5 Groups 4. How to Make Six Meals for $20 5.<br><br> Breakfast is Brain Food 6. Common $ense Snacking 7. Nutrition Lesson: Portion Proportion 8.<br><br> Nutrition Lesson: How to Read Labels 9. Save Money, Eat Healthy: Bring a Lunch! 10.<br><br> The Ready Pantry 11. The Benefits of Meatless Meals 12. Dine In Instead!<br><br> Alternative to Eating Out During the press release, the episode: How to Make Six Meals for $20 was shown. Dr. Mary Flynn shows Nancy Verde Barr six mea ls that serve 4 people.<br><br> That 9s 24 servings! It 9s amazing the variety of meals you can prepare on a limited budget. Extra virgin olive oil was used for each meal and this was the only ingredient not included in the cost.<br><br> Although extra virgin olive oil tends to be expensive, it is n utritious and tastes good. Mary recommends buying it when it is on sale. The key items you should have in your pantry are a variety of pastas incl uding whole wheat pasta, brown rice, variety of beans, and frozen and canned vegetables, according to Dr.<br><br> Mary Flynn. With just these few ingred ients, the combinations are endless. I 9m eager to watch all the episodes.<br><br> Common $ense Cooking would not have been possible without the generosity of Rhode Island PBS, RI Community Food Bank, Bank of America and special gifts from The Rhode Island Foundation, Johnson & Wales University, Lowe 9s and Women Ending Hunger.

less