Delenee Brugman

Start off with a question for the listeners who are men…do you realize on a year how many meals your spouse prepares for you? Probably not, but the number is probably between 400-500. Women, I did not need to give you that stat. You probably know it very well. But who does not want to add a little spice and adventure to our marriages? Even the best marriages can learn how to flirt, love, communicate, endure, and give more of themselves to each other. How about laugh and love each other more? Make sexy nights even better? Become a better listener? Survive tough times? Cook to your heart’s content? And oh so much more! The book we will be discussing today will show you how to do that and make your wedded bliss that much more exciting, stronger and longer lasting. Our guest today knows all of this first hand. She has cooked more than 15,000 meals for her husband over the course of her twenty-two year marriage. They have a popular café in Portland Oregon called Cafe Reese and she entertains, educates, and inspires longevity in relationships, enhanced by her passion for cooking. Please welcome to Your Life Matters author Delenee Brugman.

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

More and more we seem to live very busy lives. We are running here, bringing the kids to practice, picking them up, doing the laundry, going to work and of course, try to sleep. Seems that is all there is time for these days, maybe even removing parts of sleep from the day as well. But as a parent, we know we have to truly want to spend quality time with our children or grandchildren. You would love to be able to do something fun with them and without them even knowing it, teach them language, math, sequential thinking, basically boosting their developmental skills. Ok, so now you are thinking, yeah Steve I am sure this is going to be real fun for everyone! Well, our next guest will make a believer out of you.  Her name is Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer. She is the author of the book, “The Kitchen Classroom – 32 Visual Gluten Free and Casein Free Recipes to Boost Development Skills.” If you are a regular listener to our show you know what Gluten Free Foods are. If not, I am sure our guest today will explain. But Casein Free Foods we have never discussed and will explain today as well. So now you are thinking fun, educational AND healthy? The book even comes with a CD of recipes and pictures. Our guest today is a writer, educator, and cooking instructor. She teaches a cooking class for teenagers who then prepare meals for home-bound seniors. She is also the mother of 2 young children, including one with autism. It is our pleasure to welcome to Your Life Matters Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer.

Jeanne Muchnick

So here is today’s question: How do you improve your family’s health, improve their relationships, save money, raise happier kids who get better grades and are less likely to do drugs? Two simple words…Family Dinner! Now I hear the groaning…yeah, try to get MY kids to sit down at a dinner table…or with soccer practice, ballet lessons, piano lessons, work, cleaning the house, who has the time to prepare a meal that we can all sit around the table and eat together? Well our guest today has a sign on her fridge that says: “I serve 3 meals: Microwave, Frozen and Take-Out.” She asked herself that same question, even before she got her coat off from work. The reality is dinner is a constant challenge. The book we will talk about today addresses that challenge head on. I want to read a line or two directly from the book…”This book is not about making you feel guilty. It’s not about complicated recipes meant to turn you into Martha Stewart. Nor is it meant to berate you if you serve pizza, chicken nuggets, or Chinese take-out on occasion. Rather, it’s meant to help you get your family to the table, turn off the TV, spark conversation, and spend quality time together.” Our guest today has more than 20+ years publishing experience as both an editor and a writer. She started her career at Seventeen Magazine, then moved into travel and parenting. Most recently, she was a Senior Editor at the InTown Magazine network, the magazine division of the Westchester-based Journal News where she covered all kinds of lifestyle issues: food, parenting, fashion. She is the mother of teenagers, so she knows a lot of this first hand. Please welcome to Your Life Matters, author Jeanne Muchnick.

Andrea Olguin
Pam Kietzman

Even though you may not be rolling in the dough, you can still throw parties that are festive, yet inexpensive, and brilliant in their simplicity. Our guests, Andrea Olguin and Pam Kietzman are authors of the book “Carefree Food Buffets”. These gifted food enthusiasts have come up with an A-Z guide that leaves virtually all of the guesswork out of throwing fast, fun and fabulous summer soirées.

Bonnie Presti

Usually when I say we are going to talk about sensitives today people will immediately think about spiritual or paranormal topics. But the type of sensitives we are going to speak about are food sensitives. This may surprise you…12 million Americans have food allergies! Now consider this…3 million of them are children! Those are some staggering numbers and we probably know someone who is allergic to certain foods, or dairy products. Many of us envision some really boring, bland tasting foods for people who suffer from these allergies. I am sure we have a few listeners who are allergic to some foods and are now eating bland tasting meals just so they will not get sick. Well you need to listen closely today. Now even if you are not allergic, the odds are pretty good you will have someone over your home who is at some point very soon. Do you know what you can cook them? How to make a truly magnificent meal that is not going to make them ill? Well the book we will be discussing today is called “Allergy Friendly Cooking: Tasty Recipes with NO Gluten, Dairy, Egg or Soy”. Hope you had something to eat today, if not you are going to be hungry! Recipes included are Bread, Muffins, deserts, beef, lamb, pork (yes, Italian sausages with peppers and onions), vegetarian dishes, soups, salads and more! Our guest today is an author, a nutritional educator, lifestyle educator, food allergy expert, culinary couch and founder of the Sensitive Diner. It is our honor to welcome to Your Life Matters Bonnie Presti.

Kim Reutzel

Our guest today author was Kim Reutzel, author of the book "Kissing & Cooking: A Recipe To Add Spice & Romance To Your Marriage". The book is a light-heart, faith based recipe to add spice and romance into your relationship in and out of the kitchen!

Featured on the 700 Club and The Harvest show- Kissing and Cooking for Couples was released December 30, 2008.  Kissing and Cooking for Couples is a light-heart, faith based recipe to add spice and romance into your relationship in and out of the kitchen. Learn the skills to divorce proof your marriage and keep your spouse hungry for more. It encourages you to cook because you need to, listen because you learn and kiss because you want to. It is said that families that play and pray together stay together and this book starts with the core members, (you) the parents.

Annette Sym

You can still enjoy your favorites such as lasagna, pasta sauces, stroganoff, desserts and guilt free baking. I will show you how simple changes to the way you cook can transform your life and your health. Our guest is Australian's Cooking Sensation, author and TV personality Annette Sym who went from frumpy, to fit and fabulous by cooking recipes that my whole family enjoys.

If you love to eat and do not have a lot of time or money to spend on cooking then she can help. Her way of cooking is so easy that the basic technique is to chop it up, chuck it in the pot and cook it. No skills required. All the ingredients used in my recipes are found easily from your local supermarket. This means not only do you get to save dollars but you save time. Most of her recipes can be frozen so you don’t waste food and are so quick to make they take less time then going out for pizza.

Robyn Webb

Today we are going to talk about food. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact this is one of my favorite topics. But today we are going to talk about healthy food. Now before you click us off, I want you to understand that the food we are talking about is not only healthier, but will save you time and money. Let me point something out to you…a report a few weeks ago said by 2050, 1 in 3 Americans will suffer from Diabetes. The current rate is one in ten. Diabetes can be prevented, controlled or even reversed through lifestyle modifications such as diet and exercise, and it currently remains the leading cause of kidney failure, non-injury leg and foot amputations among adults, and blindness for people under age 75. In addition, it is a strong risk factor for heart disease and vascular diseases of all types, making it a huge health and economic burden. By no way am I trying to scare you. There is an alternative way, a healthier way to eat…eat some great foods that is healthier than the way we eat now. Our guest today is an award winning nutritionist, cookbook author and teacher. She has been a passionate advocate of cooking well and eating wisely for most of her life. Because of health problems within her own family, mostly notably diabetes, she learned early on the importance of a balanced, healthful approach to eating. She has published numerous cookbooks that teach people with diabetes how to maintain healthful diets with food that is satisfying and flavorful. It is our honor to welcome to Your Life Matters, Robyn Webb.