As one of our favorite memes says: Who knew the hardest part of being an adult is figuring out what to cook for dinner every single night for the rest of your life until you die? Well, life just got a little bit easier thanks to the Food Nanny.
In this week’s episode of the L.A. Weekly podcast, host and Publisher Brian Calle interviews the “Super Nanny of Supper,” Lizi Heaps, to learn more about how her brand has saved dinner for a new generation of families.
What is the Food Nanny? A 50-year-old food brand that was created by the original Food Nanny Liz Edmunds, that has long been an established resource for moms and dads alike who are looking for delicious, nutritious and stress free dinners.
“It started almost 20 years ago,” explains Lizi. “My mom was called the Food Nanny, she would go in and help families get dinner on the table and teach them how to meal plan, which is how she got her catchy nickname. She came up with two cookbooks that I still use to this day; they’re just family friendly, delicious recipes that you’ll use for the rest of your life.”
After a long and successful career, her mom got tired and decided to take a break. As her youngest daughter, Lizi decided to pick it back up, incorporating modern touches like social media and current food trends, and the brand took off once again. Lizi has become this generation’s “Super Nanny of Supper,” the go-to resource for families searching for stress free, nutritious meals on a budget.
“We teach how to meal plan, because meal plan not only saves money, but when dinner time rolls around you’re prepared and ready to make dinner,” describes Lizi.
The new Super Nanny of Supper has modernized the popular weekly meal plans with new recipes – with an emphasis on theme nights – and a robust social media presence on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
“Four o’clock is too late in the day to decide what you’re making for dinner. If you don’t have a plan then most likely you’re going to go through any fast food and grab whatever there is. So we created this brand, and it became a lifestyle really. It became really popular and it was catching on – really helping young moms, single dads, it didn’t matter who it was. It was making family a priority,” our guest tells Brian.
Meal planning can be intimidating for some, from brainstorming a menu to purchasing ingredients, those two tasks themselves can easily deter an already overwhelmed parent. This is why Lizi believes so strongly in her family’s brand and the service they provide.
How long should one meal plan for? According to this seasoned expert, one week is too little, but one month is too long. But two weeks in advance? That’s the sweet spot. In terms of menu planning, The Food Nanny creates customized theme nights for each family to not only keep things interesting, but healthy as well.
“It’s not healthy to eat red meat back to back, or pasta back to back, so we help you make out your plan,” she explains. This not only saves you money at the grocery store, but saves you time and stress as well.
As she explains to Brian, her purpose is to take the stress out of meal prep, leaving more time for family bonding at the dinner table. “When you meal plan, you are planning the food you love,” she wisens.
Brian asks the ultimate questions: the food is healthy, the food is affordable, but is it good?
“Our food is some of the best you will ever make!” Lizi laughs confidently. “It’s not time consuming, the most it will ever take is 30 minutes.”
“We are kind of known as the bread people, and we are really known for our pizza. We make incredible pizza right from our home,” she continues. “All we believe is just portion control. That’s it, that’s it! You can have all the food you love and crave within portion control. What’s life if you can’t have a cookie and bread?!”
We’ve never agreed with a statement more.
To learn more about how to incorporate cookies and bread into your healthy diet, check out the podcast here: Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Cumulus Los Angeles.
