Category Archives: Most Popular Posts

The in”side” Dish on side-dishes

Sides, sides everywhere!

The customer feedback has come in loud and clear. Sugar Snap Peas, Sweet Potato Fries, Exotic Grains and Fire Roasted Vegetables. You love our sides, and you want more of them.

We hear you.   And we’ve responded by including more sides as part of the regular Let’s Dish! menu.   We’ve added Sugar Snap Peas to our Marinated Flank Steak, Sweet Potato Fries to our Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops,  Jasmine Rice to our Savory Apricot Crusted Salmon, and more!

Plus: We’ve extended our special sides offer through the fall, meaning you can choose 4 family-sized sides for $20!

So sign up for a session today, and you’ll see we are filling your family’s plates with more deliciousness than ever before!

About Jeremy

simp-lot-sides-001small-2.jpg

RECOMMENDED LINKS
>
1 Dish? 6 Dishes? 11 Dishes? We’re Flexible.
> Wow the crowds at home and on vacation!

Click to continue reading “The in”side” Dish on side-dishes”

Walk-in Wednesdays now available!

Walk-In WednesdaysWe have gotten thousands of customer suggestions and requests over the last few years, and none as often as the request to be able to walk in and dish at Let’s Dish! store without an appointment. We’ve heard your feedback and are excited to launch Walk-In Wednesdays!

Now on Wednesdays, you can walk into any of our participating Maryland or Northern Virginia locations and dish anywhere from 1 to 13 meals at a time.* No appointment necessary. You heard right. No appointment necessary!

We are thrilled to try out the new walk-in idea, and summer is the perfect time for it - when everyone’s schedule become more hectic and planning a dishing session can seem nearly impossible. We think you’ll be excited too (hey, you’ve been begging us for it)!

If Wednesday is your regular dishing day, don’t fear - you can still sign up in advance if you wish, just like you normally would. That will guarantee that all the food you ordered will be waiting for you when you get there.

Check the online calendar for your store’s Wednesday hours and stop by to dish!

About Emily

*Participating Let’s Dish! locations include Baltimore and Columbia, MD, and Alexandria, Ashburn, and Fairfax, VA. Menu items are subject to availability. Only customers who make 4 or more meals will have those meals counted toward DishRewards.

RECOMMENDED LINKS
> 1 Dish? 6 Dishes? 11 Dishes? We’re Flexible.
> Bring your kids with you to dish this summer!
> Wow the crowds at home and on vacation!

1 Dish? 6 Dishes? 11 Dishes? We’re Flexible.

It started out as “8 or 12″ dishes per Let’s Dish! session. Then, with much fanfare, we added 4-meal sessions. And this spring, SingleDish Trials.

And now, welcome to the final frontier of session flexibility. Dish however many meals you want: 1, 3, 7, 14 or anything in between. OK, our technology is limited, so you still have to sign up online for SingleDish or a 4-, 8- or 12- meal session. But you can add meals to your order, quickly and easily, once in a Let’s Dish! store - usually for just $23 each. Just ask a host and we’ll take care of the rest. Want to dish 3 meals? Sign up for SingleDish and add on 2 meals Session Flexibilityin-store. Six meals your cup of tea? Sign up for 4 and add two during your session.

OK, we might not be able to touch our toes (even with the benefit of a Spoodle). But when it comes to dishing your preferred number of meals, we’re flexible.

Rick’s Signature

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RECOMMENDED LINKS:
> DishDelivery to the Summer Vacation Rescue
> Bring your kids to dish with you to dish this summer
> Let’s Dish!: The savings might surprise you.

Let’s Dish!: The savings might surprise you.

Boston Globe: Rising Cost of Groceries GraphicGas station. Coffeeshop. Dry cleaners. Just about any place you open your purse or wallet these days, you’re spending more than ever. This is especially true when it comes to shopping for food. According to a report from the Department of Labor (cited in the Boston Globe), a year-on-year increase in food prices like this hasn’t been seen in nearly two decades. Eggs are up 60%, pasta 30%, fruits 20%, and vegetables 20% versus last year – just to name a few examples.

So where does a family turn when faced with these economic challenges at the dinner table? Let’s Dish! is part of the solution. When you compare our costs to what you’d spend at grocery, you’ll find that the more you dish, the more you save. In fact, to illustrate just how much we save our dishers, we recently did a comparison of grocery costs vs. dishing costs for two of our most popular menu items (cited in a previous blog): Thai-Marinated Flank Steak and Mahi Mahi with Red Ancho Marinade.

The savings might surprise you. Here are some of the highlights:

  • If you bought all the ingredients at a grocery chain, you’d spend up to 7% more per serving than you do at a Let’s Dish! in-store session.
  • Those leftover ingredients not only clutter your pantry but they create additional costs. That Red Ancho Marinade, for example… you only need $0.69 worth (or 2 TBS) but the grocery store charges $9.95 for one 14.4 oz jar!
  • Check the price of flank steak recently? We can offer you the entire, marinated meal for close to the same price as steak alone!

Accounting for waste, Let’s Dish! can save you almost 50% vs making it yourself. And who wants to go through all that shopping and chopping hassle, just to spend more money than you would by dishing?! Check out the numbers for yourself. We think you’ll agree there’s no better (or more economical) way to put dinner on the table than with Let’s Dish!.

Don’t let rising food costs force your family into unhealthy dinner choices. Let’s Dish! is convenient, healthy, and always a great value.

Jeremy’s Signature

RECOMMENDED LINKS:
> “Surging costs of groceries hit home“: Boston Globe article cited above. Graphic (right) in post courtesy of the Globe.
> “More time and money are just a dish away

> Kid-Friendly Let’s Dish! Meals featured on WUSA9

FREE Delivery for New Moms!

Let’s Dish! bibLet’s face it - when you are a new mom, the first three months are bliss and a blur, full of sweet cuddles and sleep deprivation. That special time with your new baby is wonderful - but, unbelievably, the rest of the world keeps on moving and expects you to keep up! You’ve got a house to keep in order, a family to feed and take care of (especially if there are other kids), shopping and errands to do, outside responsibilities to fulfill (which may include a job!) and - oh, yes - that sweet new baby to tend to every minute of the day - whew! This hazy period of my life solidified my overarching philosophy on motherhood (sorry, Nietzsche!) : “That which does not kill you makes you a better mom!”

So, new Moms, would you like some help with dinner? Or, how about with three months of dinner? Here’s a special offer from Let’s Dish! just for you.

FREE Delivery from Let’s Dish! for new moms
Let’s Dish!
has a special delivery for new mothers: FREE DishDelivery for three months after your baby is born! That’s right, with our “You Deliver, DishDelivers! offer, we’ll waive all delivery fees on 8-meal DishDelivery orders placed within the first three months after you have a baby. You can select your meals from our monthly menu and order from all Let’s Dish! locations in Maryland and Northern Virginia - then, the meals are delivered right to your door.*

Eight (or more) easy and delicious meals without leaving the house - now that’s a new mom’s dream come true! Here’s how to qualify for our “You Deliver, DishDelivers” offer:

  • Simply email newmoms@letsdish.net to set up your own unique promotional code that will waive the delivery fee.
  • New moms must provide proof of baby’s birth date (via email or brought into your nearest Let’s Dish! store) to qualify for the promotion.
  • This offer is valid for 90 days from your baby’s date of birth. (So, don’t delay in emailing us - it is three months from your baby’s birthdate, not three months from when you contact us. So, ask your friends, family and “baby daddy” to remind you - it’s worth the effort!)
  • This offer applies to 8-meal DishDelivery sessions only and is a savings of $25 on every order!

We know our healthy, delicious meals are a help during challenging times - and let’s face it, new moms need all the help they can get!

ShareThisSpread the word! Pass this offer on to other new moms - Email This Post Email This Post or use our ShareThis tool below and share the offer on all your favorite social-networking sites!

Corcoran FamilyAs a co-owner of Let’s Dish! and mother of two, I hope all you new moms in the mid-Atlantic can take advantage of this special offer. Speaking from experience, I barely remember stumbling through those first months - and we had not yet opened our Let’s Dish! stores so I was in the same boat as everyone else! I’d try to look and act like a coherent, put-together woman instead of the exhausted, two-under-two-mom I was. And, when my second decided she wouldn’t sleep through the night until she was eight-months old, to say I missed sleep is a massive understatement. Hibernating bears would have nothing on me if I could have found a dark room and a “Do Not Disturb” sign. Here’s a pic of me on *the day* I would have contacted Let’s Dish! for my much-needed You Deliver, DishDelivers offer! :-)

Wishing you a doorstep full of DishDelivery and as many hours of sleep as you can get - and look forward to dishing with for you soon!

Alexa’s Signature

RECOMMENDED LINKS:
> Kid-Friendly Let’s Dish! Meals featured on WUSA9
> See the Let’s Dish! Menus and Sign up for DishDelivery today!
> Wow the crowds at home and on vacation
>
DishDelivery to the Summer Vacation Rescue!

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*Offer not valid on in-store or Dish-n-Dash sessions. Offer valid for exactly 90 days from baby’s birth date. No exceptions or extensions will be made. You Deliver, DishDelivers promotion launches June 3rd, 2008. Babies born more than 90 days prior to June 3rd are not eligible. Offer cannot be applied to previously-booked sessions or combined with other offers. Delivery fee covers cost of delivery within the Mid-Atlantic covered zones covered by DishDelivery only. Visit letsdish.com for details on eligible delivery areas.

Supporting Our Community: One Dish at a Time

Community involvement has always been a key focus of the Let’s Dish! organization in the mid-Atlantic.

Throughout the years, we’ve been involved with several charities, non-profit organizations and community groups, and we’ve helped them to raise awareness about their cause, raise funds for their purposes and bring community members together.

Though the full list would be too long to post, here are just a few of the organizations we’ve worked with over the past 4 years:

…as well as many local church groups, sports teams, schools and families in need in our own communities.

Click to continue reading “Supporting Our Community: One Dish at a Time”

“There’s a new chef in your kitchen” (The Examiner)

Valerie Harding, our new chef and Director of Food Services, was profiled today in The Examiner (Baltimore, MD; March 31, 2008). We thought all you “dishers” out there would enjoy reading the article, since Valerie and our food team are the part-time chefs in your kitchen as well!

There’s a New Chef in Your Kitchen (The Examiner; March 31, 2008)

MORE “THE DISH ON…” POSTS:
> Meet Valerie Harding, Our New Chef
> Become a Let’s Dish! “fan” on Facebook

Become a Let’s Dish! “fan” on Facebook!

Click to become a Let’s Dish! “fan” on Facebook!Show the world you’re a fan of Let’s Dish! and enjoy exclusive offers through Facebook, the Internet’s most popular social networking site.

Let’s Dish! has recently set up a fan page on Facebook and we want to see you there. Become a “fan” (it’s easy and free), and we’ll keep you up to date on the latest events, recipes and offers from Let’s Dish!. You can also post your dishing photos, family photos, recipes, thoughts, whatever. We’re just getting started on Facebook, but are already amazed by how simple it is and how much fun it can be. Give Facebook a shot!

Click to continue reading “Become a Let’s Dish! “fan” on Facebook!”

The Dish On… Wine Selection

Culinary adventures aren’t limited to just the food on the table. We asked our wine partner, Neil Smith of WineSmith (Ashburn, VA), to help guide us in wine selection.

Beverage Recommendations in “Nutrition and Details”

And, don’t forget that with the help of wine experts like Neil, Let’s Dish! makes it even easier to select a wine for dinner by pairing a beverage with each dish. When viewing our monthly menu, simply click through to see the “Nutrition and Details” link under each dish next to the information icon - Look for the “Nutrition and Details” for each dish - and look for the Recommended Beverages next to the wine glass icon (above) in the table on the left.

The Dish On…

The Dish On… Wine Selection

Wine Pairing


Selecting a wine to enjoy with dinner can be intimidating
, especially when you consider the thousands of wine choices that are available.

Click to continue reading “The Dish On… Wine Selection”

Family Book Club: A Literary & Culinary Adventure

Ever thought of creating a Family Book Club? It’s a great activity for the whole family - and you would be amazed at how you can bring food into it!

As I embarked on this culinary adventure with Let’s Dish!, I had no idea where it would take me. I have spent many hours thinking about food in all different ways, not just in new and exciting flavors but also in how food touches us in our lives and how we can make it a lifetime adventure for ourselves and our children.

One thing you should know about me is that I love to read.

Click to continue reading “Family Book Club: A Literary & Culinary Adventure”

Plan a weekly “geography” dinner!

Risk-free culinary adventures with Let’s Dish!Are your seatbelts still fastened? Are you still with us? Have you learned anything new so far on your culinary adventures with Let’s Dish!? Speaking of learning something new, here is a great way to get the whole family on board and involved on this little adventure we are taking…

Pick one night each week (”say Tuesdays”) for “Geography” Dinner. This will be a great way to teach your family - and maybe even yourself - a few new things.

To prepare for your dinner, pick a country or a culture for the week (take turns letting different family members pick the country or put a bunch of names in a hat, and draw one out each week).

Click to continue reading “Plan a weekly “geography” dinner!”

Meet Valerie Harding, Our New Chef

Valerie Harding, Chef and new Let’s Dish! Director of Food ServicesWe are thrilled to introduce Valerie Harding, our new Director of Food Services for Let’s Dish! Mid-Atlantic. Valerie joined the food team in February. She is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has had extensive culinary and food marketing experience having worked for several of the large hotels in and around the Washington, DC area including the Hyatt Hotels as well as the Wyndham Hotel. Since 1995, Valerie has been working for Sodexho holding various different titles including the Director of Catering for the Washington Post and the Library of Congress under Sodexho a contract management company.

Click to continue reading “Meet Valerie Harding, Our New Chef”

Tackling the Grocery Store

Tips on tackling the grocery storeWhen you’re not eating meals from Let’s Dish!, choosing healthy foods from the grocery store is important for maintaining good heart health. Here are some helpful hints for tackling your grocery shopping…

Make a list! Before you head to the store, take time to make a list. It will save you time and money.

  • List out meal ideas for the week and determine what ingredients you will need to pick up. Make sure your menu includes all of the My Pyramid food groups to ensure that you are eating a wide variety of foods.
  • Organize the ingredients according to the section in which they are located in the grocery store.

Click to continue reading “Tackling the Grocery Store”

Simple Ways to Cut Calories!

Eating healthy and managing your weight are key components of the recommendations for living a heart-healthy lifestyle from the American Heart Association.  Preparing meals at Let’s Dish! each month is a great way to stock up on healthy and portion-controlled, main-course meals, but what about the rest of the time?   Being conscious of what and how much you eat is key - and sometimes you’ll need to work a little harder to choose healthy over unhealthy!  We asked Catherine Joiner, registered dietician and our AHA resource this month, for some advice.

Here are some simple ways to cut calories while still enjoying your favorite foods:

Breakfast:

  • Eat one whole orange (47 calories) instead of your 12-ounce glass of orange juice (140 calories) and save 93 calories
  • Make your omelet with 4 egg whites plus ÂĽ cup of egg substitute (94 calories) instead of 3 whole eggs (258 calories) and save 164 calories
  • Eat a small plain bagel (195 calories) instead of a flavored bagel (up to 400 calories) and use 2 tablespoons of fat-free cream cheese (32 calories) instead of regular cream cheese (102 calories) to save up to 275 calories

For Your Coffee Break:

  • Use nonfat milk or fat-free half and half instead of regular half and half or whole milk
  • Use a sugar substitute in your coffee rather than regular sugar (1 teaspoon = 16 calories)

Lunch & Dinner:

  • Substitute mustard for mayonnaise on your sandwich and save 100 calories per tablespoon
  • Omit cheese from your sandwich and save about 100 calories per ounce.
  • If you eat fast food, choose small fries (230 calories) over large fries (520 calories).

Click to continue reading “Simple Ways to Cut Calories!”

The Dish On… Our Blog and RSS

Whether you are a brand new visitor to the Let’s Dish! blog, Food for Thought, or an everyday reader, we thought you might like a little overview on how this whole blog world works.  We know we needed it!  So, read today’s “Dish On” our blog and RSS, and please add any questions you have to the comments.  (I will probably need to ask someone else for the answer, but promise I’ll find the right information for ‘ya!  :-) )
   

The Dish On… Post Icon Blogs and Bloggers

OK, let’s start with the basics. It took me about a year before I could work up the courage to ask, “Ummm…What does blog mean?”  Aha!

Click to continue reading “The Dish On… Our Blog and RSS”

Let’s stop calling our kids “picky” eaters.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor of being a guest in Mrs. Carlivati’s 5th and 6th grade science classes at Nysmith School in Virginia. Mrs. Carlivati, an amazing teacher, does a unit on nutrition with her classes. In celebration of AHA’s Go Red for Women campaign, I was invited to lead a discussion about heart healthy food choices. My goal was to teach the kids that healthy foods can be yummy too. I was hoping to teach them to try new foods and to start making good choices today.

The formerly “picky” eaters in Nysmith School’s 5th and 6th grade science classThe children were so much fun.