1. How do I use the website now that I have subscribed to it?
Log on each Thursday-
1. Read the “Weekly Special” (nutrition blog)
2. Print recipes and shopping list
3. Buy ingredients on weekend
Cooking days-
1. Complete “Prep Work” tasks whenever possible
2. Watch tutorials and recipe videos
3. Cook a healthy, good tasting meal
2. How do I personalize my menu?
You can delete recipes from the menu by simply choosing the command beneath the picture “remove from menu”. But if you want to replace it with another recipe from our archive, then chose the command “replace” from beneath the picture instead. At that point a pop up will let you choose from your personal recipe box or the Orange Tree Lane archive of recipes. In addition, you can change the amount of servings you want each recipe to make. To do this just look at the top of the recipe for the number of servings. Change it to whatever number you want to cook for and then press “update” right next to the box. The Orange Tree Lane genies will then recalculate your recipe ingredients and shopping list automatically!
3. How can I save time using OTL?
Easy! Look at the “Prep Work” section of the recipe you want to make and do some of the prep work when you have a few minutes here and there. Because the Prep Work work is clearly communicated, this allows you to also enlist the help of some of the people in your household whenever they have a few moments as well. It’s amazing how quickly the job is done when things are cut up and ready to go! And remember, by having a shopping list you will make less trips to the grocery store, in addition to all of the time you save by not having to look for something to make for dinner.
4. Why don’t all the entrees have video tutorials showing how to do the cooking?
TIME…it’s all about using what we have strategically! We will pick and choose the tutorials we make based on the most challenging recipes to make. Not that any of them will be difficult, but some have more steps than others, and watching all those steps done ahead of time can really make the job go quicker.
5. Will I lose weight using the OTL recipes?
There are endless weight loss programs available, but OTL is specifically about giving your body what it needs to thrive. It does stand to reason though that a body getting healthy food will be more lean. Still, that isn’t all there is to losing extra weight. Just like a chair must rest on four legs to work, permanent weight reduction is dependent on a few crucial changes to your lifestyle. We suggest that you find a great weight loss program and let OTL support your efforts to eat nutritious, healthy food as part of that overall weight loss plan.
6. How can I save a recipe in my personal recipe box?
This is a great way personalize your menu and have favorites more often! FInd your recipe either in the menu or the Recipe Archives. Look under the picture and choose “add to recipe box”. now it will be stored there until for whenever you decide to replace another menu entree, or just add another.
7. If I am going to start slowly with only a few OTL recipes each week, won’t that be confusing to have two separate shopping lists…one for OTL and another for other things I want to get?
We have a text box as part of our shopping list so that you can easily enter in any other ingredients you want to get before you press print.
8. What if I have a great recipe that I think OTL would like to see? Would you want it, and how do I send it?
Our members are the best resources for recipes because you only send the best ones! So yes, we love to get your recipes. Send them by email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and we will definitely look them over. Please understand that we may not be able to get back to you about it, but you may see it (or some version of it) on a menu. Either way, we are so thankful for the time you take to share something great with us!
9. We try to eat GF ever since we found out that my son is gluten intolerant. Do you have GF recipes I can use?
( GF stands for gluten free.) Gluten is found in wheat and anything made with white or whole wheat flour, plus numerous other grains as well. You could us a GF baking mix to replace the flour in baking recipes, and some of our baking recipes are purposefully GF already. If the intolerance is severe just make sure to substitute ingredients like soy sauce in which gluten is less obvious, and therefore more difficult to detect.
10. I think my family is going to complain about having some meatless meals. Any suggestions?
Well, they learned to eat the way they do over many years, so be patient with them! You can add meat to most vegetarian meals if you want to, so leave that option open. You might cook up a chicken in the crock pot, or fry a steak, or use any leftover meat from a meat night, and let them add it to what they are eating. Over time they will get more used to the idea, and if they at least take a few bites of what you are making, the taste for more vegetables and non meat protein sources will “grow on them”. Don’t expect change overnight…be patient.
11. Why do you have vegetarian entrees? We have never eaten that way.
There are different sources of protein, meat being one of them. At OTL we work at variety in food choices so that we can benefit from them all. Plant sources such as beans and quinoa are power packed with protein, but also have some great things that meat doesn’t have including fiber, and no saturated fat. Another benefit to eating vegetarian once or twice a week is that the ingredients are usually much less expensive. This will allow you to buy better quality, hormone free, organic or grass fed meat when you buy it.
