Back-to-School, Back to Healthy: Fresh Meals for Kids and Parents

Family Ravioli

From our friends at Healthy Fresh Meals...

Back-to-School, Back to Healthy: Fresh Meals for Kids and Parents

Mompreneur serves up tips for helping to get healthy meals on the table and into lunches all year round

With school back in full swing, many parents are facing the dreaded task of trying to feed their families night after night. Many are also tasked with finding ways to get a healthy lunch into their child's hands each day, or to take one to the office themselves. Increasingly, parents are becoming busier and find it more challenging to make healthy meals a staple in their home, making it crucial that they have some tips and tricks to help make it happen.

Merry Wives Twitter/X Theatre Review

Felicia Curry & Oneika Phillips (r) star in Merry Wives (Photo: Teresa Castracane Photography)

Hell Yeah!

This year’s @ShakespeareinDC 40th anniversary season has been extra special so far, continuing with Jocelyn Bioh’s unrivaled good time, Merry Wives. It’s a vibrant reinterpretation of The Immortal Bard’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, set in present day Harlem with a dazzling myriad of players Hell-bent on having a good time (while taking us along for the ride of a lifetime.) It’s guaranteed to make you clap, snap and laugh your YKW off, with nary a negative thought 💭 which is exactly what we need in DC right now. Taylor Reynolds directs a stunning game plan, carried out by a cast with no weak spots. Everyone involved deserves a standing ovation.

Grade: A

The Long Walk Twitter/X Movie Review

David Jonsson & Cooper Hoffman (r) star in The Long Walk

Walk or Die

IMDb Plot: A group of teenage boys compete in an annual contest known as "The Long Walk," where they must maintain a certain walking speed or get shot. Directed by Francis Lawrence.

Alanza Twitter/X Food Review

Alanza's Sunday Meatballs

Back-to-back visits to #Wonder. Behind door #2? Alanza’s $14.95 Sunday Meatballs. A trio of mediocrity, submerged in a crimson red, soulless sauce that doesn’t hold a candle to a jar of @ragusauce. Brutal, I know, but this isn’t rocket science: It’s a meatball. Alanza’s taste as if they were boiled, with nary a spice (even salt 🧂 ) in sight. I can’t remember the last time I left a meatball on my plate… until tonight.

Grade: F (No coming back from this.)

SriPraPhai Twitter/X Food Review

Drunken Noodles with Chicken at SriPraPhai

Where's the Heat?

Weekends are (now) for #Wonder, and that means my first try at SriPraPhai. My Thai barometer? Drunken Noodles with Chicken ($16.95) and the question, “Can I handle the heat 🔥?” Imagine my disappointment when I received cold, sugary sweet chicken with even sweeter noodles (what is that sauce?) I realize we’re almost 9K miles from Thailand, but no reputable Thai restaurant would serve anything like this. It’s still edible, but some/any spice is a must.

Grade: D (Tastebuds not required.)

Wing Trip Twitter/X Food Review

Boneless Tandoori Wings at Wing Trip

Our love affair with #Wonder continues, tonight at Wing Trip and some of the most amazing, delectable boneless wings in the DMV. Boneless Tandoori Wings (6 for $10.20) are sooo good. For starters, we got an extra 2 wings (gratis) and they are 100% bursting/infused with advertised Indian spices that rival the best Indian restaurants. They’re incredibly flaky and the A+ tamarind chutney literally transcends it to another universe. It also comes with cilantro 🌿 sauce, which is pretty good 2. A+ Their $5.49 Togarashi Fries promise even more spice (including seaweed) but they were hard to taste. Also, a tad cold but passable. B- Can’t miss boneless wings = another winner 🏆. 

Overall Grade: B+

Caught Stealing Twitter/X Movie Review

Zoë Kravitz & Austin Butler (r) star in Caught Stealing

Go Giants

IMDb Plot: Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined. Directed by Darren Aronofsky.

Daily Provisions Twitter/X Food Review

Half-Smoked, Egg & Potatoes sandwich at Daily Provisions

Save the Day

First bites at @dailyprov, and so far, so (really) good. Clean, open retail space with covered patio & a very unique (& tasty) Half-Smoked, Egg & Potatoes Sammy ($9.95) on a soft/yummy Portuguese poppy seed roll. Lots of textures & we especially love the 2 mini potatoes 🥔 (nice & flaky.) B+ #BigFansAlready Even tastier? Their crispy Cinnamon Cruller, which somehow manages to live up to its $$$ cost ($4.95 & relatively small.) Can’t recall a better cruller in all my travels. A- Daily Provisions = strong 💪 possibilities.

Overall Grade: A-

Honey Don't! Twitter/X Movie Review

Margaret Qualley stars in Honey Don't!

Penis Move

IMDb Plot: A dark comedy about small-town private investigator Honey O'Donahue, who delves into a series of strange deaths tied to a mysterious church. Directed by Ethan Coen.

Alanza Pizza Twitter/X Food Review

Pepperoni Pizza at Alanza Pizza

First hiccup at #Wonder in Rosslyn, as bad customer service sets the wrong mood for Alanza Pizza 🍕 You know the type of “worker “ who doesn’t want to be there, yet there they are… front & center with indifference & (bad) moodiness. What a shame, as the 12” Pepperoni pie (only $10.49) is really good. The cheese is generous & (unbelievably) gooey. A! It’s also covered in crispy pepperoni, which helps offset a relatively pedestrian (but serviceable) crust that may have benefited from a little more char. Overall, a solid B that could have been a notch higher, with any kind of positive service. Fingers crossed 🤞 this was only an off day.

Grade: B

Highest 2 Lowest Twitter/X Movie Review

Denzel Washington stars in Highest 2 Lowest

Day of Reckoning

IMDb Plot: When a titan music mogul is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma. Directed by Spike Lee.

Streetbird by Marcus Samuelsson Twitter/X Food Review

M's Fried Chicken Sandwich at Streetbird by Marcus Samuelsson

Back at #Wonder to try @MarcusCooks’ #Streetbird. Fast turnaround = great start, followed by the most delicious corn bread I’ve EVER had in my life (with maple 🍁 butter, no less) I will literally stop by again & again for this alone. A++ His M's Fried Chicken Sandwich is a steal at $6.95, loaded with fresh/vibrant lettuce 🥬 & tomato 🍅 with 2 big pickle slices 🥒 tucked inside a soft brioche bun. The patty itself is a work of art (dark meat at its finest) and almost puts @Popeyes to shame. A- The Streetbird Slaw is just a tad too tangy, but otherwise (taste, texture) perfect B+ Only problem? A paltry 6 Onion Rings, ice cold (how?) with 0️⃣ crunch. The Chica Sauce spoke sweet paprika, but the temp/texture ruined any good will. Spiced Potato Chips next time. Overall Grade: A (Chicken s’wich & corn bread = game changing)

Grade: A