2009 was no exception.  Despite our nation’s “Great Recession”, we once again raised thousands of dollars for local families.  These moneys were generated from promotional events like “Pink Dish! Day,” contributions as part of in-store offers, and — more than ever before — out-of-pocket donations from dishers and hosts alike.

Your generosity enabled us to provide every Pink Dish! nominated family in the Mid-Atlantic region with a FREE dish-and-dash session.  We hope these healthy, pre-assembled meals make their daily challenges feel a little less overwhelming, at least around dinnertime.

We couldn’t have done it without you.  And for that, we — like the families that received these free meals — are sincerely grateful.

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OK, so the news is good… but it’s coming in baby steps.  While we are thrilled that this signature item is back on the menu, the cost (to Let’s Dish!) remains high, and the quantities remain low.  For this reason, we are limiting the order quantity to one salmon dish per customer, per session.  We want to make sure there is enough for all of our customers to get a taste of this delicious item, and we don’t know when it will once again be available.

There will also be limited supplies in our Ready Made case, where purchases will be capped at two per household.  Customers dishing a session can add a second salmon to their order for $25.  Unfortunately, no further salmon add-ons will be permitted.

Our customers, our staff, and heck, even our families are just so excited that salmon is back.  We are hopeful that sometime in the near future we can relax our limitations… but for now, we want to make sure that no salmon-lover goes home empty-handed.

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Over the years, we have teamed with our customers to provide hundreds and hundreds of free meals for families who in many ways are just like yours or mine.  They lead busy lives.  They try to eat dinner together despite their many other commitments.  They cherish whatever “quality time” they may have together.  Then they get a breast cancer diagnosis and everything turns upside down.  Suddenly the simple things (a game of catch, a story at bedtime) take on special meaning, and daily chores (like cooking and cleaning) become an inordinate challenge.

Let’s Dish! can help any busy family put a healthy meal on the table in a convenient, economical way.  But this “gift” is especially important for families trying to battle their way through cancer.  I know, because I have done it.  When you’re exhausted from surgery recovery and/or cancer treatment it’s so hard to make the effort to get a good dinner on the table.  It’s so important to be properly nourished when your body is fighting a war and having a healthy dinner with little to no effort makes a huge difference.

Last year, I had the privilege of meeting Susan Merrinan and her family, as we presented them with an entire year of free meals from Let’s Dish!  To see their strength, resolve, love, perseverance and gratitude in this difficult situation was one of the highlights of my career.  I was so proud that Let’s Dish! could lend a hand to this family and the many others like them who are facing the challenge of a lifetime.

I hope you’ll join us this year and be part of the Pink Dish! campaign.

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That’s why we were delighted to read the latest installment of Dining in DC, a top-notch blog written Examiner.com’s restaurant critic Lisa Shapiro.  She calls our hosts “gracious”, the process “so easy” and  our portion sizes “perfect.” Regular dishers won’t be surprised that Lisa, a first-timer, quickly concludes that “Not only is Let’s Dish! great for cutting down the time that it takes to put dinner on the table, but it also helps cut down on your monthly grocery bill. It’s win-win for everyone! It’s fast, healthy and inexpensive.”

Just wait until she tries the food… Lisa invites readers to “stay tuned as I update the dishes that we’ve tried and my family’s reactions.”  We’re looking forward to more rave reviews!

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So WUSA-9’s Living Well team brought in the experts: our own Elizabeth Marcotte and Stephanie Mull of Smull Nutrition. Elizabeth and Stephanie dished out tips on how a few small changes could make a big impact on her families habits and health.  Angela was advised to plan and write down a weekly menu, get the kids involved in the dinner-making progress, seek foods with lots of color, and provide ‘grabbable’ snacks like fruit and nuts to tide her boys over until mealtime.

Check out the entire piece here.  Thanks to Elizabeth, Stephanie and the WUSA-9 team for helping with the “makeover”.  And best of luck to Angela and the boys - thanks for letting Let’s Dish! be part of your healthy dinner solution!

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