Liz Edmunds:The Food Nanny

Liz Edmunds is the host of a PBS cooking show called “The Food Nanny.” The program that aired on BYUtv showcases her passion for family dinnertime. She is part teacher, counselor, and coach for families in need of organizational help and cooking ideas to implement a weekly dinner plan in their own homes.

She grew up in La Mirada, California, and envisioned the kind of home life she wanted when she grew up.

Because of her husband Stephen’s extensive travels as an airline pilot, Liz set a goal to create a consistent dinnertime with her family, which eventually grew to include seven children. She created theme nights for dinner and developed her recipes over 30 years in her own kitchen. She was not formally trained, but credits her mother, grandmother, and aunts with the basis of the techniques and savvy she has developed through her own trial and error.

Some of her daughters used her meal plan in college to cook for roommates. Edmunds has shared her enthusiasm for family dinner, her recipes, and her food budgeting tips with people throughout the United States. Many encouraged her to write a book. A kitchen-store manager dubbed her “the food nanny” and the moniker stuck. She is the author of The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner (2008) and The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner Again! (2013). Her motto is “See you at dinner!”

Edmunds builds a menu for two weeks at a time. Her theme nights include: Monday, comfort food; Tuesday, Italian night; Wednesday, fish/meatless; Thursday, Mexican night; Friday, pizza night; Saturday, grill night; and Sunday, tradition night. The themes help her put meals on the table consistently every night. She said the plan never failed her. She believes in eating at home with your family at least five nights a week.

Although she is enthusiastic about families eating healthy dinners together, she says that breads are her specialty.

Edmunds is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She and her husband live outside Park City, Utah.