Life's on Fire: Cooking for the Rushed

I was given this cookbook as a wedding gift and have since given it to several others for their weddings. As a new homemaker, I was anxious about cooking and unsure how to time and prepare balanced meals. This book has made my life much less stressful. The best part is that the meals taste great and are easy to make. Sandi will tell you to use a 'convienience' product here and there. I like that, it is a realistic way to cook. I don't use the week by week lay out, but I often look in the index at the back that divides the recipes by meat and will choose a dish that uses what I have in my freezer.Bottom line: Buy this book and use it. You won't be disappointed.

I have used every recipe in this book up to week 7. I'm still working my way though it. With just my husband & myself a one week plan actually lasts us two weeks. The recipes make enough for two dinners and one lunch each. For those of us who are into portion control & calorie wise this book takes out the fuss & guess work. The grocery list is already made. You just cross out what you already have & then buy whats left on the list. Then you just follow the receipe to the letter. Some of the recipes call for ingredients that you wouldn't normally use but all the recipes I have tried worked out great. The only adjustment I have made is to use only 1/4 a tsp of curry no matter how much the recipe calls for. I work full time and am the main housekeeper and this makes for delicious, varied, easy to prepare meals. Shopping is way easier as well. I love this book & have told several friends about it. I highly recommend this book.

Ever find yourself standing in your kitchen around 5pm wondering what to prepare the family for dinner? "Cooking for the Rushed" has saved me from dinnertime anxiety attacks and last minute scrambled dinners-from-a-box.This book offers 12 weeks of well-balanced meal plans complete with grocery lists. The ingredients are everyday, regular items (no weird, exotic stuff). You can pick and choose meals as you please depending on your family's tastes. Meals are also conveniently catergorized by preparation time (the fastest meals needing only 15 min preps -- the ones I always use, LOL!).My only criticism is that not every meal has an accompanying photograph (in order to make room for some cute cartoons). While the cartoon strips are a nice touch, I want to see what each meal looks like.In all, a real stress reliever for this stay-home parent! I highly recommend this book.