Quick Meals for Healthy Kids and Busy Parents: Wholesome Family Meals in 30 Minutes or Less

I am a full time working mom of 2 kids under 3 and I found this cookbook to be a lifsaver...After having my daughter we were living off yogourt, cereal and sandwiches with my 2 year old son...I couldn't get him to try to eat anything that we would be eating. I started to get really worried. I was a picky eater as a child, and still am, I have to admit. This book made great tasting recipes that both my son and I will EAT! They taste great and are healthy changes from out staples (peanut butter toast, and yogourts!!) It is true that most of the meals start with staples (canned soups..biscuit mixes etc) but this is a QUICK cooking cookbook!! Who has time to make everything from scratch! I sure don't!! So if you are TRULY a busy mom...short on time...GET THIS BOOK! It will be a welcome addition to your colllection. If you are complaining about the pre-made items..Get a different book! You obviously have more time than most! I also liked that it didn't have a lot of the low fat brands and products that we can't get here in Canada...so For all the fellow Canadian mom's out there...This one is a keeper! I haven't found a product that is used yet that we couldn't get here! BRAVO!!

I really like the Quick Meals book - true, no pictures, so if that bothers you, don't get it. As for some of the recipes starting with time-savers like cans of soup or pancake/biscuit mix instead of making it from scratch, that didn't bother me either. I thought the recipes were, for the most part, on the healthy side. (This was important to me, too... I've been careful with what my 14 month old son eats so far - no overly processed foods, etc. He hasn't even had chocolate yet.)The book has practical, easy recipes using stuff I usually have around the house anyway. I'd been stuck in a rut, feeding my son the same stuff everyday. The Quick Meals book gave me a lot of new ideas... For example, there's a "fun with tortillas" page and "parmesan chicken nuggets" (which aren't fried but are baked), and "basil broccoli and mushrooms" (made with frozen broccoli.) In short, this book gave me a lot of new ideas, none of the recipes take long to prepare, and I usually already have the ingredients for something from the book at any given time. Most importantly though, my son has enjoyed everything I've made so far!

This book is full of recipes that are healthy and appealing to a wide variety of ages. The recipes use a variety of on hand ingredients! When you have just gotten home from work and want to prepare a decent meal quickly, you will love the shortcuts. These shortcuts do not sacrifice taste, but enhance it! The recipes are very easy to read. It does need pictures, however!

I absolutely love that I found this book. Everynight I would toil over something easy and quick to make and always ended up with something frozen, coated in shake and bake and following with rice a roni or the like. Now, all has changed! Every recipe I've tried so far is remarkably easy and much healthier! A special note - my 16 month old LOVES the homemade chicken nuggets!!! Who knew wheat germ could taste so good?? I HIGHLY recommend this book for any family on the go, or anybody who doesn't want to spend all day in the kitchen! Oh, and the desserts and breads are sooooooo easy and very delicious!

I must admit I'm a cook book junkie--always at the library and book stores looking for healthy, "kid-friendly" recipes. I purchased this book on a whim five years ago, and would rate it my all time favorite "family" cookbook. Recipes are in chapters: Soups, Chicken & Fish, Ground Beef (Turkey), Vegetables, Grains, Tortillas, Potatos, Pita Pockets, Stir-fry, Salads, Breads, Finishing touches, Snacks & Lunch treats for kids, and finally Beverages. At the end of all recipes are suggestions to "balance your meal." Many of these suggestions are other recipes in the cook book. There are also several microwave recipes throught the book. The tortilla recipes (Bean Burrito--micro & fast!) and pita recipes (Chicken Parmesan Pita)are especially good. The Chocolate Pudding (micro) recipe is a great after school snack. The bottom line is that my kids will eat almost everything I cook from this book, and I can't say that about any other cook book I own.