The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner: Easy Family Meals for Every Day of the Week

Every single recipe in this cookbook is a winner! Liz Edmunds has been making these recipes for 30+ years. I feel confident making a recipe choice from this cookbook -it is almost as if all the recipes have the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval! Liz's philosophy on family dinners is a smart philosophy to follow. I started following Liz's weekly meal plans six weeks ago; (set meals for every day of the week: Monday is comfort foods, Tuesday is Italian night, Wednesday is fish, Thursday is Mexican, Friday is homemade pizza, Saturday is grill night, Sunday is your fancy meal); and I only go grocery shopping twice a month. I never have to wonder, "what's for dinner?" when I am on my home from work; as there is a handy two-week printable calendar on Liz's website. In addition, my husband now does the dishes, which he had an aversion to in the past! I love this cookbook! Thank you Food Nanny!

this has become my absolute favorite cookbook. the recipes never fail and we've found so many new favorites! HOWEVER, the binding on this book is completely lame. don't let it stop you from enjoying the great recipes (and really neat idea of themed nights, makes life easier!), but don't be surprised if you have to take it to kinko's after a couple of months for it to be rebound so it will last.

I feed 6-7 people every day for dinner, sometimes more if one or two of my kids' friends are over. I think about food all day even when it's not meal time because I'm thinking about what to put together to make a cohesive meal, if I laid it out to thaw, if I have enough of it, if I have any leftovers that I can incorporate so as not to waste food. It is exhausting. I purchase absolutely any cookbook there is that will help me make meal planning, prep and cooking easier. So when I saw this book I had to have it. The very first page was planning the weekly menu like I've been trying to do for years. This book is having Comfort Food on Monday, Italian on Tuesday, Fish & Meatless on Wednesday, Mexican Night on Thursday, Pizza Friday's, Grill Night on Saturday and Family Traditions on Sunday. I've been doing something similar but trying to make mine Meatless Monday's, [...]. But regardless of what you pick this is excellent meal planning advice. It gives yourself (and the kids and spouse) an idea of what to look forward to rather than coming home with pots and pans banging around with no idea of what to prepare. That is what I liked about the Sandi Richard book too, The Family Dinner Fix: Cooking for the Rushed. She has similar ideas to Ms. Edmunds. I would use a calendar that you get free in the mail and write your "theme" across the top. Your themes might be different than the suggested themes in this book but either way come up with 7 themes and write them across the top of the calendar. Now go to each chapter in this cookbook (or any other cookbook) and list a recipe that corresponds to that theme. List the page it is on and briefly write any side dishes that you would be serving with the main entree. Ms. Edmunds suggests making your menu first and then your grocery list second. I believe in making the grocery list first and then making meals from that. I try to buy what's on sale and then make meals from the sale foods rather than the other way around. I made the white chicken chili that was listed under the Comfort Food section. It's intended to be a Monday meal but I think we had it on a Wednesday (oops!). LOL. It was very good. Also under each recipe is a conversation starter. It's a question you're to pose to the family around the dinner table to stimulate conversation. I actually purchased these from www.savingdinner.com and here they are free. There are also bread recipes, side dishes, desserts, after school snacks, cooking tips, and other great ideas to get the family back to the dinner table. It's an awesome book. One of my better purchases. This is certainly a fantastic gift, wedding or otherwise. It would be a great gift for someone just starting to cook who needs ideas and instruction for getting a complete meal on the table. Another good cookbook I like is Saving Dinner: The Menus, Recipes, and Shopping Lists to Bring Your Family Back to the Table by Leann Ely. It has shopping lists, menus, and gre

Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (10/08) Anyone that juggles work and home would love this cookbook! It is full of easy, simple recipes and by looks of it, most everything can be found in your pantry. The book is divided into days of the week and provides recipes. For example, Mondays are "Comfort Food" which includes things like Roast Chicken with Gravy, Savory Meatloaf, and Three Bean Chili with Sausage. Thursdays are "Mexican Night" with recipes for Chicken Tacos and Mexican Chicken and Black Bean Soup. Each day of the week includes twelve different recipes, and if followed, you could have a different type of meal every day of the year. How ingenious. But, there is more. The book includes salads for every day, breads, and deserts. I tried the Crock-Pot Roast Beef Dinner and it's very good, however, I did feel the recipe called for too much brown sugar and eliminated it all together. Coupled with the suggested Reds and Greens Salad, it certainly passed the test. The second recipe I tried was Road Salmon with Tarragon. It's an extremely simple recipe. This is the first time I've used tarragon with salmon and loved it. Liz Edmonds has provided one of those "you need only one" cookbooks. It has everything in it, and certainly will simplify a busy person's life. I highly recommend "The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner" by Liz Edmonds!

I love this book...... the recipes are wonderful and fool-proof!! The theme nights are a perfect rescue for my family and the difficult task of keeping dinner time exciting!!! Liz Edmunds has convinced me that sitting down with my kids and husband every night on a consistent basis is what is going to make my family strong and happy........... this book is easy to follow, love the pictures!!!!!!!!! Hands down the best carrot cake recipe I have ever had... unbelievable!!!!!!