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

Liz Edmunds (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

Deciding what to make is always the most wearisome part of preparing a meal. But unlike other books that offer only good-looking recipes, this cookbook offers a revolutionary template for scheduling fun food themes for each night of the week—Monday is comfort food night, Tuesday is Italian night, Wednesday is fish night, and so on. With readily available ingredients in mind, this handy collection also provides fun and delicious recipes appropriate for every theme—hungry kids will look forward to a family dinner at home, especially when they know what to expect! Complete with tips to help every parent get organized, equip the kitchen, supply the pantry, involve other family members in the preparations, and forge family bonds around the dinner table—this book arrives family-tested and kid-approved.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With the idea that shared family meals are the cornerstone of good parenting and relationships, self-styled "food nanny" Edmunds offers up a collection of 200 classic family favorites in this terrific home resource. Virtually every classic dish is represented, from Chicken Pot Pie, Pot Roast and Tuna Melts to Buttermilk Waffles and Apple Pie, as well as a few surprises like Sopapillas and even French Baguettes. Helpfully organized by theme ("comfort food," "Italian night," "Mexican night," "pizza night"), Edmunds offers dishes for varying tastes and skill levels. Even those who have never set foot in the kitchen will be able to put a meal together quickly with her easy-to-follow guidance; Classic American Lasagne, for example, calls for jarred sauce and prepared lasagna noodles, but also offers recipes for the noodles themselves and a Bolognese sauce for cooks so inclined. It's this distinguishing approach that makes the book suitable for honing skills and self-challenging. Themes of togetherness and "quality time" feel forced (what could possibly shut up kids faster than the suggested conversation starter, "Why do you think some kids need to bully others?"), but it's impossible to fault Edmunds broad, deep and crowd-pleasing collection, especially suitable for those new to the kitchen.
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Review

"The recipes are traditional. What is new is the focus on planning to eat together as a family and making it a time to really be together—mind, body and soul."  —Western Parent

"Aims to simplify for any size table what her large brood helped her perfect. Edmunds's goal is to get families sitting down together again. "  —Carolina Parent

"With planning, and a collection of family-tested recipes, answering the question What's for dinner? won't be such a chore."  —Treasure Valley Family

"[The] advice takes the chore out of making decisions about what to eat . . . Recipes are kid and budget-friendly and the 220 color photos are great for show and tell."  —Today's Chicago Woman

"Family-friendly recipes wrapped around nightly themes bring new organization to mealtimes."  —Grand Rapids Family

"Makes meal planning both easy and straightforward, as well as grocery shopping more organized and effective . . . If you only have room on the family cookbook shelf for one more title, make it Liz Edmund's.'  —Bookwatch

"This cookbook offers a revolutionary template for scheduling fun food themes for each night of the week . . . arrives family-tested and kid-approved."  —

FoodReference.com

"The perfect cookbook for those who rarely cook, but know they should be preparing a hearty meal for their family as well as those who simply don't know how to cook."  —featheredquill.com

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Palmer/Pletsch Publishing (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 093527877X
• ISBN-13: 978-0935278774
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's "Cooking For the Rushed" and "Saving Dinner" all in one!, November 28, 2008

By 

kiwanissandy "Go Bucks!" (Heart of Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner: Easy Family Meals for Every Day of the Week (Paperback)

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 great recipes to get started. It's not laid out with "theme" nights like the Food Nanny but it's good nevertheless.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars finally!!!!!!!! a book that makes dinnertime easy, September 29, 2008

By 

J. Baker "bzmomof4" (california) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner: Easy Family Meals for Every Day of the Week (Paperback)

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!!!!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE it!!!!, June 17, 2010

By 

parentsofthree (CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner: Easy Family Meals for Every Day of the Week (Paperback)

I guess it's all a matter of taste, but I've made almost 2 weeks of her recipes (2/night - main dish and side/salad/bread), and every one has been delicious! These are dishes that I wouldn't know the difference if I ordered them in a restaurant. I was getting really bad at coming up with dinners, and we kept having the same stuff over and over. I've been really happy with planning out my week and not having to wonder what I was going to make for dinner. So far the recipes have been pretty easy, and I actually enjoyed making them! I find it really hard to believe that the other reviewer didn't like the recipes. Granted, before I found this cookbook I was making spaghetti, hamburgers, and tacos, but I can't believe that they thought the recipes were bland. I give this ***** (5 stars)!!!

As a note, we have 7 in our family that I cook for....