Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!!!!!!

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....

LOVE this book!!! My daughter & I have made seven or eight of the recipes already. They are down to earth, delicious and easy to prepare. I bought a book for each of my daughters and am sending one to college with my youngest. It has made dinner so fun for our family!

We first checked this out of the local library, but found the recipes to be so good that we had to purchase the book. Not one recipe has been a bad one, and that is the opinion of all my boys as well (ages 14, 12 & 8).

...but I didn't. The concept is good - thus the 3 stars - but the recipes were TERRIBLE. I made several, and none had any flavor at all. Back to my cooking magazines for me, and I'm happy I got this at the library instead of purchasing it.

This book has some good suggestions and works well for a larger family like ours (6), but there really isn't much new and exciting. I've certainly made plenty of mac-n-cheese or basic pasta dishes, as well roasted chicken or chili or eggs for dinner. The meals were a bit bland, and many of them have a LOT of ingredients which take a lot of time to prepare (not so "easy"). We're living overseas at the moment, and so it's hard to find all these ingredients all the time. I was looking for a new twist on things, and I don't think the book delivers in rescuing my dinner times. I do appreciate the "back to basics" and "theme nights" ideas, and really like the topic suggestions for family meal times, so I give the book 3 stars.

I am so glad I found this cookbook. I first got it from the library, and checked it out over-and-over, but I am getting it to add to my personal collection. This literally has changed the way I make meals for the family, and it has been received well by a foodie husband and 2 really picky kids.

I used to be a "short order cook" for the family, sometimes making 4 different meals 3x a day. It was exhausting. Unless I did that, there was always at least 1 person unhappy with what was being served. It made mealtime less than enjoyable. I even tried the, "If you don't like what is served, you can get yourself a sandwich or cereal," but then we still weren't "bonding" by eating different things.

I also thought that the theme nights would be too regimented and constricting, but it has been just the opposite--VERY FREEING!

Since I have implemented the theme nights, my family eats the same meal as each other, and they respond positively about it. Even if one thing isn't a person's favorite, he/she knows that at the next meal, there will be something that he/she likes, so there is NO complaining...NONE! Our nights are: Sunday Traditional, Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday (which is really anything Mexican), Italian Wednesday, International Thursday, Pizza or Panini Friday, and Thrill of the Grill Saturday.

I am not always prepared for 2 weeks in advance. Sometimes I still don't know what I am serving that day, but, with the themes, it narrows the choices, and makes it easy to select and prepare. The recipes in the book are easy, fast, and made with on-hand ingredients. I don't pick all of our nights out of this cookbook, but use it as a guide regularly. The recipes in the book have been well received, and have all come out tasty. I change them to our family's liking, and they are easy to adapt.

I wouldn't say that I follow Liz's discussion topics, but there is always an interesting discussion and emotional connection at our table...again, much more than when we were eating different meals. Even the oldest teen stays to talk with the family, instead of running off to play computer games.

Initially, I was worried about the fat and calorie count of the foods, as I normally watch those pretty closely, but with the eating of dinner (getting it on the table earlier, because there's no craziness about what to make), there is less snacking than before, so the fat and calorie issue hasn't been a problem.

My kids have become more open to trying new foods and they have been pleasantly surprised by how much they like the food. I have been pleasantly surprised by what they are willing to eat and what they actually like.

One thing that isn't in the book that we got from another family is that I'd like to have a day of rest one day a week, so my kids and hubby will take turns every Sunday to make a meal for the family...and on MY Sunday, I will take them out to dinner. That way, I get a little rest from being in the kitchen all the time, and they get to make what they like--and be proud of their contribution.

I hope you give this book a try. I wish I had it years ago when my kids were little, and I was making myself crazy trying to please everyone the hard way. Liz Edmonds has a nice website too where you can make your 2 week menus online and print them out. It also has recipes and makes a shopping list from the things that you picked. So, that's pretty cool too. Buon Appetito...May your family come together around the table!

I have tried several times to get dinner organized, and find things that my family of rather picky eaters (husband and 4 kids) would enjoy. This book had both, and it has taken such a huge stress off of me. I am so proud of the dinners I can present to my family, and it pleases me to see them happy. I no longer have the last minute panic of what to make for dinner every night, and I am streamlined in my shopping. I did try Saving Dinner, but for some reason it didn't work for me. This book does work, and I would recommend this to any mom who wants to have the perfect companion for making dinnertime enjoyable for the entire family. I love it! If I could thank Liz for helping me become a better cook for me family, I sure would!
By the way, some of her authentic recipes from her travels have quickly become my family's favorites...

I read this cookbook like a juicy novel. I have always been one to make a few dinners for my family each week but figured that was enough because I had to rack my brain so hard just to come up with those menus. I lacked direction and motivation. This book gave me both. Now I write out my menus and shop accordingly. My kids love looking at what's for dinner ahead of time. Last week we all got home from an orthodontist appointment late and my husband had started making the spaghetti because he had seen it on the calendar. The recipes I've tried are great (the chicken taco's are YUM) but for some of the recipes I stick to my own tried and true recipe's: meatloaf, potpie, cinnamon rolls... However, I love knowing when to make them. FINALLY dinnertime makes sense! But most importantly, the reason to cook for my family has come into full clarity. I felt warm inside after reading this book...like I had just had a home cooked meal.