Miserly Meals: Healthy, Tasty Recipes Under 75 Cents Per Serving

Rating:
Summary: Find a copy to look at before you buy...
Review: I was not satisfied with this book. I agree with the other reviewers who pointed out that it is very basic - I think it might be helpful to someone who doesn't have much cooking experience, but if you do it won't help you much. I doubt I will make anything from this book, and I have to say nothing really sounded that great. One of my main problems with this book it that every chicken recipe called for boneless, skinless breasts - how un-frugal can you get?? That is absolutly the most expensive way to buy chicken, and don't tell me it is the only healthy option - it won't kill your family to eat chicken legs once it a while. Give me a break! If you are new to both cooking and frugality, you might get something out of it, but otherwise, take my word for it - you already know everything the author has to say.

Rating:
Summary: Great recipes!!!
Review: My family loves the recipes in this book. Not only are they cheap to make but they are very good. I especially like the helpful hints about food placed throughout the book. They are a big help to those of us new to frugality.

Rating:
Summary: Missed the Mark
Review: Not enough new info in book to make it worth buying. If you can make tea, you already know one recipe in this book! Recipes not really very frugal.

Rating:
Summary: Great recipes!!!
Review: Some of what other reviewers say is true - there ARE ingredients in these recipes your family may not eat - like the Tabasco sauce. However, what I really appreciate about Jonni's book is that it's a good transition for Mom's trying to get their budgets under control. The fact that she has included Nutrition Information (many of the recipes are low in fat for those of us watching our waistlines as well as our budgets) as well as a 'cost per serving' is very helpful. There may be many readers who are already "pros" at low-cost meal planning but I wasn't one of them. I also appreciate the fact that recipes don't take 2 years to prepare and cook. I, too, am a homeschooling Mom and I found her 2 books - Miserly Moms and Miserly Meals - a real help to get my mind going in the right direction. From these two books, I took 15 recipes for dinners to get started - things my family WILL eat - many of them crock meals which will take only a few minutes to set up and forget about. I look at these 2 books as my springing-off point -- incorporating her principles by looking for new recipes on the Internet etc. I know I am saving money and once I get used to this, I'll refine it further but I would have been knocked out if I had to spend 2 hours a day cooking with homeschooling. For those reviewers who were not very understanding about her shakes and such, Jonni herself said in Miserly Moms she didn't want to live like a pauper but enjoy things at a lower cost, not feeling cheap. If you are going from eating Steak & Elaborate Desserts to Miserly Cooking you are going to feel deprived without a few nice recipes that add variety. One of the biggest challenges I have found as a busy homeschooling Mom is finding good-tasting, lowfat recipes that are quick. Jonni has you do much of the prep in advance that saves you money (mixes etc) and then you kind of throw things together - not a ton of steps. I do like the book and if you are overwhelmed and want someone to just "spell it out for you" go with Jonni. If you are a seasoned bargain shopper and meal preparer, you might want something more advanced.

Rating:
Summary: It's worth having
Review: Some of what other reviewers say is true - there ARE ingredients in these recipes your family may not eat - like the Tabasco sauce. However, what I really appreciate about Jonni's book is that it's a good transition for Mom's trying to get their budgets under control. The fact that she has included Nutrition Information (many of the recipes are low in fat for those of us watching our waistlines as well as our budgets) as well as a 'cost per serving' is very helpful. There may be many readers who are already "pros" at low-cost meal planning but I wasn't one of them. I also appreciate the fact that recipes don't take 2 years to prepare and cook. I, too, am a homeschooling Mom and I found her 2 books - Miserly Moms and Miserly Meals - a real help to get my mind going in the right direction. From these two books, I took 15 recipes for dinners to get started - things my family WILL eat - many of them crock meals which will take only a few minutes to set up and forget about. I look at these 2 books as my springing-off point -- incorporating her principles by looking for new recipes on the Internet etc. I know I am saving money and once I get used to this, I'll refine it further but I would have been knocked out if I had to spend 2 hours a day cooking with homeschooling. For those reviewers who were not very understanding about her shakes and such, Jonni herself said in Miserly Moms she didn't want to live like a pauper but enjoy things at a lower cost, not feeling cheap. If you are going from eating Steak & Elaborate Desserts to Miserly Cooking you are going to feel deprived without a few nice recipes that add variety. One of the biggest challenges I have found as a busy homeschooling Mom is finding good-tasting, lowfat recipes that are quick. Jonni has you do much of the prep in advance that saves you money (mixes etc) and then you kind of throw things together - not a ton of steps. I do like the book and if you are overwhelmed and want someone to just "spell it out for you" go with Jonni. If you are a seasoned bargain shopper and meal preparer, you might want something more advanced.

Rating:
Summary: BASIC book...not for more seasoned frugal cooks.
Review: Sorry, no pun was intended! This book is not meant for someone who is resourceful and has read other stuff. Jonni's recipes aren't all that frugal. So it depends on what your idea of saving money is. She is also a bit of a whiner in her books thus missing the mark on the issues. However, the meals offered here are not odd, nor does she seem to be a complusive saver at the expense of her family. This book is a good START to saving money in the kitchen.

Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: This book was a big help in trimming my hubby's and my food budget. I have already made quiet a few of the recipies. Including Chicken and Dumplings that my husband LOVED. I think this book is idea for people like me. I don't do an awful lot of cooking, so the recipies are simple and made with things I already have on hand. The instructions are easy to follow and contain many good tips. This book has already paid for itself many times over. The only problem I have is it came with the binding tape not glued in, where the pages could fall out after much use. When I reordered another book, it was the same. I don't know if this is the way the book is suppose to be or not. If you like to make simple, frugal meals for you family and don't have extensive cooking talent, by all means, get this book! And there are recipies for something as simple as sun tea, but with many different flavor variations that look interesting. Hope this review helps!

Rating:
Summary: OK, but not Great
Review: This had some good recipes in it that I will probably use, and a few good tips, but most of the recipes were not for things that my family would eat--or that I would cook. Might be better to invest your money in a more all purpose type cookbook--UNLESS you have no concept of how to determine which recipes are frugal and which are not. Generally, think less meat, and more beans/grains/veggies. Still, it does contain some good information, and creative ideas, so if you don't have something like this already in your frugal arsenal, you might want to give it a try.