Rating: 
Summary: Delicious, healthful, organized
Review: I thought I had my act together when it came to making dinner...I love to cook, and have tried to make dinnertime a priority with my family. However, we were getting stuck in a rut. I'd go through my repertoire of about 10 meals, occasionally trying something new. Then, I saw this book recommended on the Flylady website, and that sparked my interest. However, I thought I didn't really need such a cookbook...I had plenty already, and I loved making my favorite recipes. Well, as I researched a bit, I found out that this wasn't just a convenience cookbook (although it is VERY convenient...shopping lists are included, and we are given a new perspective on side dishes). Leanne Ely is a nutritionist, and these meals are healthy and balanced. Plus, they provide an ENORMOUS amount of variety! I have been using the menus quite faithfully (with occasional substitutions or modifications) for two months now, and my husband, three-year-old son, and I all love them! Some meals are better than others, but all have been at least as good as what I was making! We have been introduced to delicious new spices and herbs, are eating more healthfully (more veggies as side dishes), and can invite guests over at the drop of a hat! One caveat: each 6-menu "week" (the cook needs a day off, too!) includes a crockpot meal. You might want to consider this if you don't own a crockpot. I am not a slow-cooker fan, but I have modified several "crockpot" recipes and just made them in a regular pot, maybe using some extra liquid and a very low heat. Otherwise, this book is a true find! I can't believe mine is the only review here! Whether you are trying to bring dinner back to your table or are just looking for TONS of family-friendly recipes, this book is worth its weight in gold. It's a true gem.
Rating:
Summary: This has changed the way I feed my family!
Review: I got myself this book as an early Christmas present. I can't believe the difference it has made in my life. We have gone from eating out and scrounging for dinner at least half the time to having a home cooked meal every night. The menus are great and the shopping lists make it all so easy. I can take it and buy everything I need for the week. My sons, the best of the picky eaters, are eating things I never dreamed they would eat. I am actually able to get the eat fish (something they never did before). When they discovered that I was using cod, they got all excited and said they were eating Captain Hook. I realized soon enough that it was their own little joke about codfish. So now, they look forward to their weekly serving of Capt'n Hook, LOL. I can not say enough good things about this book. It is a must for any kitchen. Even if you don't use the menus and only use it for the recipes it is worth it(though I wouldn't pass up such a great time saver if I were you). The food is so good and it is easy to follow the directions. I have already decided to buy one for my sister and my best friend. Everyone needs this cookbook.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Not for My Family
Review: I love the concept of this book, but after having diligently tried it for five weeks, I have decided it is just not right for my family. I love the shopping lists, and I love that I am serving my family healthy meals. And I'm cooking every night! But for a family of picky eaters, these recipes aren't making it into their bellies. She uses a lot of unusual ingredients that many families do not keep stocked in the pantry, which can drive up your grocery bill. However, at the same time, I loved that I could go to the grocery store, buy only what I needed and know that I was buying enough for a full week of dinners. My mind didn't need to think "maybe I should buy this just to have on hand". I didn't need anything else on hand! What a great feeling. I did love that we were trying new things and I did get some great ideas from it. One thing we did that was fun is we rated each meal from 1-5 stars. This alone got my pickiest eater to at least try it. I will say, there was only one meal that received only 1 star. I will continue to use it occasionally, but I am preparing to buy the Rush Hour Cook, which sounds like the same concept, but seems a more practical choice for my family.
Rating: 
Summary: Why buy the book when you can find the recipes free on-line?
Review: I bought the book (mistake!). Flipping through, I thought I recognized some of the recipes. I use the Internet very frequently to find recipes that fit the "theme" of what I want to serve the family, so that was the natural place for me to look. Well, I was rather surprised to find every recipe in this book (I didn't check them all, just a few) already posted on-line! My advice -- don't waste your money on the book. Just print the index from the Amazon site and do a Google search.
Rating:
Summary: Pros and Cons
Review: Pros:
1.Excellent concept - menus by season
2.Six menus per week including a fish meal, one or two chicken meals, a red meat meal, a meatless meal and a crock-pot meal
3.Healthy ingredients and side suggestions
4.Nutrition statistics for each main meal recipe
5.Unique ingredient combinations that taste surprisingly good
6.Recipes don't take too long to prepare
7.Extra suggestions and information above and beyond recipes and menu suggestions
8.Shopping lists for each week in the book and also available from the author's web site.
9.Shopping lists printed according to type of food so one can more easily find the food in the store. Cons:
1. Uses more pots and pans than I'm used to, so more clean-up required.
2. Uses some uncommon ingredients not found in all grocery stores.
3. If you don't like spicy and/or garlicy foods or tough cuts of beef and chicken breasts, you will be doing a lot of deletions and/or replacements.
4. No pork dishes
5. Uses some rather expensive spices and ingredients.
6. Not much variety in side dish suggestions and often the same suggestion two nights in a row.
7. Usually two high carbohydrate side dish suggestions per menu such as white potatoes and sweet potatoes in the same meal.
8. Usually five of six menu suggestions per week are high in protein, but one menu suggestion per week has way less protein than most families are used to eating at their evening meal.
9. You will have to look in another cookbook to find out how to cook some of the unfamiliar side suggestions, such as kale and coucous (which I couldn't even find in my store)
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK!!
Review: I have been using Saving dinner for about 3 weeks and it has been a life saver. My husband has loved almost every recipe and I love knowing they are good for us and our 18 month old son. It is fun trying new recipes...especially fast, easy and healthy ones! Also, I feel like I am learning how to cook all over again because she uses so many fresh ingredients and spices. It is a nice change from my menus that always seemed to have cream of mushroom soup or spagetti sauce in them! Thanks!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely FANTASTIC
Review: My grocery bills have dropped dramatically, my fussy four year old is eating salmon, and my husband asked for seconds of brussel sprouts!! This cookbook has replaced the rows of dusty cookbooks I never used. It is easy to use, the shopping lists save me hours of time. I recommend this book to every busy mother out there. At first I was leery of some of the recipes but decided to just go with it and see what happened, my family and I have been amazed at the things we love! Dropping a dress size without trying was another added bonus. Plus the recipes don't require a mass of pots and pans which makes clean up much simpler. Thank you so much Leanne Ely.
Rating: 
Summary: Saving Dinner
Review: This book is very helpful and the Garlic Lime Chicken recipe is a weekly item on our dinner menu - My 2 year old loves it! It helps with meal planning and saves us money because we don't have to eat out.
Rating:
Summary: This is destined to be the most well-used book in my library
Review: I have used several weeks of Leanne's recipes now, and I must say that 98% of the meals have surpassed my expectations. Of course, the best feature of Leanne's brilliant book is the categorized shopping list. Making a menu and a list are a huge hurdle for me. Leanne has completely eliminated this stress and saved me so much time, bless her! Occasionally I have had to make substitutions when I couldn't find an ingredient...but the recipe still turns out great. These recipes are also *simple enough* for a cooking-challenged person like me to accomplish. Several have been only 15 minutes' preparation. The blackened salmon is absolutely delicious and so simple to prepare. I will say that Saving Dinner has raised my grocery bill a bit. However, when one considers the meals we were having before (pancakes, scrambled eggs and potatoes, canned foods, etc.) it becomes glaringly obvious that I wasn't spending enough on my family's nutrition. This way, we get fresh vegetables every night (something we rarely had before), and I am certain the vegetables are going to be used up, not left to waste away in the fridge like before. Our food is tastier and more pleasing to the eye. We have fish once a week, whereas before we had it only when hubby went trout-fishing--and I only knew one way to prepare it: breaded & fried. I will also say that, unlike others with picky eaters, I have not seen a huge improvement with the intake of my picky ones. Four out of my five children are persnickety when it comes to food of any kind. However, my eldest daughter eats well, my husband and I are thrilled with the meals, and the leftovers (if there are any after my hubby gets through) make an excellent lunch the following day. We simply serve pancakes for the picky ones on the 7th day! I have determined to continue with these delicious recipes, trusting my children will eventually "get with it" as they grow older and their tastes mature (the pickiest ones are still very young). How nice it is to have all the ingredients on hand for 6 delicious meals. I can follow the menu in order, or choose another meal to prepare at the last minute without having to run out for anything. Twice I have had guests for dinner using Leanne's recipes and both meals were received with rave reviews. The chicken with roasted potatoes was sooo simple to prepare and mostly hands off...the oven does all the work. Yet the results were delicious! What a wonderful company recipe. My husband said they were the best potatoes he'd ever had. Thank you, Leanne! God bless you.
Rating:
Summary: Hate to cook? ----Not anymore!
Review: I learned about "Saving Dinner" through the wonderful website Flylady.net. I always 'hated' to cook and frankly really wasn't very good at it. I thought, "what the heck", let me buy the book and see if it can help as much as it promises. Boy does it ever help me! If you are 'kitchen-challenged' you will appreciate the shopping lists and easily understood recipes. Also, you are not stuck with a shelf or drawer full of fancy gadgets or ingredients. Though, I must admit that I needed to ask a customer to point out exactly which of the items was a garlic press. Who knew it would be fun to go the store and buy spices and fresh meats and vegetables ? None of the recipes are boring and are carefully arranged by Season so you wont be looking for anything unusal that may not be available.
"Saving Dinner" is written in a very down-to-earth fashion and there are no cryptic abbriviations or a need for a chemistry degree to decipher the recipes. Reading "Saving Dinner" may make you want to buy more cookbooks but, I can guarantee you wont need to.
| 
