Saving Dinner : The Menus, Recipes, and Shopping Lists to Bring Your Family Back to the Table

Rating:
Summary: Borrow it from the library
Review: Like many of the other reviewers, I had seen the hype for this book on the Flylady site.

There are some good recipes in the book, and the concept of the book is great (weekly menu/shopping list). However, after putting it into practice, I was not impressed. I didn't care for many of the recipes, and had to alter the shopping list as there are only three in my family. In the end I gave up and made my own menus (which I've been doing for quite a while) and my own shopping lists. I will use a recipe from the book, but will no longer use the menu plan & shopping lists. Looking back, I wish I would have borrowed the book from the libary and copied down the recipes I thought I would like and incorporated them into my own menu plans.

Just my two cents...

Rating:
Summary: If you can cook, and are organized, go elsewhere!
Review: This book works for the following populations:

1. The cooking impaired. This will put a floor under your meals. They will be edible, and well balanced. They will also be rather tiresomely repetitive. Small children may enjoy this.

2. Those who are organizing-challanged. If you can't plan several meals in advance (you may, for example, find you are working 80 hours a week, and have several small children at home. Or you may, and shame on you! find that you would rather watch TV than pick up several cookbooks and copy down what you're going to need in the coming week.)

3. Those who wish to lose weight. Not that you would find these meals particularly unappetizing, at least for the first month. After which you will find that the author knows few vegetables, and fewer ways to prepare them, is apparently not acquainted either with pork, or with tofu, rock cornish game hens (if I can find them at Safeways, Ralph's and Costco, so can you!) zuccini, liver, ribs, chard, brussel sprouts, cheese aside from neufchatel and low-fat cheddar ... I hardly exagerate, but to get back to the point - want to lose weight? If you prepare the meal as mentiond, you will have conformed to certain Cooking Light/Weight watcher standards that will at least inform you of what you're eating, should you stick to the portions provided.

But eating is more than this, and so is cooking. Hats off to the authoress that at least she recognizes how important it is to cook, and to have a family gathered around for dinner. Even better, if she wants to improve your health, had she also gently suggested more exercise (why, for example, are you reading my rambling prose, rather than doing 10 jumping jacks, right now?) But what do real cooks say?

A) The fresher the better. So why all this canned food?
B) Variety is the spice of life (of which, see above)
C) A completely vegetable meal can be healthy and enjoyable (of which, there are none).

If you are completely overcome, if you just can't figure out meal planning or what is supposed to happen in the kitchen, then this book is for you. But I have a higher opinion of you than that. Look for Vegetarian Express by Nava Atlas, or anything by Pierre Franey - you'll be far better off.


Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: I've never ever used a cookbook this much in my life.

In the past, my family and I used to eat out the majority of the time because we'd buy cookbooks, pick out 1 or 2 recipes that looked good or picked up items for an old standy by and hope we didn't forget any of the ingredients. Most of the time, we were unsuccessful and I don't know about you, but my hubby HATES to go to the store after work, so usually, we'd end up eating out and the food we bought would go to waste. More money down the drain.

My family now eats veggies we never tried before and we like them! I also love that the side dish suggestions are so simple. Ely aslo stresses that they are *optional*, so there's really no reason to complain about her selection.

I do have to say that we are not a family that is fond of fish, so after trying a few weeks with the fish recipes, we now skip those and either substiute an old stand-by or just go shopping a day earlier.

So.... not only is my family loving eating at home, but the recipes are great tasting.

Rating:
Summary: The cookbook I've been looking for
Review: This is a great cookbook for people who want easy, tasty meals. The recipes are straightforward and not too difficult to make, and some of them challenge most people's palates. That's good! I feared that the Garlic Lime Chicken would be too spicy for my family's taste buds, but they adored it. I work full-time as a college professor, and I'll be using this book a lot during the upcoming school year. The nutritional information is excellent for those of us who are watching our intake.
Since I have been on diet, all the cravings for junk food have gone. I was someone who lived for sugar and now I do not want any of it. I use to crave coffee in the morning as well but realized I didn't want that wired up feeling & acid stomach. I switched over to a caffeine-free coffee substitute made from soyabeans I found on the net at www. S o y c o f f e e.c om. It so easy for someone to tell you to eat less, but if you are craving bad foods, eventually you will fail. In the first five days I was on this diet all the craving ceased and I was already 8 lbs down. If you were like me and cannot wait for your next slice of cake and at the same time really want to change your lifestyle, Try this.

I'm a Weight Watcher, and I appreciate being able to calculate points easily. Some of the recipes are fairly high in points, but knowing this in advance means I can plan my eating for the day. I appreciate that some other reviewers here would have preferred 'normal' recipes--but isn't that how we all get stuck in a rut, by eating the same thing over and over? This is a great step forward.


Rating:
Summary: Saving Dinner--Your Choice
Review: If you truly care about "saving dinner"-that is, eating with your family more or less every night-then this is the perfect book to get. Despite the, shall we say, "interesting" cover, this book is not about how to be a perfect housewife, or why it's proper to have dinner on the table for the husband when he gets home from a grueling day at work.

This book has the store lists you'll need for every week (which include the most in-season ingredients), tips on how and what to buy/cook, and a dinner recipe for every day of the year-except Sundays. That is when you eat the leftovers-and believe me, there will be leftovers. She also gives suggestions for what should go along with the main dish. The recipes are honed to be as fast, easy, and healthy as they can be within their own context.

So, if you really care about eating with your family every night, this is worth every penny you spend. If it's just a whim, buying this could just turn your whim into a full-fledged plan. Make your own decision-who knows!

Rating:
Summary: It's a nice idea, but one you can do for yourself
Review: This book is a fantastic idea. The problem is, there is nothing stopping anyone from doing it themselves with their own recipes that their families like. Honestly...make up a few lists of dinners your family likes, set up a shopping list...and you have your own "Saving Dinner" with your recipes.

Also, the side dish suggestions are terribly repetitive. I'd say 3 out of every 4 dinners recommends "steamed kale and sweet potatoes." I'd get so tired of those every night.

Some of the recipes look good, but if you don't care for one of the six recipes she provides, you have to weed out the ingredients from the shopping lists, therefore making it more trouble than it's worth.

Also, be forewarned: The author does not like pork, so there are absolutely no pork recipes in the book.

I borrowed this book from my library and am glad I did not waste money on it.


Rating:
Summary: Can't believe I'm cooking every night!
Review: Several of my friends bought and are using this book and love it. I have a big, busy family, and we aren't home many nights until almost bedtime so I felt leary about being able to follow the book's weekly menus, but thought I'd give it a try.

It's been great! Now, I'll be honest with you, we haven't loved every recipe...but we are trying lots of new foods. I write notes next to each recipe that we try so I'll remember if we liked it, and if not what we thought it needed or had too much of so I can adjust it next time.

Because we're so busy, I find that I use the weekly shopping list to buy all the ingredients and then I spend a chunk of time once a week assembling most of the meals at the same time, and then storing them in baking dishes in my fridge. Then when we get home late I can throw a dish into the oven, and by the time homework is done we're ready to eat. This is working for us! It also saves a lot of time when I can cut up all the veggies and pre-cook all the meat ahead of time, rather than each night. I don't have a lot of time to mess with side dishes so I mainly do a big salad, baby carrots or other cut up veggies that are quick.

Miraculously we are eating a full, healthy meal most week nights which is a huge change from the quick grilled cheese or whatever I can throw together, or worse yet ordering take-out food.

I highly recommend this book. I'm only a few weeks into the fall menus and already feel it's paid for itself in the money I've saved not getting take out, or buying food that rots in the fridge because I don't have a plan to make it.

Rating:
Summary: Not that great
Review: I purchased this cookbook because I am a fan of Fly Lady.I didn't like the recipes.I like to decide the menu we will be having.A great cookbook I really like is Desperation Dinners.This was suggested by a friend w/ 5 kids.I find the recipes quick,healthy,and very kid friendly.My 11 yo daughter is a very picky eater yet she eats almost everything I make from there!!!Now that's a 5 star easy time saving cookbook!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Thanks from a Happy Husband
Review: When I looked at the number of positive reviews, I almost decided not to write one... then I realized I had a unique perspective... I haven't actually read this book - I have just been the happy beneficiary of my wife getting a copy!

I love to cook - in fact, I used to do most of our cooking. But when I got more responsibility at work and didn't have the time, we fell into a pattern of fast food, frozen dinners, and one or two quick 'standby' meals.

My wife asked for this book, and my first impression was basically, "Why? We already have a ton of cookbooks we aren't using!" but I'm glad I got it for her. She has been cooking some excellent meals, and she finds it fun and simple. The fact that shopping lists are already prepared is a small, but time-saving feature. This isn't just recipes - there is a complete menu, shopping list, and weekly plan. She has become a much better cook, and I lost 4 pounds in two weeks!

Rating:
Summary: Easy and tastey recipes
Review: This book is chock full of easy and delicious recipes and the included shopping lists are very practical. I've tried out many of the meals in the book and they have been absolutely wonderful. The only thing I would say negative is that there are no pictures of what the dishes look like... so you can't tell if it looks appealing or not.