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Rating: 
Summary: I'll speak up for you, Virginia!
Review: I'm glad I ignored the reviews on this book and bought it anyway-- it's a great book! It is written in the style of the "Lazy Way" books, which is light, humerous, and engaging. The recipes are creative ways to use common ingredients, and would be good for picky kids or even a picky spouse! Ideas are given for organizing your kitchen, making the most out of shopping trips, children's parties, and all sorts of timesaving techniques. I enjoyed the book very much, and though my daughter is only 4 months old right now, I look forward to preparing the nutritious foods found in this book. I gave the book 4 stars out of 5 because of the constant suggestion to buy pre-cut fruits and vegetables at the market-- I think this would add up to very high grocery bills over the course of the year. Just use a food processor and shred cabbage (or whatever) that way. I would also have liked to see a few more recipes and snack ideas, but the ones that are included are very good ideas. If you like this book, I recommend "Keep Your Kids Busy: The Lazy Way." It is a treasure-trove of creative kid projects that I look forward to sharing with my daughter someday! Thanks for a great book, Virginia, I am preparing "Monkey Bread" for my daughter's Christening party this Saturday!
Rating:
Summary: I'll speak up for you, Virginia!
Review: I'm glad I ignored the reviews on this book and bought it anyway-- it's a great book! It is written in the style of the "Lazy Way" books, which is light, humerous, and engaging. The recipes are creative ways to use common ingredients, and would be good for picky kids or even a picky spouse! Ideas are given for organizing your kitchen, making the most out of shopping trips, children's parties, and all sorts of timesaving techniques. I enjoyed the book very much, and though my daughter is only 4 months old right now, I look forward to preparing the nutritious foods found in this book. I gave the book 4 stars out of 5 because of the constant suggestion to buy pre-cut fruits and vegetables at the market-- I think this would add up to very high grocery bills over the course of the year. Just use a food processor and shred cabbage (or whatever) that way. I would also have liked to see a few more recipes and snack ideas, but the ones that are included are very good ideas. If you like this book, I recommend "Keep Your Kids Busy: The Lazy Way." It is a treasure-trove of creative kid projects that I look forward to sharing with my daughter someday! Thanks for a great book, Virginia, I am preparing "Monkey Bread" for my daughter's Christening party this Saturday!
Rating: 
Summary: Average at best
Review: This book has a fair amount of helpful nutrition information for parents who aren't aware of the nutrients that are important for growing children. It focuses more on how to "be lazy" and less on what to actually feed your children. The author recommends that to "save time" you do things like prepare your ingredients in advance and cut up veggies for snacks when you first get home from the grocery store. Obviously, these methods don't actually save any time - they just alter when you expend your time. There are also strange little charts at the end of each chapter that supposedly demonstrate how you can now save time - but they are difficult to understand and seem like wasted space. Many of the time-saving hints are also money-wasting ones. There are not a lot of recipes in this book. Some of them do not sound appealing. Many of the recipes contain dairy products in some form - cheese, cream, cottage cheese, etc. I was not impressed by this book.
Rating:
Summary: Average at best
Review: This book has a fair amount of helpful nutrition information for parents who aren't aware of the nutrients that are important for growing children. It focuses more on how to "be lazy" and less on what to actually feed your children. The author recommends that to "save time" you do things like prepare your ingredients in advance and cut up veggies for snacks when you first get home from the grocery store. Obviously, these methods don't actually save any time - they just alter when you expend your time. There are also strange little charts at the end of each chapter that supposedly demonstrate how you can now save time - but they are difficult to understand and seem like wasted space. Many of the time-saving hints are also money-wasting ones. There are not a lot of recipes in this book. Some of them do not sound appealing. Many of the recipes contain dairy products in some form - cheese, cream, cottage cheese, etc. I was not impressed by this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not remotely helpful
Review: This book lacks focus, has very few recipes, and is not geared for kids. I had hoped for tips on streamlining my kitchen routine and finding recipes for my picky pre-schooler, but this book is a hodgepodge of NON-timesaving tips (e.g. make your own bread; freeze guava for slushies), and recipes any kid would hate (pasta with BEETS?). "One Bite Won't Kill You" by Ann Hodgman has the tips and recipes I needed, and was very funny and reassuring to boot.
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