A Must-Have Resource if You Struggle With Meal Planning
921554
Organize your meal plans each month using a system that is fool-proof. Save money on your monthly food budget. Have dinner with your family around the table at home instead of eating out every other night. This is a resource that EVERY person needs to have in their hands. It's real, practical, and WORKS.
4634938
As a resident in counseling, I am learning a lot and reading many different resources. Throughout the many books I have been reading, I find that this book is very much needed in our diet obsessed society. I am so pleased to have found a resource that not only guides individuals through the process of healing their relationship with food and their body, but also is designed to be used as an individualized plan for each reader. I highly recommend this book, along with its Journal Companion, to anyone wanting to gain a healthy relationship with food and your body.
1390722
This book is a great resource for anyone who is overwhelmed by the stuff of life. I'm a work-at-home mom, but I'm extremely organizationally challenged. Because my "work" and my "home" all involve a multitude of jobs, I'm constantly sidetracked and distracted. I run around a lot, but often have little show for it. I did like "Leave the Office Earlier", but "Find More Time" was really what I was looking for as it covers everything that clogs up my brain and helps me sort it out with easy to follow tasks. I saw myself in the section about how "to-do's" are often "projects" and don't get done because they require too many steps. Now, my challenge is to implement and USE the ideas offered by Laura.
1112022
I am so pleased with my recently acquired Perfect Recipes for Having People Over.  I've made the shredded potato pancakes, stuffed pork loin, red chicken chili, and moist corn muffins so far, and I've only had the book for two weeks!

The recipes are straightforward and the cookbook layout is very pleasing to the eye and a pleasure to peruse.  I love the addition of a section for each recipe that suggests what drinks to serve with it, what season of the year the recipe is most appropriate for, and most importantly, complimentary additional courses and side dishes.  I think the most frustrating part of party planning for me is trying to plan the whole menu from soup to nuts.  Ms. Anderson's book is a lovely resource for comfortable and fun meal planning.
4740379
As someone who enjoys planning a party, I was excited to have a chance to review this ebook.  Plan a Fabulous Party (Without Losing Your Mind) is more than worth reading. This is a fantastic resource!  Mary has planned a plethora of events both personally and professionally. She offers a ton of wisdom and practical advice, in between her real life examples. I also have to give her props for the excellent quotes she includes, including one of my favorite comedians, Jim Gaffigan. If only she could have worked his Hot Pockets routine in...

One of the biggest takeaways for me is in terms of theme. I typically don't fuss over decorations, though I'm impressed with my friends that do. I focus more on the food and guests. I've thought more in the past year about being more intentional with theme and decorations. I really liked Mary's point that a theme is a unified approach. It helps us establish the purpose of the party. If my goal is for my guests to feel welcome, then how can the details of the party help me reach that goal? If the goal is for a birthday girl to feel celebrated, what are ways we can show that through the food, decorations, and favors?

Step by step, from picking a date to settling on the food, Mary walks us through the party planning process. Whether you're organizing a board meeting or throwing a pig roast in your back yard or this is first (or 100th) party you've ever thrown, you'll find the checklists and planning templates to be quite helpful.
4723768
What an amazing book...love it! So helpful in planning meals and shopping lists.
2241391
This book is thorough in covering topics focused around digestion, offering meal plans and tips for specific situations, and providing delicious nutrient-dense recipes. Everything in this book is intentional and the photos/graphics are updated and really enhance the reading experience. Diane provides you with information and resources to allow you to customize your diet and find what is best for your body. The recipes alone are spectacular (hello cauliflower hummus), but this book has so much more to offer to guide you in your real food journey.

I highly recommend the hard-cover version. The robust design suits this material-dense resource, and it makes the whole book quite sturdy and pleasant to handle.
2860710
Got this book and absolutely love it!  It has been extremely helpful in tailoring allergy friendly meals and has given me great ideas for dinners for the whole family!  It sometimes gets hard to plan allergy friendly meals and this book has been a tremendous resource, and inspires me to whip up alot of different dishes I would not have thought of on my own.  One of the best books I've added to recipe book collection and the recipes I've tried have turned out delicious!
2278374
This book is amazing in every way! I just pulled off a dinner party that could have been a nightmare without this guide. I wanted everything to be perfect, and it was. The photos are exquisite and gave me great ideas that are actually do-able. Most helpful were Maria's tips on stocking up on party basics. A must have for all of those who stress before hosting any event- big or small.
1412675
What an absolutely amazing resource for busy people! This cookbook has a variety of recipes and tactics designed to help a person plan ahead for meals. Geared for people with low-to-medium skills who can follow directions, America's Test Kitchen (which also puts out the popular Cook's Illustrated magazine) resources are impeccable and absolutely dependable. There are sections here for slow-cookers, multi-meal preparations, leftover uses, and more. Meals include various ethnic and vegetarian preparations, focusing on main meals rather than side dishes or desserts. Ingredients are generally easy to find in an average well-stocked supermarket. For the elaborate multi-meal menus, the cookbook helpfully lists both ingredients you'll need to buy and the ones you probably will have on your pantry shelf so just need to check to make sure they're there. Photos abound of both the finished products and any difficult preparation steps, and the book includes conversion charts as well as a very good index that includes both ingredients and dishes. I also especially liked that each recipe includes a note on just why it works so well, so someone learning to cook can learn the principles behind the recipe so they may be applied elsewhere (by, for example, using pickle juice instead of Worcestershire to brine chicken pieces for one recipe, or substituting other nuts for the cashews in the veggie burgers).

Convenience products don't figure prominently in this book; canned beans and tomatoes are about the extent of it. Nothing I saw required any fancy kitchen gear besides a good knife and maybe a blender or food processor if you have one. This is from-scratch wholesome "clean" cooking. And it isn't "rock pile" drudge cooking, either. Flavor and texture are the guiding principles throughout. Even humble preparations like stew are given the authors' complete attention to make every single dish in this book company-worthy. The authors assume that if you're going to spend time cooking instead of buying to-go convenience products, you'll want the results to be worth eating. And this cookbook's recipes make food that is very much worth the eating. You'll never go wrong with America's Test Kitchen stuff.

Instructions are crystal-clear, given in volume units rather than weight (1/2 cup rather than 4 ounces) in most cases. Recipes are not marked with symbols denoting vegetarian or gluten-free preparations. There are no nutritional information lists given for anything. None of this stuff matters to me much but I'm mentioning it in case it matters to someone else.

This is the cookbook to get the working parent on your list, the young married couple, the college student, the volunteer--anybody who likes good food and wants to cook for themselves but also wants to maximize his or her time in the kitchen. I absolutely recommend this book to anybody who needs a cookbook for good make-ahead food.
3541583
I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of "Paleo Comfort Foods" and the recipes in this book are amazing!  I had been struggling with creating diversity in my meals and it's great to see my options so greatly expanded by one convenient resource.  I really love it that nearly all the recipes have variations so I can keep my meals fresh and interesting even when I return to the same recipe again and again.  Paleo Comfort Foods has me excited about cooking again!
3301880
Seriously. If you don't have this book, you are missing a staple. This is a great resource for not only inspiration but the recipes are awesome. Lots of make ahead things that I have frozen and used later- beef stroganoff is to die for, Peruvian chicken is DELICIOUS. Definitely worth it.
4933758
I love this book and diet plan. I was already quite familiar with Hungry Girl, but it had been a few years since I had opened the cookbooks, so I was looking around and the new ones and stumbled upon this diet.

I am just completing my fourth week and have lost 10 lbs. I've also started eating much fresher food and drinking significantly more water. I'm always satisfied with the amount of food I'm eating and never "stuffed".

In a different review, someone mentioned that the recipes were not what they expected and that the options were easy or boring. I found it extremely helpful to have pre-balanced meals that, no matter what I chose, I would be eating similarly, regardless of ease. There are definitely a lot of salads, but there are some more creative options as well and you can choose which you'd prefer. The app also made it very easy to plan the meals for the week and create a shopping list.

Someone else mentioned that they had to jump around in the book frequently. I bought the digital version and there were hyperlinks from the meal listings to the actual recipe, which made it very easy to navigate.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the layout of the meal selections by week, the options offered, the ease of use of the app for meal planning, and the results I am seeing. I highly recommend it.
2142876
I received this book as a gift this past December.  I had been struggling to come up with dinner ideas every week that would appeal to me (Weight Watchers), my husband (foodie) and my two teen boys (enough said).  This book caught my eye because 1) It was from Cooking Light - one of my "go-to" resources for meal ideas 2) Each page was an entire meal plan 3) Every recipe has a photograph!  It hit the mark.  It is the basis of my weekly menus (at least five dinners) which makes my shopping list a breeze.  I have calculated the points for each meal (the lowest was 5 points, the highest was 12 -- not counting the suggested sides).  I have made around 25 recipes so far. My husband and I have given most of them an "A" rating.  Our boys have loved some, liked most, passed on a few of the spicier meals.  But with the sides no one walks away hungry.

I saw a few comments worth addressing:

1) Healthy - I feel the menus present a healthy approach to eating.  Some of the recipes are high in sodium, but easily adjusted through the elimination of salt, use of low and no-salt versions of ingredients.  In a few recipes where it calls for italian sausage, I have substituted turkey italian sausage and still loved the result.  I often add more vegetables than it calls for to "use up" the ingredients.  I have been successfully losing two-pounds per week, we don't feel like we are sacrificing flavor and my boys are eating more fruits and vegetables than ever before.

2) Expensive - I have not found that to be the case.  Certainly when it comes to the seafood dishes, I have substituted due to local prices (Halibut at $22/pound -- Mahi Mahi at $8/pound) and still enjoyed the dish.  Sometimes I splurge (bought the UGLY fruit for the salsa) to expand our horizons.  It was just a big orange....next time, we'll just use an orange - but it was fun to try and we loved the recipe.  If anything, we save money because I buy exactly what I need, use it all by the end of the week and toss very little.

3) Difficult - My husband has made a few of the meals and he does find them a bit challenging to pull together.  I have no trouble getting dinner on the table in less than 45 minutes.  There is a lot of preparation, (measuring seasonings/condiments)(cutting vegetables) but if you prepare everything in advance (get the kids involved!) the final 10-15 minutes comes together quickly.  I choose not to buy anything pre-cut, pre-shredded or pre-made -- but that's just my choice.  The use of pre-cut vegetables, shredded cheese and prepared sauces could definately speed things up.

I plan to make every meal in the book - I only hope they come out with a new one by the time I'm done!
1633758
I've had this book for several years.  Recently my oldest daughter, MJ wanted a copy to give to a friend as a wedding present, so I decided to order copies for my 4 other daughters [for their future hope chests].  MJ's favorite chapter is the one on substitutions.  It is the most comprehensive list we've ever seen.  My favorite chapter is the one on making your own mixes. We have a large family, so those mixes have saved our family "oodles" of money over the years, plus we can add our own ingredients we want and leave out any things we don't want [like anti- caking agents, etc...].  We have some favorite recipes that we continue to use.  I enjoyed reading this book, as well.  I should reread it again, to refresh my memory and maybe try some new things.  This is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to save money in the area of food preparation.
126062
This cookbook is amazing! It is the ultimate guide to eating well on a tight schedule. I love the casual and style, it takes away some of the intimidation of cooking and even makes it fun! The book provides shopping lists so you don't even have to plan, I was able to jump in with no fears because I knew that the author would guide me through this new journey. Food That Works uses the restaurant strategy of prepping ahead and "keeping food in rotation," so food waste is virtually eliminated. This book taught me how to plan and prep for my week with ease, while having fun and eating really yummy and healthy food. YOU NEED THIS BOOK!!
3113161
As a business traveler, I have often found that dining on the road to be a challenge.  I have often had to give in to what I considered unhealthy options with the time constraints that I had. This book is a fabulous, easy to use resource that has changed the way I view the way that I eat.  These simple principals change the way I eat not only on the road but at home too!