Cooking Healthy with the Kids in Mind (ISBN 0399526056)

Too many items unavailable to Canadians!:
I was disapointed when I got this book..not by the recipes (they seem tasty, and healthy enough) but by the products used in the recipes. I am a canadian, and we cannot get a lot of the low fat/ no fat items that are listed in the recipes, also many of the brands that are used (recommended) are not available here. I had to go through each recipe, and figure out substitutes...and who knows if the recipes are as healthy or taste the same way as they were intended?? It took too much time, and effort to have to change everything...I was looking for a quick healthy recipe alternative. I want a quick healthy cookbook geared at kids that use basic products and basic brands that we can get here! A good one that I found if you are a Canadian is: Quick meals for healthy kids and busy parents ISBN# 1565610644, it is not by Candian authors...but it has everyday items that we can get here...try it first.

Excellent Choices for Picky Eaters!!!:
I have three children under the age of 7, and they would eat practically all of these recipes! There are some processed foods in the ingredients, but for todays family I think that's what a lot of us are looking for. JoAnna explains in the beginning of her book (in case some of the reviewers missed it) that this cookbook may not be for everyone. Hot dogs are not for every family, but tofu isn't for mine! She did an excellent job breaking everything down for families, and you can tell she has a true desire for families to be healthy. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I like cookbooks the best with pictures to give an idea of what the foods are like. Other than that, it was great!

Healthy Recipes For Children:
Need a cookbook that helps you create healthier more appealing meals for your children? Want to know how to create meals from packages off the grocer's shelf? Then Joanna Lund's "Cooking Healthy With The Kids in Mind" is perfect for you! Joanna M. Lund was once close to 300 pounds. She was tired of diets that would initially help, but could not keep the wait off. She developed Healthy Exchanges. This process helped her lose 130 pounds! She is the author of numerous bestselling Healthy Exchanges cookbooks. She has been in national publications such as People and the New York Times. She has made hundreds of appearances on radio and television, including the shopping station, QVC, where she has been on regularly for 10 years! She is a speaker on weight-loss, diabetic and cardiac support groups. She runs the Healthy Exchanges business and publishes the Healthy Exchanges newsletter. The Healthy Exchanges program gives you examples of serving sizes needed from each group each day to live a healthy life. For example, protein, breads, fruit, skim milk, vegetables, fats, free foods (herbs, spices, mustard etc.), optional calories (sugar-free gelatin, fat-free mayonnaise etc.) and sliders (an extra 80 calories that can be used in any group)! This cookbook also gives you tips on substitutions, needed pantry items and equipment for your kitchen. She explains cooking terms she uses in this book, how to shop for healthy food, as well as a section on sodium, fat and processed foods. Each recipe gives you the nutritional information for each serving, as well as the diabetic exchanges, and Joanna's Healthy Exchanges. This cookbook is very easy-to-read. The recipes are easy-to-prepare. This book is perfect for someone who is tired of taking the guess-work out of healthy eating. The recipes are not time-consuming either. This book is packed with over 200 recipes. The recipe chapters included in this book are: Get-Out-Of-Bed Breakfasts, Super-Super Soups (and Sandwiches, too), Veggies and Salads, Fill-'Em-Up Main Dishes, Delicious Desserts for Good Girls and Boys, Scrumptious Snacktimes, Special Occasion Spectaculars and The Tiny-Tot Top Ten. Cherry Almond Tarts Reprinted with permission. This is my version of a healthy cherry cheesecake-in-a-cup, one I just know your family will love. If you haven't got a biscuit cutter, you can use a small glass to cut out the curcles of dough. Serves 8 (2 each) 1 Pillsbury refrigerated unbaked 9-inch piecrust 1 (4-serving) package JELL-O sugar-free vanilla cook-and-serve pudding mix 1 (4-serving) package JELL-O sugar-free cherry gelatin 2 cups (one 16-ounce can) tart red cherries, packed in water, drained, and 1/2 cup liquid reserved 1/4 cup water 1 teaspoon almond extract 2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) slivered almonds Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unfold piecrust. Using a (2 1/2- inch) biscuit cutter, cut 12 circles. Press dough scraps together and cut 4 more circles, for a total of 16 circles. Place pastry into 16 miniature muffin cups. Press into the cups to form shells. In a medium saucepan, combine dry pudding, dry gelatin, reserved cherry liquid, and water. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and starts to boil, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in the cherries and almond extract. Evenly spoon mixture into prepared pastry shells. Sprinkle with about 1/4 teaspoon almonds over top of each. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes. Place pans on a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Carefull remove tarts from pans and allow to cool completely. In this fast-paced society, where time is of the essence, Joanna Lund has made life easier by helping create new healthy recipes for not only us, but also our children.

Mixed review:
I'm a working mother to a 3 year old and a husband who eats like one. I wanted to start making fast, easy dinners that were healthy so I purchased this book. The pros are that the recipes are really very simple and quick recipes and don't require a ton of preparation or shopping. My family also liked almost everything I've made from the book. The con is that most of the recipes use exactly the same thing (canned green beans, no fat franks and a cream of x soup), so there isn't that much variety. My husband jokes about what I"m going to do with the green beans every night. I've had the book for a month, made 10 of the recipes and frankly, I'm already sick of it. There are only so many ways to mix soup and beans together before the family starts getting sick of it. But shame on me for only having this cookbook. Finally, I find it really hard to believe that these meals are that healthy given all of the ingredients are processed foods. That said, you have to pick your battles - it makes cooking much simpler to mix a bunch of ingredients from cans and boxes together, instead of using fresh ingredients.

Great Recipes:
This cook book is great, the recipes are easy and the food is appealing to all ages. The only problem was that I had a hard time finding one of her staples: Jello cook & serve sugar free vanilla pudding. Then low and behold, I found out that amazon stocks the pudding and thousands of other packaged ingredients. Free shipping right to my front door, who can ask for more?