Okay, it’s time to reveal the new cookbook I’ve been raving about. Just so you know, I’m usually not a big cookbook person. I still buy them from time to time but I’m usually disappointed when the touted quick and easy recipes are really more involved and time-consuming.

This is one of the reasons I love SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families Cookbook. Many of the meals are Scramble Express meaning they can be made in 30 minutes or less. And Aviva Goldfarb, the author and busy mom, denotes the meals that can be made ahead of time or frozen.

For some reason, I find the meals in SOS especially appealing. I’ve already tried the Ravioli, Spinach with Sun Dried Tomatoes and the Crispy Parmesan-Panko Crusted Chicken Cutlets. I can’t wait to make the Orzo Salad with Peas and Feta Cheese and the Mango and Black Bean Salad to use as sides for some upcoming BBQs.

I also love the structure of the book. Golfarb, who runs The Scramble Meal Planning System, provides weekly menu plans and recipes based on what’s in season. The beginning of the book contains a seasonal fruit and veggie guide and other helpful suggestions like how to stock your pantry (wasn’t I just talking about this?).

I also really, really, really appreciate having the suggested sides which includes easy and nutritious salad and veggie ideas. Each section of the cookbook has tips for families including school lunch ideas, easy composting for families, best dishes for school potlucks and much more.

The only thing that’s missing from this cookbook are pictures but I can live without that. It really is an amazing resource for busy families. It’s a must-have book for every family’s kitchen!

Because the nice folks at the Six O’Clock Scramble sent me two books, I’m going to give one away for free! Here’s what you have to do to enter the cookbook giveaway:

1) Leave a comment saying why you need more quick and healthy meal ideas.

2) For another entry, sign up for Raise Healthy Eaters’ email updates or RSS Feed. If you already subscribe, tell at least one friend about Raise Healthy Eaters. Leave another comment saying what you did.

3) To increase your chances further, become a facebook fan. If you are already a fan (now called like), suggest some of your friends become fans. Leave another comment saying what you did.

4) And for a bonus entry, tweet, blog or share this post on Facebook. Again, let me know you did it by leaving another comment.

This giveaway will end next Friday the 4th at midnight. The winner will be picked at random.org. Good luck!

I’m wrapping up the family meal planning series with some expert tips. These are food and nutrition experts who spend a lot of (productive) time in the kitchen. The goal of this series was to help you overcome the “time” barrier to getting rewarding meals on the table, so I hope it succeeded.

It’s all about taking different ideas and finding your own way. Once the routine is set, the stress of family meals can be replaced with pleasure. I still have stressful weeks (usually when I don’t plan) but it’s gotten easier.

To keep the spirit of meal planning alive, I plan to feature rock star moms (or dads) who have a good system for preparing meals. So if that’s you, send me a note!

Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD www.RealMomNutrition.com

1. Stock up when you can: When boneless/skinless chicken is on sale, I buy a bunch, boil it, shred it, then freeze it in baggies. Then it’s ready for casseroles, soups, and burritos/tacos.

2. Try batch cooking whenever possible: If I’m making a turkey meatloaf, I double the recipe and put one in the freezer. Same for lasagna and turkey meatballs (can be used with pasta and then I make small ones for soup).

3. Plan for weekends too: A lot of people plan their week’s meals but end up ordering out or going out all weekend because they didn’t have a plan.

4. Try “Pot-luck” nights: This is a much-needed break for me and can be just as healthy as a more elaborate meal. I’ll make PBJs on whole grain bread plus fruit and veggies for the kids, I’ll have a big salad, and my husband will have soup or leftovers. We still sit down and eat together and have that family mealtime experience, but it’s much quicker to prepare (and helps get rid of leftovers and odds and ends).

Janice Bissex MS, RD and Liz Weiss, MS, RD, authors of The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers: Improving the Way Your Family Eats, One Meal at a Time!
www.mealmakeovermoms.com

5. Rely on convenience foods but choose wisely: Some of our favorite nutrient-packed convenience foods include frozen fruits and vegetables, canned beans, frozen ravioli and tortellini, pre-shredded reduced fat cheeses, and jarred pasta sauce and salsa. We recently posted a fast broccoli & bean soup recipe to our blog that busy moms can have on the table in minutes.

6. Turn to appliances that deliver fast meals: Two of our favorites are the slow cooker — it’s best to organize all ingredients the night before so in the morning, moms can load up the slow cooker before heading out the door — and the pressure cooker. Modern-day pressure cookers are safe to use and help to get nutritious meals on the table in minutes. Here’s a delicious risotto recipe using the pressure cooker.

7. Mise en place: This is a French term for “everything in its place.” We encourage busy parents to measure out and chop up all ingredients ahead of time so when dinner rolls around, they’re ready to go! Doing this the night before or any time parents have a few free minutes is a great strategy. And having a nonstick skillet in the kitchen is also great … because it means less mess and clean-up required.

Sandy Nissenberg, MS, RD, author of Quick Meals for Healthy Kids and Busy Parents: Wholesome Family Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less From Three Leading Child Nutrition Experts www.kidsliketoeat.com

8. Choose foods from each group of the food pyramid: Pyramid your pantry so you can easily select items that fit.

9. Combine homemade items with those that are prepared, like salads in bags, canned fruit, pasta/veggie combinations.

10. Have little ones help out: Make dinners that the family can help with, i.e., wrapping tortillas, quesadillas; packing a pita pocket; stuffing a baked potato.

11. Create combo meals: Try stir fries, casseroles and all-in-one skillet meals.

Kathleen Cuneo, PhD www.dinnertogether.com

12. Put a support system in place: Get help from older children, neighbors, your spouse or other parent friends. For more on how to do this see Putting a Support System in Place.

Feel free to add your own time-saving tips in the comments!

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I love curry but am always scared to make dishes that taste so good in restaurants. Kim, mom and yoga instructor living in San Diego, submitted this family favorite. She often makes this dish for her husband and two young daughters. She even took pictures.

She served the chicken curry with roasted broccoli (she calls them “trees” in her house). I haven’t tried it yet but plan to soon. There’s only one new ingredient for me and that’s the curry paste. This is a simple dish but it does take some time. Might be good for a Saturday or Sunday at home. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1 jar Patak’s Mild Curry Paste (Indian store, however, some regular grocery stores carry it)

2 medium onions, chopped

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 cups chicken broth

3 – 4 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed

2 lbs of chicken thighs, skinned, trimmed (do not use breast meat, does not work for curry!)

½ lemon

1 potato chopped into cubes

½ cup of cilantro

14 oz of canned diced tomatoes

METHOD:

-Heat large pot with oil, add onions and sauté until golden (about 30 minutes)

-Add drops of chicken broth if onions start to stick

-Add 4 – 5 tablespoons of Patak’s Curry paste, stir into cooked onions and cook for about 3 minutes

-Add garlic and squeeze about 4 or 5 drops of lemon juice, stir

-Add chicken pieces, stir well and cook until outside of chicken is light brown

-Add diced tomatoes, including juice

-Add diced potato and cilantro

-Add more of the chicken broth; I used most of it by this point; only had a couple of tablespoons left

-Bring to a boil, then lower heat to low and cook for about 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked

NOTES:

Serve over hot Basmati or Jasmine rice, however, my kids like their rice separate. I’m not a great rice maker, so I buy Trader Joe’s frozen Jasmine rice. It’s done in 3 minutes and perfect every time. I also serve a vegetable with this sometimes.

This serves about 6 – 8 people. I make it for my family of 4 and serve the leftovers a couple of days later with naan bread and a different vegetable.

There are plenty of online services that provide family meal plans, recipes and grocery lists. And while I think this can work for some people, I just find it odd being told what meals to make and what ingredients to use. I mean, beef stroganoff on Wednesday — really?

I could devote this series to healthy family meals you “should” make but that would be of little help. Only you know your own cooking abilities, family’s taste preferences and comfort using certain ingredients. So when it comes to finding rewarding meals for your family, you are the best judge!

In part one of Raise Healthy Eaters’ family meal planning series, we talked about overcoming barriers to getting healthy meals on the table. In part 2, we are focusing on how to find meals that are perfect for your family.

-Create a home for recipes:Your most cherished recipes and meal ideas need a home. I’ve started to use this recipe book that I got for Christmas a couple of years ago. The idea is to try out a recipe and if it turns out well, add it to the recipe book. For example, if I add a recipe from a cookbook I write the page number down in my recipe book so it’s easy to find. And when I print recipes off the internet, I store them in a red folder and write “red folder” in the recipe book (see examples below – sorry about the second picture, I had the choice of retaking it or going to bed).

As parents, our brains are in overuse mode already. By putting all of your favorite meals in one spot, you won’t have to rely on yourself to remember what they are.

-Become a Recipe Collector: I recently spoke to a friend who doesn’t use recipes. She says she starts dinner sautéing garlic and olive oil and just throws in different items. I, on the other hand, need the framework of a recipe to function in the kitchen. The idea is to find recipes or meal ideas you feel comfortable making. If you are a beginner cook, for example, simple slow cooker recipes might be good for you. But if you are more advanced, you might only use a recipe for inspiration.

You can find recipes anywhere — cookbooks, the internet and magazines. The internet makes it so easy to find – and store — recipes. Some of my favorites are All Recipes, My Recipes, and Cooks which allow you to see how the meals are rated and the comments people have. You’ll also get your share of easy and healthy recipes here.

-Look for a variety of recipes that are nutritious and taste good: In my recipe book I separate recipes into categories such as Mexican, Italian, Meat, Beans, Veggies and Fish. So if you don’t have any fish meals, for example, look for recipes that sound good and try it one night. The key is to collect a variety of meals.

When it comes to nutrition, aim for meals that are made with unsaturated fats such as olive oil, canola oil, nuts and avocados. Also make sure to include lean meats, whole grains, fruit and vegetables. I use saturated fats less often but will sometimes cook with butter and we love cheese around here. It’s not about getting it perfect every time. Some of our meals are higher in fat but I’ll serve them less often. Others might be high in sodium, but again, this isn’t an every night occurrence. It’s all about balancing nutrition, taste and ease of preparation.

-Practice, practice, practice: I absolutely hate when a new meal is disappointing. I know when my husband asks, “where did you get this recipe?” I’m in trouble. But I’ve learned that the failures are part of discovering which meals work for my family.

How do you know when a new meal passes the test? If I waited for my daughter’s approval we’d be eating burritos, meatballs and bean soup every night. So the verdict falls on whether or not my husband and I like it and it’s kid-friendly. This means it’s easy to chew, has a nice flavor and isn’t super-spicy.

So if you haven’t been doing this already, make a nice home for your recipes and continually add to it. If you haven’t had much success you might be choosing the wrong types of recipes for you.

What are you doing right now? Do you have a system for storing recipes that works well? Any cookbooks or websites you recommend?

Next: 5 Secrets to the Perfect Weekly Meal Plan

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This healthy family meal idea was submitted by my friend Lisa who lives in Rancho San Diego (she’s also a dietitian). This is one of the most popular meals she makes for her family of four.

Ingredients:
2-3 T. peanut or canola oil*
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 tsp. crushed ginger
2 T. reduced sodium soy sauce
¼ cup stir fry sauce
½ pound chicken, cubed OR ½ pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined.
½ onion, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 large celery stalk, sliced
½ red pepper, sliced
½ cup cut up broccoli
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 cups bean sprouts
1-2 T. cornstarch

In Wok, heat oil over high heat. Add chicken or shrimp, onions, garlic, ginger and soy sauce. Cover (to prevent spattering) and cook several minutes until meat or fish is cooked, stirring often. Add carrots, celery, peppers, and water chestnuts. Cover and cook 5-10 minutes until vegetables are slightly tender. Add broccoli and bean sprouts, cover and cook 5 more minutes until broccoli is bright green. Add stir fry sauce, stir until coated well (you can add more if needed for taste). Add 1-2 T. of cornstarch to sauce at bottom of wok to thicken. Serve over plain rice.

Serves 3-4

*Peanut and canola oils have a medium smoking points – which means more spattering and smoking at high temps. Another option is a “high heat” canola oil (Spectrum makes one that can be found in most healthy food stores).

If you have a quick recipe you’d like to let other moms know about, send it in through Contact Us. Remember, these are uncomplicated, nutritious recipes that you keep in your head.

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This submission is from my friend Cecily who lives in Scripps Ranch (San Diego). She loves this easy meal – and so do her two adorable kids. This is how she makes it — in her own words!

This serves 4, but two adults and two little ones.

Ingredients:
1 veggie stock cube
6 cups water
a little olive oil
2 shallots (or can use any onion)
1 cup Arborio rice
butternut squash (bag! or about a half squash)
parmesan (good few handfuls!)

I pour hot water into a pan and dissolve one stock cube into it. I use a veggie stock cube and I ignore the instructions on the back for how much water to put with each cube. I think I add about 6 cups of water and I put in one cube. I figure the less salty the better for the kids. That sits to one side, simmering on a ring.

Then, I heat a little olive oil in the pan, brown two chopped shallots and then stir in one cup of Arborio rice. I mix it all together for a few minutes. When all is mixed and heated (about…. three minutes?) I add one ladle of the stock, stir it and leave it to absorb the liquid. While it is doing that I prepare the butternut squash.

If they are selling those small bags of ready prepared butternut squash I use one of those. I cut them into smaller squares, about 1/2 inch or less. I put them in a bowl, add some water and steam them until tender in the microwave. (Otherwise buy a squash and cut it up into small cubes, you do tend to end up wasting the left over – if anyone has another good recipe for the leftovers, let me know!)

While I am doing this I have inevitably forgotten about the rice and it is getting terribly dry so I throw in some more stock, stir it around and leave it again. The trick is to keep an eye on it, and every time it has absorbed the water, add another ladle full. I always seem to forget, and add it a bit too late, but it never seems to matter in the end. Once I ran out of stock so just added more hot water, again, it was fine.

At some point in the cooking of the rice, when the liquid is about half way through being added, I add the squash and let it cook along with the rice while I keep adding stock.

I try the rice from time to time, when it seems done (firm but not hard nor overly soft); I take it off the heat and stir in a good few handfuls of freshly grated parmesan (it really does taste best with the super-expensive parmeggiano reggiano – sorry). Serve onto plates and grate some fresh cheese on the top.

It’s so easy and so yummy and the kids love it. It goes really well with fish and gets them eating a different orange veggie without too much fuss.

Nutrition info: Butternut squash is an excellent source of both vitamins A & C

If you have a quick recipe you’d like to let other moms know about, send it in through Contact Us. Remember, these are uncomplicated, nutritious recipes that you keep in your head.

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Most moms have at least one easy meal idea they feel good about making. It takes little time, thought and preparation – and the kids like it too. It’s nutritious as well as good tasting.

So I thought I’d kick off our easy family dinner series with my own burrito recipe. I like this easy meal because it’s fun (and messy) for my daughter to eat. It’s also high in protein and fiber – and she eats all the tomatoes in the burrito.

If you have an easy meal idea you’d like to add to our Quick Dinners section, send it in through Contact Us. Remember, these are uncomplicated, nutritious and quick recipes that you keep in your head. 

At the grocery:
-Lean ground turkey, lean beef or soy protein burger/soy substitute of choice.
-Can of black beans
-One organic tomato
-One ripe avocado
-Shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese mix (reduced fat or regular)
-Whole wheat tortillas made with olive oil (Trader Joes)
-Taco seasoning, cumin and garlic
-Salsa of choice (optional)

Pre-Prep: Chop tomato & lettuce, slice avocado(s), grate cheese, pour salsa and put in small bowls on the table.

Cook: Turn stove to medium-high heat and place the turkey/beef in a canola-oil- sprayed pan. With a spatula stir the meat and break it up into small pieces while cooking (if substituting with soy cook as desired). Sprinkle once with taco seasoning. When the meat is done (browned) set aside, mince two garlic cloves and place in a smaller pan with one tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. When the garlic sizzles, add a can of rinsed black beans, stir and sprinkle with cumin. When bean mixture boils it is done. Heat the tortillas up in the microwave.

Serves 4-5 people: Everyone makes their own burrito – add cheese, meat, beans, tomatoes, salsa and avocado and wrap it up tight. Small children will need their burrito made for them as well as help taking small bites. Infants eating finger foods can eat small pieces of meat/soy, tortilla, cheese, tomatoes and beans. Babies on pureed food can eat pureed beans, meat and mashed avocado.

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