Cooking from Parents Need to Eat Too

When I received an email invitation to join a campaign featuring Debbie Koenig’s new cookbook, Parents Need to Eat Too, I barely hesitated. I don’t review much anymore, but cookbooks, as long as I’ll use them, are easy to discuss because I do value planning meals that are easy to cook that my family will enjoy. Paging through Parents Need to Eat Too I know I’ve found a cookbook that will help me create those easy, speedy meals.

This cookbook is written with the new, new mom in mind and, as a seasoned mom, I found the recipes that suggested you prepare part 1 during baby’s morning nap and part 2 during the afternoon nap and then bake it before dinner to be rather… undesirable. When I had only one newborn I did a lot of things during naptime, but never prepped meals during both naps. And if you’re a mom who is about to have your second child, then you’ll soon learn that you lose the freedom of naptime anyway, so it becomes frustrating to find a cookbook that suggests you cook during naps. (Okay. Perhaps envious frustration, but it’s there.)

That aside, the cookbook, which provides meals that are relatively simple to make and desireable for parents is filled with recipes that my kids will like, too. It also includes ways to adapt some of the meals for children (like suggesting to save a bit of the pureed Butternut Squash used to in ravioli for your child as Butternut Squash can be a great first food.)

I love the honest look at cooking with real feedback not just from the author but also from other new moms. In the New Mom’s Pantry chapter one recipe admits that while we often expect to have chicken breasts in the freezer (or fridge), sometimes… they just aren’t there when you expect them (as happened to me last week). So the cookbook adapts meals, like tortilla soup, to use only items you’ll find stored in your pantry. (It also has a great list of pantry essentials.)

This week’s menu plan has 3 recipes I’ll be trying from Parents Need to Eat Too: Lemon Yellow Chicken, American Chop Suey, and (Slow Cooker) Ratatouille.

Which leads me to something every mom must have in her kitchen: a slow cooker. I’ve said it before, but as today I’m addressing new moms: make sure you have a slow cooker when you have children. Life changing.

Parents Need to Eat Too: Nap-Friendly Recipes, One-Handed Meals, and Time-Saving Kitchen Tricks for New Parents will be released on February 21, 2012 and is currently available for pre-order for $10.98 on Amazon. Gift it with a slow cooker to the new mom and you’ll win extra points at the baby shower.

Looking for the meal plan? It’s now on the menu bar as a Meal Plan Calendar. 

© 2012, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.

About Julie Meyers Pron

Julie Meyers Pron has written 894 post in this blog.

mom of 3 and wife, Julie is a former elementary school teacher and a Public Relations manager. She is the owner/editor of Just Precious, founding partner of Just Centsible, and a team member of Splash Creative Media. Julie is a PTOer, volunteer, elementary educator and that's just the beginning of the list!

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