Review: Dining on a Dime: 1000 Money Saving Recipes and Tips

Dining on a Dime: 1000 Money Saving Recipes and Tips by Tawra Jean Kellam

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



For experienced frugalistas, there won't be much in there that hasn't been read somewhere else, but this is a great compilation. This would be a good starter book for people just beginning to think about how to reduce their grocery bill or who want to make their own detergent but don't know where to start. Definitely a useful book to have on hand to reference.



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Review: Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats

Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats by Bakerella

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



You know how Bento takes school lunches to a whole new level? Well, this is the Bento of the cupcake world. The ideas are absolutely adorable and I want to make every single one of them. But, like Bento, I look at them and think, "Wow. That is a LOT of time." Will I make them? Some. For events that are really, really important to me. Will I make these for an after school snack? Nope. However, I am happy to say that the level of work necessary is actually less than I expected, which is a relief. I have my candy ready and we'll see how the pops turn out at my daughter's birthday party.



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Review: 175 Best Babycakes Cupcake Maker Recipes: Easy Recipes for Bite-Size Cupcakes, Cheesecakes, Mini Pies and More!

175 Best Babycakes Cupcake Maker Recipes: Easy Recipes for Bite-Size Cupcakes, Cheesecakes, Mini Pies and More! by Kathy Moore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Is it wrong to love a cookbook for a product you will never own? Because I do.

Turns out that Babycakes is a mini cupcake maker that makes a whopping 8 cupcakes a time. But not 8 cupcakes, exactly...it's actually eight MINI cupcakes. I can't even wrap my mind around that. Why would someone even make something that pointless??

But the book. Oh my goodness, the book! I love it. Creative recipes, easy to make foods and easily adapted to regular cooking. I've enjoyed several recipes already and my kids thought the vanilla wafer s'mores were an excellent after school snack today. I'd requested this through my library, not realizing that it was a brand-specific book. I'm so unhappy about returning it, however, that I've added it to my Amazon wish list!



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Review: Yum-Yum Bento Box: Fresh Recipes for Adorable Lunches

Yum-Yum Bento Box: Fresh Recipes for Adorable Lunches by Maki Ogawa

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I'm familiar with Bento and expected to see 12 ingredients used in tiny amounts and arranged in an artistic way. Completely expected that.

What I was expected was something besides colored rice and pieces of nori. This book was more of a design manual that a recipe idea, which is fine...just not what I expected. I thought this book would include a wider variety of food and give me ideas of healthy lunches to pack for school. Instead, it's little snacks with pink rice, 2 pieces of cheese, a raisin, a noodle and some carrots. If you need help making a face out of nori, this is the book for you. If not, another book would be a better choice.



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Review: Insanewiches: 101 Ways to Think Outside the Lunchbox

Insanewiches: 101 Ways to Think Outside the Lunchbox by Adrian Fiorino

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I love this book, as does my family. In fact, my 9 year old had this in his room for a week. Both of my kids have requests in for the birthday cake sandwich and there are several more they would love to see in their lunch boxes! Most of these sandwiches are easy to make and would be a cute addition to a meal. Will I eat something that advertises itself as a clot-wich? Well, no...but does banana bread, ice cream and hot fudge sound delicious? Definitely! This book is a great way to show what a little effort can create!



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Review: The Top 100 Recipes for a Healthy Lunchbox: Easy and Exciting Ideas for Your Child's Lunches

The Top 100 Recipes for a Healthy Lunchbox: Easy and Exciting Ideas for Your Child's Lunches by Nicola Graimes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is my ideal cookbook style! Small, portable, easy to follow and designed so that each page has the same formatting. I loved having servings, prep time, storage and "serve with" recommendations in easy to skim locations on each page.

The recipes themselves are fairly simple. In fact, some are simply a matter of having three ingredients and spreading two on the third. Even the simplest of recipes was useful, though, because it gave me new ideas for boxed lunches. Most were kid-friendly...if you don't count the herrings, sardines and cajun salmon! My favorite was actually one of the most basic - salami, cheddar and pineapple on a stick. Yum!



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Review: Ghoulish Goodies: Monster Eyeballs, Fudge Fingers, Spidery Cupcakes, and Other Frightful Treats

Ghoulish Goodies: Monster Eyeballs, Fudge Fingers, Spidery Cupcakes, and Other Frightful Treats by Sharon Bowers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I love holiday cookbooks, especially Halloween ones! This one had creative ideas that my kids can manage. We'll be making several recipes in October! I wish that we could take homemade treats into school because there are some ideas in here that my kids would love to make and share...and show off their cool kitchen skills!



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Review: Slow Cooker Revolution

Slow Cooker Revolution by Editors at America's Test Kitchen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The recipes look fantastic. They are well-researched and I believe that many batches were made before recipes were finalized. However, I don't think I'll make a single recipe.

I use my slow cooker as a way to quickly and easily get food on the table when we get home from school and work. It would take me longer to prep these meals than it would to just come home and make dinner. This isn't a "quick" or "easy" or "simple" cookbook and it isn't designed for families that are out of the house for 8-10 houses each day. Too many complicated meals with cook times shorter than my work day.



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Review: Lunch Box: Creative Recipes for Everyday Lunches

Lunch Box: Creative Recipes for Everyday Lunches by Marie Breton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This book has the potential for much higher rankings from other readers. While it wasn't my style of food, it did have creative options for lunches. I was looking for ideas for kids' lunches, however, and this food isn't kid-friendly. Well, for some kids, I'm sure it is. Mine tend to have fairly typical kid tastes and this food wouldn't be appreciated in their lunches.

However, this could easily be a 5 star book for someone else.



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Review: The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook Presents - 10 Summertime Treats

The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook Presents - 10 Summertime Treats by Dinah Bucholz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I already own (and love) The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook and was thrilled to find this mini book I can carry around with me on my iPod Touch. And it was FREE!

I'm making Triple Power Icy Lemon Pops this week and will make the Butterscotch Brew Slushies as soon as I have the ingredients on hand!



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Review: Lunch Box Food

Lunch Box Food by Sharon Dalgleish

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



It wasn't the book I expected...but it does have a niche. If you are teaching a kids' health class or want to discuss nutrition with young children, this would be an excellent book. My fourth and second grader would be able to understand and discuss the book. I can't see any other purpose for reading this, but it would be excellent for this purpose.



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Review: Vegan Lunch Box: 130 Amazing, Animal-free Lunches Kids and Grown-ups Will Love!

Vegan Lunch Box: 130 Amazing, Animal-free Lunches Kids and Grown-ups Will Love! by Jennifer McCann

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Same disclaimer as before: I am not vegan. Or vegetarian. Just an eater looking for inspiration :)

This book was excellent for idea-finding and I now have a list of quick, easy, tasty lunch options for my family. In fact, I sat down tonight and planned this week's lunches and everyone will be enjoying hot packed lunches with proteins, fruits, veggies, grains and dairy! It was easy to convert the recipes to accommodate our food choices (although I'm sure that it wasn't Jennifer McCann's intention to help me figure out new meat dishes for lunches!)

Easy to read, filled with healthy options and great inspiration!



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Review: The School Lunchbox Cookbook

The School Lunchbox Cookbook by Miriam Jacobs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



My ability to come up with healthy packed lunches for school seems to have disappeared for the summer. I decided to check out different lunchbox books for inspiration.

This has been one of my favorites. The beginning of the book is information on healthy food choices, the dangers of children eating unhealthy foods, the advantage of making foods at home, etc. Nothing I blatantly disagree with as I'm one of those "real foods" people that prefer unprocessed, unbleached ingredients.

The recipes aren't filled with processed foods or hard to find ingredients. They are kid-friendly and easy to follow. My ideas for different sandwiches have grown. I feel like I could make everything in the book...and that even my picky eater would willingly eat about half of the foods. Most cookbooks have less than 10 real-life options for me so this is a great change.

The reason that this is a 4 star book instead of a 5 star book is because the author is a huge fan of disposable items and plastic. She recommends buying printed paper napkins and wrapping everything in plastic wrap. As a time saver, she suggests wrapping a month's worth of plastic silverware in paper napkins and sealing them with a sticker. Cloth napkins and metal silverware are such an easy change and reuseable containers aren't difficult. The wastefulness disappoints me...and it almost made me give the book 3 starts.



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Review: Vegan Lunch Box around the World: 125 Easy International Lunches Kids and Grown-Ups Will Love!

Vegan Lunch Box around the World: 125 Easy International Lunches Kids and Grown-Ups Will Love! by Jennifer McCann

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I'm not vegan...in fact, I'm not even vegetarian. That said, I didn't check out this book for specific recipes as I would sub in the ingredients that match my lifestyles. There are a few ideas I'll try but most of the ideas, in my opinion, aren't "easy" and they are a little too much for lunch. This wasn't a book that inspired me toward any new lunch box ideas for my kids or for me.



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Review: 5-Minute Recipes

5-Minute Recipes by Authors & Editors of Instructables

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Love this. To be fair, this is more of a compilation than a cookbook and everything in the book can be found online...but it's fabulous to have the recipes pulled and organized without having to find them! Everything in here can be made with kids and you need only supply supervision and control the mixer.

Each recipe is fully illustrated, which if my preference for cooking books, and includes pics for each stage of preparation. They also label pics to explain things that new cooks might not know, such as a picture of egg whites that have been formed into peaks. After each recipe, they provide links to similar recipes and each of those include a picture of the final product. In addition, the table of contents in the ebook links to each recipe, making this book easier to use. You can scroll through the table, find a recipe for dog treats, click on it, then see the recipe and also find links to other recipes that might interest you.

This is one that I will keep in iBooks indefinitely. When the kids are in the mood to cook or I need to whip up a snack in a hurry, I will have inspriation at my fingertips.



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Review: Smart School Time Recipes

Smart School Time Recipes by Alisa Marie Fleming

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I added this book to my iPod because I needed some packed lunch inspiration. It was exactly what I needed! The kids will appreciate the delicious lunches and I'll enjoy knowing that they are eating something healthy. And did I mention it was FREE??

The recipes are allergy-friendly and include milk, wheat, egg and nut-free foods. I plan to keep this on my iPod for many months :)



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Review: Sugar-free Gluten-free Baking and Desserts: Recipes for Healthy and Delicious Cookies, Cakes, Muffins, Scones, Pies, Puddings, Breads and Pizzas

Sugar-free Gluten-free Baking and Desserts: Recipes for Healthy and Delicious Cookies, Cakes, Muffins, Scones, Pies, Puddings, Breads and Pizzas by Kelly Keough

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Excellent book. So many cookbooks are just pages of recipes but Keough includes useful information like standard ingredients, substitution guides and explanations of the new pantry items we'll need. This is exactly what I was looking for in a sugar-free cookbook!



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