Suppertime Survival: The Complete Weekly Meal Planner

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Here’s proof that a great idea does not guarantee a great book.
Recognizing that suppertime is the busiest time of the day for many
families, the authors came up with a system for getting nutritious meals
on the table quickly, without resorting to exotic ingredients and
culinary gymnastics. They supply the nutritional information, suggest
the meals, and provide the recipes. They even throw in shopping tips and
a handy meal planner/shopping list form. All the reader has to do is
select seven meals each week, and suppertime problems should be solved.

Nice theory. Nice plan. Nice forms. Even some pretty nice explanations
of Canada’s food guidelines and other nutritional matters. But when we
come to the suggested meals and recipes, the whole thing falls apart. A
can of beans served with toast doesn’t make it as a meal idea for
which I’d be prepared to purchase a $25 book. Neither do endless
combinations of ground beef, tomato sauce, and pasta. Some of the 60
recipes in the collection are okay, if uninspired (macaroni and cheese,
grilled chicken breast, baked fish, stirfry with rice). Others, although
fast, are a joke. For example: Buy an angel food cake; add chocolate
icing. Presto, Chocolate Angel Food Cake. As the kids so eloquently put
it, the author needs to “get real.”

Unless you find boiling water a challenge, you can pass on this one as
a cookbook. You may find it useful for the nutritional information and
shopping tips.