Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11478 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781570615252
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
A jewel of a cookbook. -- Marian Tompson, co-founder of La Leche League International

Delicious, totally doable recipes. What a fantastic starter book for people looking to incorporate more whole foods into the day to day diets of their entire families. -- Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Cooking

Feeding the Whole Family is the perfect guidebook for families interested in whole, organic, natural foods. Essential for those who want to start solids naturally without a big fuss. -- Mothering

This book fills an important niche, and will be treasured by the cook who wants to prepare delicious, healthful fare that the whole family can enjoy. It will likely remain among a family's favorite cookbooks long after the toddlers have reached their teens. -- NAPRA ReView

This is a book that says - relax - here's how to use whole foods and feed your family from the same pot. You'll find common-sense support on how to eat when you're breastfeeding, start your baby on solids, and make homemade baby food. I'll bet this cookbook won't end up sitting on your shelf. -- Barbara Mc Nally, A Real Life

Customer Reviews

Clear and sensible
I love the ideas in this cookbook, which focuses on whole foods the entire family will enjoy. It's clear and sensible, and includes a couple hundred pages of recipes.

What makes a whole food? Author Cynthia Lair writes that the best way to determine whether a food is whole or not is to ask these questions:
* Can I imagine it growing? (It's tough to imagine a field of marshmallows.)
* How many ingredients does it have? (It should have only one: apple, wild rice, salmon.)
* What's been done to the food since it was harvested? (The less, the better.)
* Is this product part of a food or the whole entity? (Only the juice? It's not whole.)
* How long has this food been known to nourish human beings? (Probably centuries.)

The recipes are helpful. Most include instructions on how to alter their dishes to make them appropriate for babies.

The chapters are:
1) Wholesome Family Eating
* What do we mean by wholesome?
* Shopping for sustenance
* Sharing a nourishing meal
* Setting the table, setting the scene
2) Including Baby
* Start with the best, the breast
* Starting solids
* Food allergies and intolerances
* Expanding the diet of the older baby
3) Raising Healthy Eaters
* Parents as role models
* Setting boundaries
* What should I give my child to drink?
* Involving your children in the kitchen
* Presenting food so it appeals to young children
* "My child won't eat vegetables"
4) Basic Grain and Bean Cookery
5) Bustling Breakfasts
6) Lively Lunch Boxes
7) Soothing Soups
8) Substantial Suppers
9) Got Color?
10) Fresh-Baked Breads and Muffins
11) Refreshing Relishes, Convenient Condiments
11) Simple Sweet Desserts
12) Daily Drinks and Brews

Lair also wrote Feeding the Young Athlete: Sports Nutrition Made Easy for Players and Parents. Other good books about eating whole foods include Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life and In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto.

Feeding the Whole Family
I have the first edition of this cookbook and it rates up there with my 5 most used cookbooks. I have bought multiple copies and given them as gifts to friends and family members. I cook primarily whole foods for my family, which in common terms means that I cook from scratch about 18-20 of our 21 weekly meals. Many of these recipes can be made quickly (30 minutes) with some planning.

The author gives wonderful advice for cooking beans, basic recipes for various grains and family favorite sauces. Most of the soup recipes are staples in our house. The introduction of 'new' and different grains...millet, quinoa, buckwheat...is a great way to add variety to your family's diet and most are quick and easy to make. Our culture eats far too much wheat and making some wheat-free meals is a welcome change in most families.

If I had just 1 box of books I could keep, this would be one of the books I would be sure made its way into the box.

great book
I have had this book on my wish list for ages but couldn't justify another whole foods cookbook. I decided to try it after it was updated and after reading the authors essay on how we create picky eaters, I am glad I did. The recipes I have tried have been simple to make and taste delicious.The ingredients called for are easily found. I especially liked the lunch section as I struggle with packing my son a lunch. The book also has a nice section on nutrition that is helpful and informative for those new to whole foods cooking. I recommend this book to anyone looking for delicious meals for their families.