Author: Michelle Dudash
Genre: Cookbook
Publisher: Fair Winds Press
Date: March 5, 2019
Length: 192 pages
Review copy from NetGalley
Satisfy your whole family with nourishing meals they’ll love. In this revised and expanded version of the top-selling Clean Eating for Busy Families, you'll find even more recipes and photos, streamlined weekly grocery lists, and practical tips for healthy family eating.
All parents know what a struggle mealtimes can be—you want to prepare healthy dishes for your family, but picky eaters, busy schedules, and way-too-long cooking times and ingredient lists always seem to stand in your way.
Clean Eating for Busy Families takes the challenge out of putting delicious food on the family table on a nightly basis by providing you with a clear plan for dinner success.
How does this book work?
It’s Quick: From easy sautés and casseroles, to slow cooker and one-pan meals, all the recipes you’ll find inside list both mode and length of cooking time, so there’s no time wasted trying to calculate the timing for your schedule. Plus, most recipes can be prepared in 30 minutes or less!
It’s Clean: The ever-growing “clean food” movement, which focuses on a healthy, whole foods-based approach to eating, lies at the foundation of this book, so you can be sure you’re feeding your family the very best. From wholesome ingredient lists to nutritional analysis on every recipe, you can feel confident that every meal you prepare is both nutrient-rich and calorie-conscious. Options for plant-based, gluten-free, and dairy-free alternatives are also listed wherever possible.
It’s Green: Featuring eco-friendly tips, along with information on how to go green while shopping and cooking, you’ll find it a cinch to keep your family happy and stay eco-conscious.
And most importantly…it’s delicious! From Orange Peel Chicken & Broccoli Stir-fry with Brown Rice to Baja Fish Tacos with Pico de Gallo and Summer Berry Slump with Vanilla Greek Yogurt, you’ll enjoy night after night of delicious home cooking—without any of the hassle. Get started creating new and exciting dishes for your family today!
Description from NetGalley
I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting a lot from this cookbook. I've been trying a lot of vegetarian books lately in an effort to add more variety to our dinners. The kids and I aren't big meat eaters, but nobody seems to like brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes as much as I do. I requested this galley in hopes of some good vegetable recipes and with serious doubts about the 30 minute promise. In fact, I'm pretty sure I rolled my eyes.
I was so wrong! Within the first two minutes of reading I had already bookmarked 7 recipes. I had no idea what clean eating was, I assumed it was just another complicated diet plan. Turns out clean eating is simply the way I cook, but really sticking to whole and minimally processed foods. My parents cooked most things from scratch. We didn't even have a working microwave. (It took years for me to stop using the microwave as a breadbox. It drove my husband nuts.) I do try to play close attention to ingredients but I'm not perfect. I have an emergency bag of chicken nuggets in the freezer, Kid 1 loves those crappy individually wrapped cheese slices, and I'm pretty sure Kid 2's beloved granola bars are toxic. Clean Eating for Busy Families is a nice stepping stone to accessible healthy meals. That being said, I didn't invest a lot in new ingredients, I used what I had, bought one or two "special items" and substituted where it made sense.
Also, apologies in advance for the boring food photography. I'm literally plonking the plate on the table to photograph as my husband and kids wait for me to finish so they can sit down.
Meals really can be cooked within 30-45 minutes: This was very important to me. During the school week the kids aren't allowed any devices until I start cooking dinner (because I really need them out from under foot). This means I put off cooking as long as possible, and even then there's no guarantee that the iPad is going to keep them busy. Occasionally they need help with something, sometimes they declare war, maybe they want to "help" me cook (which I love but is so time consuming), or there is a dance party in the kitchen. (I play music until dinner and I've been told that the kitchen "is best for spinning".) Making a grilled cheese sandwich can take 5 years under these conditions, let alone a proper dinner. These recipes really did cook within their suggested times and it was great. They were fairly easy to put together, didn't require loads of equipment, and dinner was ready generally 45 minutes later.
Easy recipes: While the recipes didn't always work out for us, they were always easy and efficient. There was nothing complicated, nothing required expensive items, excessive tools, or complicated techniques. Absolutely fantastic, exactly what I look for in weeknight meals.
Informative: Dudash has added a lot of useful information without turning her cookbook into a textbook. Tips on starting a clean food diet, how to work with picky eaters, shopping suggestions, and cooking tips are all in any easily digestible introduction. There are recommendations for selecting packaged items that fit the clean eating profile and ease your cooking time. Sprinkled throughout the book are ways to turn a recipe into a freer meal, make it vegetarian, make the dish attractive, how to shop for items year round, or useful substitutions. Each recipe comes with nutritional information as well.
It's not just 500 ways to cook a sweet potato: My family's problem with vegetarian cookbooks is that there are lots and lots of sweet potato recipes. I don't see what's wrong with that, but I try to be a benevolent kitchen despot. Clean Eating for Busy Families has a nice variety of ingredients and recipes without feeling like you're reading 100 different ways to trick your family into eating chickpeas or brussels sprouts.
I was so wrong! Within the first two minutes of reading I had already bookmarked 7 recipes. I had no idea what clean eating was, I assumed it was just another complicated diet plan. Turns out clean eating is simply the way I cook, but really sticking to whole and minimally processed foods. My parents cooked most things from scratch. We didn't even have a working microwave. (It took years for me to stop using the microwave as a breadbox. It drove my husband nuts.) I do try to play close attention to ingredients but I'm not perfect. I have an emergency bag of chicken nuggets in the freezer, Kid 1 loves those crappy individually wrapped cheese slices, and I'm pretty sure Kid 2's beloved granola bars are toxic. Clean Eating for Busy Families is a nice stepping stone to accessible healthy meals. That being said, I didn't invest a lot in new ingredients, I used what I had, bought one or two "special items" and substituted where it made sense.
Also, apologies in advance for the boring food photography. I'm literally plonking the plate on the table to photograph as my husband and kids wait for me to finish so they can sit down.
What I liked
Dudash makes Clean Eating friendly and approachable: I expected this to be hard and require expensive ingredients. It was neither of those things. Dudash has such a friendly and supportive tone that you want to give this healthy thing a chance. Whole Grain Pumpkin Snack Cake |
 Hoisin Chicken Bok Choy Stirfry |
Meals really can be cooked within 30-45 minutes: This was very important to me. During the school week the kids aren't allowed any devices until I start cooking dinner (because I really need them out from under foot). This means I put off cooking as long as possible, and even then there's no guarantee that the iPad is going to keep them busy. Occasionally they need help with something, sometimes they declare war, maybe they want to "help" me cook (which I love but is so time consuming), or there is a dance party in the kitchen. (I play music until dinner and I've been told that the kitchen "is best for spinning".) Making a grilled cheese sandwich can take 5 years under these conditions, let alone a proper dinner. These recipes really did cook within their suggested times and it was great. They were fairly easy to put together, didn't require loads of equipment, and dinner was ready generally 45 minutes later.
Easy recipes: While the recipes didn't always work out for us, they were always easy and efficient. There was nothing complicated, nothing required expensive items, excessive tools, or complicated techniques. Absolutely fantastic, exactly what I look for in weeknight meals.
 Pinto Bean & Avocado Taquitos |
 Oven Carrots & Parsnips |
 Cumin Black Beans with Rice |
Informative: Dudash has added a lot of useful information without turning her cookbook into a textbook. Tips on starting a clean food diet, how to work with picky eaters, shopping suggestions, and cooking tips are all in any easily digestible introduction. There are recommendations for selecting packaged items that fit the clean eating profile and ease your cooking time. Sprinkled throughout the book are ways to turn a recipe into a freer meal, make it vegetarian, make the dish attractive, how to shop for items year round, or useful substitutions. Each recipe comes with nutritional information as well.
It's not just 500 ways to cook a sweet potato: My family's problem with vegetarian cookbooks is that there are lots and lots of sweet potato recipes. I don't see what's wrong with that, but I try to be a benevolent kitchen despot. Clean Eating for Busy Families has a nice variety of ingredients and recipes without feeling like you're reading 100 different ways to trick your family into eating chickpeas or brussels sprouts.
Substitution recommendations: This is just so nice and helpful. Don't have fresh ginger? This is how much proud ginger to use. Don't have Chinese 5 Spice? Make your own. And if you don't why to buy this ingredient, you can substitute it with another. This really helps when you can't always find what you need at a store (we average 3 grocery stores to find what we need) or don't want to invest in an item you might use for one recipe.
You don't have to buy loads of expensive ingredients: I don't like buying ingredients that will only be used for one recipe, or maybe never again. There are some items you can't get around, like wheat flour or chickpea flour. Dudash's recipes use easy to find ingredients nothing terribly expensive, and the afore mentioned substitution suggestions are a big help.
Hallelujah! A recipe that calls for the entire can of pumpkins puree, not just 1/4 cup: Totally random, I know, but so nice. Normally when I make a pumpkin baked good or whatever, I only need a little bit of the canned pumpkin. I end up having to make multiple pumpkin items so I don't waste food. (Seriously, I have a "Leftover pumpkin" category on my Paprika app with recipes that will help me finish off a can.)
You don't have to buy loads of expensive ingredients: I don't like buying ingredients that will only be used for one recipe, or maybe never again. There are some items you can't get around, like wheat flour or chickpea flour. Dudash's recipes use easy to find ingredients nothing terribly expensive, and the afore mentioned substitution suggestions are a big help.
 Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries headed for the oven |
 Black Bean Veggie Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries with "spicy" Aioli |
Hallelujah! A recipe that calls for the entire can of pumpkins puree, not just 1/4 cup: Totally random, I know, but so nice. Normally when I make a pumpkin baked good or whatever, I only need a little bit of the canned pumpkin. I end up having to make multiple pumpkin items so I don't waste food. (Seriously, I have a "Leftover pumpkin" category on my Paprika app with recipes that will help me finish off a can.)
What I'm on the fence about
I wish there were more pictures: I've been totally spoiled by food blogs, I'm accustomed to seeing step-by-step photos to help me figure out if I'm doing things correctly. That's not very practical for a print book, but I really like it when there's a picture of the finished product to go with the recipe, again, to make sure I'm doing things right. This isn't a bad thing, many of my tried and true cookbooks have no pictures. But they do make me feel safer when I'm trying something new.
What didn't work for me
Most recipes were bland: This was a pretty hit or miss cookbook for us. Some things were good, but many others were meh. One of the notes from my initial read through of Clean Eating for Busy Families was, "I'm suspicious of the lack of seasoning." Most of these recipes would need to be doctored up if I was going to cook them regularly. I had been excited about the Oven Roasted Carrots and Parsnips because it included nutmeg and I wanted to try it out. After eating it I wrote, "Fine, easy, not really sure what the nutmeg does, couldn't taste it." I Made the Black Bean Veggie Burgers and the only spice used was sprinkled on the patties just before cooking. They ended up being vaguely flavorful and mushy. It probably would have been better to have the spice mix throughout the patty. Not sure I could have done any more to limit the mush factor. However, the Rosemary Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Spicy Aioli were freakin' delightful. What a great combination, but I wouldn't call the aioli spicy, I'd say "spiced aioli". Slight change, but more accurate. And I'm gonna put that stuff on everything.
Apparently I really like processed flour and sugar: Eating something baked with whole wheat flour feels like your chewing sand. Not every bite, but enough to be jarring. It was the culinary equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. And I couldn't find whole wheat flour in a package smaller than 5 lbs. What am I going to do with all of this left over flour, because I'm not cooking with it again. The Whole Grain Pumpkin Snack Cake called for a cup of honey! I almost had a heart attack. Honey can get pricey up here and normally a jar lasts us several weeks. I put honey in breakfast smoothies, marinades, yogurt, etc. That cup of honey wiped out a brand new jar. Then the cake wasn't that sweet, very moist, but not quite sweet enough.
Obviously this is personal preference, and I could get accustomed to the less sugary taste and extra textured baked goods. But I don't choose to.
Apparently I really like processed flour and sugar: Eating something baked with whole wheat flour feels like your chewing sand. Not every bite, but enough to be jarring. It was the culinary equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. And I couldn't find whole wheat flour in a package smaller than 5 lbs. What am I going to do with all of this left over flour, because I'm not cooking with it again. The Whole Grain Pumpkin Snack Cake called for a cup of honey! I almost had a heart attack. Honey can get pricey up here and normally a jar lasts us several weeks. I put honey in breakfast smoothies, marinades, yogurt, etc. That cup of honey wiped out a brand new jar. Then the cake wasn't that sweet, very moist, but not quite sweet enough.
Obviously this is personal preference, and I could get accustomed to the less sugary taste and extra textured baked goods. But I don't choose to.
Rating: 3
Y'all, if the results had been more flavorful, I'd give Clean Eating for Busy Families: Revised & Expanded five stars. This was an informative book that had practical recipes that worked on a busy night. I would, however, highly recommend picking this up from the library if you are interested in a cleaner diet. The recipes might not have worked for me, but I learned a lot about clean eating and there were loads of tips and suggestions that I've started to integrate into my cooking and shopping.
Have you tried and healthy meal cookbooks that you recommend? Kid 1 is mortally offended by vegetables, so I'm trying hard to either hide them, or at least make sure he's eating well.
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