When Jane Doiron contacted me about reviewing her cookbook, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms
I love to bake and cook healthy meals for my family, but often my excessive time in the kitchen throws me off from other household responsibilities (as in, I avoid cleaning!). I could use some new ideas for streamlining my cooking time. According to Jane’s website, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms
- Simple to prepare.
- Simple to assemble ahead of schedule.
- Simple to freeze ahead.
- Simple for the whole family to enjoy.
While some of the recipes include convenience items that we do our best to avoid (like processed cheese of any kind), I’ve already bookmarked several and even tried a couple. Here’s what’s on my short list:
- Coffee Cake with Apple Pie Filling (Made this yesterday. Tasty, but next time I’ll use less sugar and more cinnamon.)
- Cranberry Scones
- Christmas Bark (Good stuff, and so easy!)
- Tacos (I look forward to trying her seasoning combination in an effort to ditch the MSG-laden taco seasoning.)
- Honey Mustard Chicken Fingers
Jane also included some fancy-schmancy recipes with tips and tricks to make the most of your time while making the dish.
- Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells
- Chicken Cannelloni
- London Broil Strips
- Pork Florentine
- Stuffed Beef Tenderloin
What this cookbook lacks in photos (there are none except on the front and back covers) it makes up for in family-friendly recipes along with a solid collection of kitchen tips.
Want to win a copy? You’ve got 3 opportunities:
- Leave a comment telling me your biggest struggle in the kitchen. Do you need more time? More recipes? What’s your hang up? Or, are you like me and would prefer to just hang out in the kitchen all day?
- Follow Jane on Twitter: @janedoiron (tell me you did in a separate comment)
- Sign up for Jane’s newsletter. (tell me you did in a separate comment)
Giveaway ends Sunday, December 13, at 8pm Central time, when I’ll have Random.org pick a winner. Good luck!
Probably time would be a factor
I am now following you =0)
I just signed up for your newsletter
My biggest hang-up by far is DISHES! I hate washing the dishes.
I would cook all the time if someone else was there to wash all my dishes. Unfortunately there’s a stack (ok, three) waiting for me to wash when I get home from work.
I enjoy being in the kitchen, but wish I had a little fairy to clean up all the messes I make!!
My biggest obstacle is cooking three meals a day and getting all the dishes cleaned again before the next meal. I would love to do more cooking ahead so I don’t have to wash as many pots every day.
I’m following Jane on Twitter.
I also follow her blog through Google Reader.
I love being in the kitchen & I meal plan weekly! However I often forget to lay things out to thaw in the morning and by the afternoon they don’t have time to thaw so I start scrambling for another option! I really need to work on that!!
Hmm…I tend to make things once and forget about them. I need to write down what recipes/inventions I try and work on improving and standardizing them so I have some go-tos. I don’t like experimenting when we have people over, and I mostly only experiment, so that puts me in a tight spot
I’d love some new recipes that go together quickly, taste great and don’t call for convenience foods!
Thanks for the chance! I struggle with finding recipes that we really like. So many of them seem to end up in the “meh” category.
Signed up for the newsletter. Thanks!
more time and better planning. Perhaps some inspiration as well
Um, my biggest problem is definitely buying meat and then letting it rot in the frig. Nice, eh?
What in the world?! Too many bargains, Carrie?
I followed Jane on Twitter!
I love hanging out in my kitchen with my girls cooking up a feast. It’s the cleanup that I don’t like..but I trained them how to do it for me !
I think my biggest struggle is to make meals without neglecting other things!
My biggest issue is… well.. confidence! I always worry if I’m doing things right or if my family will like it! This is one BIG reason why I love learning recipes via blogging – there are always GREAT pictures and step by step information to make me feel like “yes! I can do it!”
oh and I am following ms jane now too!
My biggest problem is creating a menu that works for us…even on busy nights!
My biggest hangup? A fussy DH. he is very particular about what we eat. I do love to be in the kitchen all day – though I know I sample too much while I go alon g:)
I signed up for Jane’s newsletter!
I struggle with several things in the kitchen – my recipes are not organized and I can never find what I need, I rarely plan a weekly menu and if I do I rarely stick with it, and finally I do not enjoy grocery shopping with or without the kids:)
My biggest hangup would be lack of ideas!
My biggest hurdle in regards to cooking is that I love to make meals that are quite involved, therefore get lost in cooking and the housework goes out with the birds. My family doesn’t mind, but I do. The unfinished housework stresses me out. I definitely need to find balance!!
Jane’s book is on my amazon wishlist … I had seen it reviewed a week or so ago and it really intriqued me. Great job, Jane!
I also signed up for Jane’s newsletter.
My biggest struggle is that my son is allergic to milk, eggs, and peanuts! It is hard to find quick and easy recipes to make the most of my time with these issues. I am always open to new ideas!
Wow. I don’t know how I would cook without those items! So thankful that my children don’t have food allergies.
My biggest struggle is coming up with new ideas that my family will actually eat. I’m a creature of habit but my hubby wants variety. I just can’t think of new easy things to make.
My biggest struggle in the kitchen is that I try to come up with meals 30 minutes before it is time to eat.
Recipes are biggest hangup. With thousands on the internet, I get so distracted and overwhelmed that I just quit and usually do my 7-10 “everyday” dinners. Need variety bad.
My biggest struggle is that I am not very creative with my meals. I have to have a recipe to follow. My husband is a very picky eater and that doesn’t help either.
Not being able to think of different ideas for dinner and always having the same thing.
My biggest hang up is clean up with time being a close second! Would love to win this one!
Signed up for the newsletter — thanks!
Having time to make all the recipes on my “to try” list!
My biggest struggle is having enough time to prepare something healthy after getting home from work.
I have 3 month old twins and we are homeschooling two other boys, so just finding the time to prepare dinner is a struggle. I would love to find simple and quick meals to prepare for my family.
I just signed up for the newsletter!
My biggest struggle is organization and time. It always takes longer than I think it will to finish a project and then I have a big mess.
My biggest struggle is probably remembering a great meal after making it. I’ll cook a great dish and then forget about the recipe. My dh calls it the one hit wonder as there are so many good ones I’ve only made one time and then lost the recipe.
I sub’d to the newsletter.
Sounds like a great book! I’d love to do more cooking ahead since I enjoy cooking during the morning and afternoon but not so much in the early evening right before dinner time. I’d much prefer to just heat up what I’ve made in advance. I’d also love some new easy recipes. We love what I make really well, but shaking it up now and then with something new would be great.
LOL…my biggest struggle in the kitchen is that most things don’t go right for me the first time…remember the pizza braid?
Yes, oh yes. I think of you every time I make that pizza braid!
My biggest challenge is time – I would LOVE to spend all day in the kitchen, but I work (more than) full time outside the home.
Pick me, pick me!
I signed up for Jane’s newsletter.
I am now following Jane on Twitter.
My biggest struggle is making sure that I have EVERY ingredient. I go to make simple taco soup and lo and behold, I am missing the cilantro, which makes it no so simple…..
I’m like you and could spend my day in the kitchen!!! I would say my biggest struggle would be to get my 8 year old daughter to eat what I cook.
My biggest struggle us cooking with lower fat & more veggies.
I need inspiration. I also need to learn to like my own cooking. After spending all that time cooking supper, it’s so unappealing.
My biggest struggle is trying to come up with new ideas and to get away from the same old cycle of meals! I have loved trying some of your great recipes, so please keep posting new ones!
My biggest problem is planning ahead and not being stuck at 4:00 with a hunk of frozen meat and a time crunch to get dinner ready on time. This cookbook sounds really helpful!
Oh man! I would LOVE to win this. I just started trying to make ahead meals, and need some recipes!
Just signed up for the newsletter!
My biggest hang up is time. I want to make ahead and freeze but I’m kind of afraid, so maybe fear of the unknown is my biggest hangup. I don’t want something I’ve spent time on to turn out yucky.
I’d love to try this cookbook. I love cooking, but healthy side dishes and kitchen organization are constant uphill battles for me.
I love being in the kitchen…but I have a hard time coming up with quick healthy meals that actually taste good to my family. I’m bad at planning my time (and menus for that matter), so any help in that regard would be great!
I am running out of new things to make from scratch. I recently became a stay at home mom and since we don’t eat take out as much my recipes are not lasting very long! I love to be in the kitchen!
My biggest challenge in the kitchen is coming up with variety in my meals… it seems like we are having the same things over and over.
My main issue in the kitchen is that I like to keep it basic and most cookbooks and recipes call for insane ingredients that we just wouldnt normally have in our cabinets.
-Alana Jo
yahoobuckaroo@hotmail.com
http://www.justniftythrifty.com
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/thats_just_nifty_thrifty/
http://www.twitter.com/NiftyThrify
I am following Jane on Twitter.
-Alana Jo
yahoobuckaroo@hotmail.com
http://www.justniftythrifty.com
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/thats_just_nifty_thrifty/
http://www.twitter.com/NiftyThrify
I subscribed to the newsletter.
-Alana Jo
yahoobuckaroo@hotmail.com
http://www.justniftythrifty.com
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/thats_just_nifty_thrifty/
http://www.twitter.com/NiftyThrify
My biggest problem is I am very indecisive with so many recipes.
My biggest struggle is figuring out what to make – especially with main dishes!
Don’t get me wrong I love cooking and being in the kitchen but I hate planning what to make for dinner. If I could hire someone to plan out menus for me that would be the best, I love to shop for groceries (sans the kids) and the prep and cook and even eat the stuff…but planning….it’s the bane of my existence!!!
Even worse now that I am working…. I would love to win this book if I can’t then find out what you and others think of it!!!
I would like to feed my daughter a variety of foods but I just can’t seem to find anything she likes besides the basics; pasta, quesadilla, hot dogs, oatmeal, cereal, pb & J, macaroni and cheese. How can I make meals for her that she will like to eat?
My biggest struggle is finding something that all four of us will eat! Thanks for the chance to win!
My biggest hangup is definitely the time factor. Having a 15 month old getting into everything is also up there.
My biggest struggle is dealing with my daughter’s food allergies. I am curious as to how you avoid processed cheeses. Aren’t all cheeses processed? What types are OK to eat? Just curious!
@Jennifer, I’m talking about “fake” cheese like Velveeta, Cheese Whiz, American, etc.
My biggest stuggle is planning ahead. I do great when I plan but with no plan things fall apart.
Thanks for entering me.
Have a blessed day!
Biggest kitchen challenge…four kiddos talking (crying?) to me while I attempt to cook. Since I’m distractable, this is quite a whammy! Lots of overboiling potatoes, etc.!
Amara
My biggest struggle is cleaning. I know I should clean as I go but it hard to do so with a very active two year old.
heather
Love to cook, hate to clean it all up
Finding new things to make that everyone likes. Sometimes I feel like I’m in a food slump. Same meals over and over. New fresh ideas would be a lifesaver!!
I have two big hangups: I get in a rut and can’t get out! And I try to please every member of my family all the time which is nearly impossible! I struggle with the feeling that I need to be a short order cook which is not cost effective, time efficient or practical.
I would love to get a copy of this!
My biggest struggle would probably failing to have a back-up plan for nights when I just don’t feel like cooking what’s on the menu. I’ve been meaning to put some easy meals in the freezer but I just haven’t done it yet.
Time, definitely time (lack of time, that is).
Oh I would definitely like to spend my whole day in the kitchen with a little elf scurrying behind me to clean my mess. The best cooking experiences are when my husband and I cook together because he usually ends up cleaning up as we go. It’s superb! A book of plan-ahead, make-ahead meals? Count me in! I don’t follow twitters, but I’ll be signing up for her newsletter. Thanks!
And now I’ve signed up for the fabulous newsletter! (And a few free recipes to boot. Nice.) Thanks, again, for the opportunity!
This sounds funny, but I need more naps! With baby number 2 on the way my energy is low, which makes it harder for me to keep up in the kitchen. So if I could get more naps, I’d do better!
Heather
My biggest struggle would be the clean up…I just dread it!
I signed up for the newsletter.
I also followed on Twitter. @3ladiesandadad
My biggest problem is time management. I like cleaning and unless I plan really well, I often don’t leave myself enough time to make a great dinner. Also, bored with my current recipes so would love to try some new, easy, and delicious meal ideas!
I struggle with finding the time and planning meals…thanks for the chance to win!
I followed Jane on twitter…thanks for the chance to win!
I just signed up for Jane’s newletter…thanks!
my problem is time. i need more time
my biggest struggle is my picky eaters. My youngest son (10 yrs. old) is sooo picky about textures of food that it really limits what I make.
I love to cook and could hang out in the kitchen all day but having a preschooler does not allow me that luxary. I try to include him in as much cooking as I can but I would love some quick meal ideas.
I think more time would help. I have not attempted to do make ahead meals or freezer meals. I am sure that would help me a lot. I think getting prepared and being prepared is a struggle too.
I hate the clean up part. I’m a messy cook.
I signed up for the newsletter.
The hardest thing for me is WHAT to cook. I love to cook just get stuck on what to prepare…that’s more than half the battle!
My biggest struggle in the kitchen is learning to clean as I go. Also, keeping my 2 year old entertained while I cook!
My biggest struggle in the kitchen is variety. I seem to make a lot of the same thing.
I am a subscriber via e-mail.
This is really going to sound horrible but my biggest struggle is cleaning up AFTER I cook *L* It always sucks the fun out of things and sometimes I don’t want to cook because of the mess I’ll have to deal with afterwards.
I love to bake and cook if only I had more time. I have an almost 2 yr old daughter, an almost 1 yr old puppy, and a husband that works night (sleeps during the day). When I do have extra time to spend on something I’m too exhausted. I also need to get organized better… that might help.
Thanks!
My biggest struggle in the kitchen is overcooking meat. I don’t want it to be underdone and poison everyone, so I tend to over cook it and it gets dry!
I am intrigued by this cookbook. I’m starting to do more and more OAMC type cooking and love the time it saves me during the month!
My biggest struggle is entertaining the kids while I cook. I have 3 kids, 5 years-old and under. I do try to incorporate them in my cooking sometimes, but don’t find that practical on a daily basis. So maintaining my sanity while cooking and refereeing/caring for my children is a task!
My biggest struggle in the kitchen is timing all the foods (meat, sides, veggies) to be ready at the same time.
Doing the dishes afterward. BLECH!!
Biggest hang up is cleaning up after
My biggest struggle in the kitchen is planning and shopping. With 4 young children, usually with me, I avoid shopping as much as possible, then I run out of things when I really need them.
I am following you on twitter.
I signed up for the newsletter.
My biggest struggle is keeping the kitchen clean when my husband cooks. I clean as I cook, but my husband? Well, that is another story. LOL. Would love to win this book. Please enter me in the drawing. Thanks!
koinonia572001@yahoo.com
I follow Jane on Twitter (nanatide). Thanks!
koinonia572001@yahoo.com
I also signed up for Jane’s newsletter. Thanks again!
koinonia572001@yahoo.com
My biggest struggle in the kitchen is my two babies (both under the age of two.) It is easy enough to make dinner when their daddy is home but at the beginning of the month I was doing what was supposed to be two freezer cooking days and I’m still not quite done with my list. I did at least end up with good things in the freezer but it is happening very slowly.
I follow you on twitter.
I subscribe via e-mail.
My biggest problem is the time it takes to prep everything!!!
My biggest struggle in the kitchen is following directions. I know it is always recommend that one read the entire recipe first before actually making the recipe. I, however, just go right into the making of the recipes, and on many occasions have found out that I didn’t do something right, or added something at the wrong time. I need to be more patient and plan out what I am doing!
my biggest struggle is that I lose all track of time and space when I begin to bake…clean laundry is over rated when it comes to the Christmas baking season! This cookbook looks like a winner!
I love to spend tons of time in the kitchen but I am always looking for new recipes the family likes. I also don’t always have the tons of time I would like
I also visited twitter and am now a follower
I love reading your blog!!! My biggest hang up is . . . well, one of them is planning. I have great intentions though. I just need to find some good recipes that my kids will also like.
I now follow Jane too!
signed up for the newsletter too! Done
The title of that cookbook is definitely immediately appealing. What mom wouldn’t love to make meals ahead of time to avoid the 5 o’clock rush? I know I would.
My biggest struggles in the kitchen are:
* Lack of Inspiration! I tend to stick to our “family favorites,” yet I long for new recipes.
* Lack of Time! Isn’t that every mom’s dilemma?
* Only Having 1 Hand (because I am holding a baby)
Thanks for the opportunity…and the introduction to this cookbook.
P.S. I am sad to hear that the cookbook doesn’t have photos. I actually don’t understand why publishers choose to publish without them. If I have a choice between a cookbook with pictures or one without, I ALWAYS choose the one with photos. The more, the better!
My biggest kitchen struggle would definately be time. Coming home after a long day at work and a clingy 2 year old doesn’t leave much time or creativity left to make a fancy meal.
Oooh, where to begin. Dishes are a big hangup, also a lack of fresh ingredients since moving to the middle of nowhere, and my husband is pretty picky. He won’t eat rice- who doesn’t like rice????
My biggest struggle is time and I’m really tired by the time I get home from work. Make ahead meals would be a great solution!
My biggest hang up in the kitchen is making the same thing over and over again. I need some new ideas…
What’s for dinner tonight…?? Figuring out what to cook is my biggest issue!!
Signed up for newsletter
This sounds like a great cookbook! Thanks for the contest! My biggest issue in the kitchen is that I get stuck in a rut and don’t want to put the effort into trying new recipes!
I signed up for the newsletter! Can’t wait to already see some recipes and be more prepared!
My biggest struggle is preparing food that can stay warm and taste good as the latecomers come to eat after sports practice, etc.
Biggest struggle in the kitchen—-I am not very fast. It takes me a long time to make meals which is very frustrating.
I lack a game plan. I don’t like to cook or think about cooking, but have to do it. So, I avoid thinking about it. BUT when I do make a weekly menu and store list, things go SOOO much better.
I would love to have this cookbook. As a young mom of 3, with a husband who works full time, teaches college part-time, and is getting his doctorate, we covet any time we can spend together. We think it’s important to eat together as a family, so I cook each night. It would be nice to have some ideas for meals to prepare in advance so the usual time spent assembling dinner could be spent in quality family time. Please consider us!!!!
My biggest hang up is wanting to cook. Wait, maybe that’s because I never have clean dishes after I cook. But its more than the dishes. I can make a menu, try and set a schedule, and then when it comes down to it I don’t want to eat ‘x meal’ that night.
My biggest struggle in my kitchen is… my kitchen. There just doesn’t ever seem to be enough space to cook the way I want to. But since there isn’t much I can do about that, I guess my next biggest struggle is dirty dishes… there just always seem to be so many when I decide to “really cook.”
I need more time AND new recipes, my husband is a youth pastor and we have a busy schedule. We tend to fix the same things over and over because we know exactly how long it will take.
I love being in the kitchen , but prefer to bake rather than cook.
Thanks for the giveaway!
~Liz
Love,love, love to cook….hate the cleanup! Even with a dishwasher!
My biggest struggle is that I don’t really like to cook even though I have done it for about 50 years!
My biggest struggle in the kitchen is that I want to make new dishes but I am scared to try new ingredients that are uncommon. I am afraid to waste an hour or two cooking a meal that my kids, husband, or I will hate but I want to get out of my food rut.
I also signed up for Jane’s newsletter.
I signed up for Jane Doiron’s newsletter. Thanks for a chance to win!
I struggle with finding recipes that are make ahead, as well as freezeable. With a family of 8 and home-schooling, I need all the help I can get. Thanks for posting this giveaway.
I get distracted and end up scorching something or leaving out an ingredient or step.
My struggle is actually needing easy, simple GOOD recipes for my busy self. We get bored with the same old meals over and over. So I would LOVE this!
I am following Jane on Twitter!
Working full time with 4 children, time is my biggest problem!
My biggest challenge is time and having all the ingredients I need once I start cooking.
I never have enough time to cook what I want to cook.
I think my biggest hang up in the kitchen is now going from a family of 7 to just the 2 of us I seem to be sticking to the basics and it is getting a little boring,I would love to try this book now that DH and I have no children living at home we do more things what a joy it would be to have meals ready to go when we wnat to just pick up and go.
My biggest struggle in the kitchen is the dishes! I am a messy, messy cook, so my kitchen looks like a tornado has hit after I finish supper. I could certainly use some tips on efficient cooking and cleaning afterward!
I would to have more time and more easy recipes to make for my family that have nutritional value.
I love being in the kitchen. My biggest challenge is taking recipes that I woud love to try and altering them for my child that has food allergies to egg, dairy, treenut and peanut.
Oh and a kitchen with more storage and counter space would be lovely. But we can’t have everything can we?
My biggest struggles are planning ahead of time finding the time to prepare meals since I don’t get home until about 6PM. This book sounds great. Thanks for sharing.
I signed up for the newsletter.
My biggest struggles are planning ahead so I have the time and ingredients…and really just the time and motivation. We only have 4 of us and well the 2 toddlers usually don’t eat that well. Thanks for the chance of winning!
I signed up for Jane’s newsletter!
I love to cook and try new things, just seems like there is never enough time and I end up cooking the same old things!
I signed up for the newsletter! Looking forward to some great tips!!
My biggest struggle is menu planning. I should be better at planning ahead, so I have all of the ingredients on hand.
My biggest challenge is timing. I never seem to get everything to be done at the same time. This is hardest when hosting 15 people at Thanksgiving!
Clean-up! Then when I don’t clean up, I don’t want to cook….never ending cylce!
Being more efficient with planning/coordinating meal plans so I am spending less time prepping and preparing meals.
Subscribed to her newsletter.
I have a few challenges in the kitchen. First, I tend to lack every ingredient necessary to make my meals. Second, I work shift work, so my time is very limited. Third, I wish I had more kitchen space. I absolutely love to cook and bake; I could spend all day in the kitchen!
I subscribed to Jane’s newsletter.
I am now following Jane on Twitter.
Sounds like a great book, would love to do more cooking ahead.
My biggest struggle is finding ways to adapt recipes to make them very low sodium while maintaining their flavor.
Subscribed to Jane’s newsletter — thanks for leading me to her!
My biggest hangup is needing an uninterrupted block of time to cook. I get only a few minutes here & there between work, picking up my husband from work, feeding the baby, and keeping the two-year-old out of mischief.
I just signed up for Jane’s newsletter.
My biggest problem in the kitchen is finding recipes to use with different age groups as I do Family Child Care in my home.
my biggest challenge is being able to cook w/o a recipe… I just can’t! I haven’t been in the kitchen long enough to know how….
My biggest struggle is creating my own recipes. My husband can make something up quickly on hiw own and it tastes great. I need specific written instructions.