Feeding the Whole Family Cookbook Review

So many women become interested in eating a whole foods diet once they become pregnant. Whereas before they were mostly interested in maintaining their weight, once they’re responsible for another life, it becomes more vital to maintain excellent health.

Once the baby is born, moms keep offering the healthiest nourishment they can to their babies. But then when baby starts eating solid foods, a curve ball is thrown into the kitchen. How do you prepare meals for babies, tots, kids and a hungry husband too? Is it possible to make everyone at the dinner table pleased without spending your entire day in the kitchen?

Thankfully there are many awesome cookbooks available that make the job of preparing and cooking food for your family a small simpler.

Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair is one such cookbook. It’s not strictly a vegetarian nor vegan cookbook and assumes that you are an omnivore. It does not advocate any kind of exclusive eating regime. It’s just what it says – a whole foods cookbook. You won’t find any recommendations for fake foods or boxed stuff with mystery ingredients that are hard to pronounce. (Although, you might find yourself shopping for a few items that are only available at your local health food store). The recipes are simple and simple to prepare, tasty and appeal to everyone in the family.

What makes this cookbook unique is that each recipe has a recommendation for feeding a baby who has recently begun solid foods. Many moms want to make their own baby food so as to give their infant the freshest, highest quality food they can, but don’t want to spend all their time in the kitchen. That’s hardly feasible when you have a young baby on the hip anyway! Nor is it even necessary. All you have to do is remove a small of the food before adding salt or other ingredients that baby may not be eating yet. Simple! The book also guides a new mom through the process of offering solids – from knowing when baby is ready to transition from breastmilk only to lowering risk of food allergies.

The first section of the book provides an overview of what whole foods eating really means, has suggestions for alternative ingredients (such as healthier fats and sweeteners) that you can substitute for the less healthy ingredients you may be using currently. It also has many tips for pregnant and nursing moms who may have questions about their diet. It gives instructions on how to prepare whole grains and legumes, including some that may be unknown to someone new to whole foods eating but that may quickly become staples to you.

The individual recipes are uncomplicated and typically quick to prepare, making it a fantastic choice for today’s busy mom.

This cookbook would be an brilliant choice as a gift for a friend who is transitioning to a healthier diet or on any mom’s shelf who has already made a commitment to feeding her family well with a minimum of fuss.

Summary of Gordon Ramsay Cooking for Friends Cookbook

Cooking for Friends is for me one of Gordon ramsay\’s best cookbooks. A wide variety of recipes to suit every palate and cooking ability, it really is a fantastic investment. The book is also perfectly place together with incredible photos that will make your mouth water.

From the front cover flap:-

\’Away from the high-octane energy of the professional kitchen, Gordon\’s home is a relaxed family affair, where cooking s fun and everyone gets involved in preparing food for family and friends. The food Gordon cooks here embodies his strongly held views: use in-season, fresh ingredients at their peak; support local producers and farmers\’ markets whenever we can; and celebrate our food culture and its many influences…..

…\’Cooking for Friends\’ is full of Gordon\’s best-loved versions of classic British dishes…..and contains more than 100 of his favourite recipes, which he likes to cook and eat with friends and family – uncomplicated recipes but with Gordon\’s remarkable feeling for flavour and his technical know-how.\’

From the introduction:-

\’As a chef, I work at a thousand miles an hour, but when I\’m at home, I want to slow down. I leave my chef\’s jacket at work, and I walk into a domestic setting, where everything is completely different. At home, our kitchen is family-run, and it\’s a relaxed place. A lot of people see cooking as a chore, but we bring an element of fun into it……….\’

269 high quality matt pages split over 9 chapters:-

Hot and cold soups

Pasta and grains

Fish and shellfish

Meat and poultry

Pies and tarts

Vegetables and salads

Puddings and ices

Chocolate and coffee

Basics

sandwiched between a 9-page introduction and a full index, which is enhanced with finished-dish illustrations shown in italics.

Each chapter opens with some relevant notes and a list of the recipes contained within, for quick reference.

Each recipe is clearly laid out with a bold title and relevant text, along wiith the method, the number of servings and the list of ingredients. The page numbers are on the edge of the right hand page, which aids quick flicking!

The book is interspersed with illustrations of the finished dishes, although these are rather fewer than expected, in my opinion…..(hence my four star rating)…… along with on-location shots of GR, his family and friends.

My favourite pud is no particular secret, and, as I share Gordon\’s passion for the caramelized apple flavour and texture in an Apple Tarte Tatin….. his recipe for \’Caramelized Apple Pie\’, from page 207, really hits the spot:-

\’I like the flavour of caramelized apples in a tarte tatin, and this is a way of bringing that flavour into a classic apple pie.

Also, because the apples are pre-cooked, they won\’t shrink during baking and make air pockets inside the pie.

I like to serve the pie while it\’s still warm with either a small pouring cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.\’

A tasty twist which makes the finished product taste divine, and following on from G\’s \’Lamb Shank Cassoulet` served with sautéed savoy cabbage and chunks of malted grain bread….simply SUPER to share, after an October stroll in the woods with all our friends!

Which… of course….is what this book is all about!

A taste of other recipes within:-

Asparagus velouté

Conger eel bisque

Crayfish chowder

Farfalle with bacon, peas and sage

Grilled vegetable lasagne

Gordon\’s posh kedgeree (video feature above)

Wild mushroom barley risotto

Fish curry with lime and coconut rice

Grilled herrings with harissa

Fisherman\’s stew

Poached rabbit legs with gremolata

Pork fillet stroganoff

Home-made bangers

Classic mixed grill

Angus beef olives

Sweet potato and duck rösti with fried duck eggs

Honey roast ham

Shepherd\’s pie with Branston pickle

Cornish chicken pie

Fish pie with oysters and scallops

Roast winter vegetables

Spicy cauliflower stir-fry

Mixed mushroom salad

Pickled onions

Autumn fruit salad with thyme and ginger

Custard tart

Lemon meringue pie

Chocolate swirl cheesecake

Chocolate and coffee pots

Dark chocolate marquise

All in all, a \’homely\’-type book, which is clear from the GR notes throughout, e.g.:-

From \’Pasta and grains`:-

\’At home, we don\’t just stick to rice and spaghetti. Tana has begun to feed the kids a vegetarian meal once a week, which means being creative in combining pulses, grains and pasta with a variety of vegetables.

The kids like it when she experiments.

When the weather is cold we use a lot of barley, adding it to soups, stews, and winter salads. Barley can even take the place of rice in risotto.

The brilliant barley risotto here has featured many a time on our restaurant menus…………\’