The Six O’Clock Scramble: The Best Cookbook Ever

rebeca  Tuesday, June 8, 2010

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The reason this website is called The Average Parent is because I consider myself to be just that…very average. I do a decent job cleaning the house, although there are definitely some areas I’d like to keep hidden. I try to be a good mom, but there are certainly times when I use the TV as a babysitter a bit more than I should. And, when it comes to cooking…well, it’s just average. I have a few signature dishes, but that’s about it. The problem is that I don’t really enjoy cooking. It doesn’t hold my attention, and quite frankly, there are just other things I would rather do.

As a result, when we evaluated our family budget at the beginning of the year, we realized that we spend far too much money eating out. Not only was this a major expense, it was also very unhealthy. So, we set a goal to cook more while bulking up the nutritional value of our meals. I was on board with this new plan, but with only a few signature dishes to call my own, I was at a loss for what to do.

Enter Aviva Goldfarb’s SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families. I love the term rescue in this cookbook’s title, because it has done just that…it has rescued us from a cycle of unhealthy take out and a limited selection of meals to cook. This cookbook is designed for busy parents who are interested in taking the hassle out of meal time, while still providing an affordable, tasty, nutritious meal…which also happen to be easy on the environment.

I had been hearing some buzz about this book from other bloggers, so I was pretty excited for the chance to review it. When it arrived, I sat down to look it over and mark the recipes I wanted to try. Before long, I realized that I was marking all of them! Everything looked so good.

The recipes are broken down by season, allowing you to take full advantage of ingredients that are in season, at their peak flavor and best price. I started working through the Spring section and so far I’ve prepared about 10 recipes. Each meal was incredibly easy to make, and I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious the end result was. Not once did I have to resort to ham sandwiches or pizza delivery to replace a botched dinner. Even my uber-picky hubby loved all of the new dishes…and that’s saying something!

The best part is that while each meal is super easy to make (you can prepare most of them in less than 30 minutes), every recipe uses simple, basic ingredients that I already have on hand, or could easily find at any local grocery store. Yes, that’s right; these are easy, healthy AND eco-friendly dishes that have regular everyday ingredients.

This really is an unbelievably good cookbook. Without a doubt, it’s been the best cookbook I’ve ever used. It is now one of my go-to gifts for new parents. Each recipe is listed with complete nutritional information, possible side dish suggestions, as well as tips to shake it up. Plus, Aviva covers all types of meals, from traditional to slightly ethnic, giving you a chance to broaden your family’s taste buds without breaking the bank (or slaving in the kitchen). You can also mix up your weekly menu with dishes that are vegetarian or include beef, pork, poultry or fish.

One thing I do want to point out is that while I say this is an eco-friendly cookbook, Aviva does not ram it down your throat. This is important to me because while I try to be as green as possible, sometimes finances and convenience trump the environmental impact of my purchase. It’s not that I don’t care about the environment; it’s just that life sometimes gets in the way. Aviva doesn’t hammer readers with feelings of guilt nor does she make you feel like you’re doing your family an injustice if you don’t go organic. Instead, she strategically places helpful tips for maintaining a more eco-friendly diet and how to save money going green, as well as advice for when it just doesn’t matter all that much. She gives readers the tools to live green, without pushing it.

In addition to the Six O’Clock Scramble cookbook, Aviva also offers readers a chance to streamline their weekly menus with the Scramble Weekly Plan. For less than $3 a month, you can sign up to get an email every Wednesday with a newsletter, five family-tested healthy meals with side dish suggestions and a corresponding grocery list. You can use all the meals in your weekly newsletter, or swap any recipe for one in their database that fits your fancy. The grocery list is automatically updated with your choices. It just doesn’t get any easier than that! The best part is that the Six O’Clock Scramble cookbook comes with a code for a free one-month trial for the website. One more reason to check it out.

SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families is available through Amazon for $12.23 and most other major book retailers.

You can also have a chance to win it here on The Average Parent. Click here for details.

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