Parents Need to Eat Too

January 1, 2012

Reassuring is the first word that comes to mind when reading food writer Koenig's first cookbook, in which she provides doable, affordable meal solutions for new parents. The chapters are practical and original: "Nap-Time Cooking" divides recipes into stages to be completed while a child is napping, and "One-Handed Meals" consists entirely of tidy dishes (e.g., turnovers, empanadas, and hand pies) for spill-free eating. At the end of each recipe, you'll find encouraging notes from parents who tested the recipes, as well as instructions for making baby food. The book also includes tips for stocking the pantry and freezer, infant feeding guidelines, and a food-focused third-trimester time line.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2012
This blogger is clever. Koenig deliberately segments the types of issues a new mom or dad might have in the kitchen, from what to put in the pantry or how to maneuver around a sleeping cherub to the fixing of quick suppers and batch cooking. Almost every scenario is covered. Got a spouse who's a klutz in the kitchen? There is a good handful of unrecipes that translate into microwavable convenience, such as baked potatoes with add-on proteins. Not enough time to truly eat well, but need to stop snacking on evil foods? Koenig has great suggestions, including how to freeze grapes and compile a nursing snack-basket. The 150 recipes represent merely a start; the true bonus in this book is her wealth of tips and pragmatic suggestions, including shopping with a baby, best foods for a pantry, cooking in stages, basic safety items, and nutritional needs while nursing. To round out her array of good foods and even better recommendations, each recipe features at least one kudo from a reader/mom/dad as well as how well the particular dish would translate into the makings of baby food. It's smart eating, no matter what your child status.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)