Quick Fix Meals: 200 Simple, Delicious Recipes to Make Mealtime Eas

I can't say enough great things about this cookbook. As soon as I get a new cookbook, I read through the entire book and tag all the recipes I want to make. Often times, I get 3-4 to to meals from a cookbook but I have over 20 tags on this one and I have made almost all of them multiple times already. I love the "morph" recipes where you make one meal and have enough of the main component to make 3 other meals off of it. They have all been delicious. All the recipes use real food, hardly anything uses any processed items, which I love. One of my absolute favorites is the Smokey Apricot Chicken, the cookbooks is worth the price for this recipe alone. So easy to make and the best way I have ever made chicken. Some of my other favorites are Balsamic Roasted Port Tenderloin, Angel Hair with Creamy Turkey Sausage and Wild Mushroom Sauce, Pork Fried Rice, Citrus Glazed Ham, Penne with Ham, Peas & Oregano, Sweet & Tangy Beef Roast and Beef Empanadas. The dessert recipes aren't too much to write home about but the one I do love is the Peach Cherry Galette which is very easy to throw together. The recipes are all pretty neutral that most people are going to love them, nothing too off the wall and food your kids will love as well.

It's rare that I'll remake more than one recipe from any given cookbook. This book is one of those rarities. I turn to it at least once a week knowing that dinner will be delicious, quick and with a slightly new twist. Since I'm not interested in the leftover strategies that Miller calls "morphs", I simply make the recipes in the morphing section in smaller amounts. I don't watch the TV show, so I have no idea what Robin Miller is like, but I'm totally sold on her recipes which are easy to read, but thankfully without the cloying cutesy-ness of Rachael Ray's books.Here are some of the recipes I've tried that were particularly good (exceptions noted):-Stove Top Jambalaya with Andouille Sausage, Chicken and Shrimp-New Orleans Flank Steak---Sesame-Ginger Pork with Soba Noodles (just okay)-Olive-Spiked Pork Tenderloin - soooo good-Roasted Salmon with Sweet-n-Hot Mustard Glaze-Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloin-Roasted Chicken with Smoky Apricot Sauce-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes, Olives and Chicken - this is excellent---Parmesan-Crusted Cauliflower (just okay)-Creamed Spinach My Way - a healthier version that's really good

I'll admit, I was raised to believe that anything not completely homemade "from scratch" was to be frowned upon but as a woman working 40 hours a week outside the home, holding myself to that standard has caused me more than a little stress! What a treat to discover Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals. Her recipes use a well balanced combination of pre-packaged and pre-prepared convenience foods--such as salad mixes and ready-made pie crust--and fresh ingredients. Her approach is to use convenience foods, not as a replacement for homemade fare, but as time saving tools that allow a person to quickly prepare complete, good tasting meals at home without having to fall back on fast food during the busy work week. So far, I've enjoyed each recipe I've made. I've also found it easy to alter the recipes to reduce fat and sodium. This one is definitely a keeper for me!

Im what I'd consider a very good cook and have lots of favorite recipes that my husband and I loved---before we had kids. ALl of them were involved but I had the time back then. Now that i have children (1 and 2 years old) I find myself struggling for energy at end of the day to make dinner. In fact I cannot even THINK about what to make (I always draw a blank!) whereas before it was a nice end to the day for me to relax and cook.So Robin Miller's approach has saved dinner for me, literally. I was completely unfamiliar with her as a cook prior to seeing this book listed on Amazon and Im so glad I bought it. Yes, anyone can premake their own foods for the week using their own recipes but I never found there to be a common thread through all the things I'd make so I'd find myself making one-off dishes all the time: ie chicken parmesan, then a stir fry, weds then kind of meat etc so each was a separate plan in and of itself and was very time consuming hence, I stopped cooking altogether. My husband ate frozen pizza like it was going out of style! In fact, when I was pregnant, I tried to freeze make-ahead foods and only managed to come up with lasagna, chicken parm and enchiladas---hardly a diverse menu. So, this book helped me prepare things ahead of time and also create a common thread with the foods. For instance, roast a beef tenderloin on Sunday then turn it into Hoisiin beef and veggies for Monday (or freeze the meat to do so another time), steak sandwiches on Tuesday (or freeze) and steak tacos on Weds then Lo Mein on Thursday. It seems like common sense but honestly I couldnt think of this myself! I also didnt know all the things you could freeze and save to make other dishes with (like chopped onions!). This book is worth the price simply for her plan ahead tips. You can then go back and use similar recipes of your own if you dont like hers. The best part of this Robin Miller book is that her recipes work and taste great. They are great for now as a busy parent and I'd also use them for the future once I have more time to cook.PS I also bought Jessica Seinfeld's second book Doubly Delicious which was pretty good too, especially for people who dont like eating healthy foods like my husband.

A good book with lots of variation in ingredients but no photos for each recipe which was a bit of a let down

Ok not really used it