Jonni McCoy

I've done something unusual with this rating. Normally I would rate a book on how I enjoyed it at the time of reading, but with this book I'm rating it based on how I would have appreciated it 20 years ago, if it had been available to me then. Initially when I first started reading through these recipes, I was a little ho hum, been there, done that, know it already. Then I realised that my response was based on twenty years of cooking for a family on a budget, and that twenty years ago, when show more I was green and completely clueless about cooking, I would have loved this book. Most of the recipes are fairly simple, though there's some that will stretch you a little. The recipes are accompanied by tips, that would have been most helpful to me starting out in the kitchen. As an Australian I would not necessarily like all of the dishes in the book, as we do eat a little differently, but the majority of dishes are common to both nations.
My husband bought me this as an ebook (not the ideal format for a cookbook imo), and to be honest, I haven't cooked any of the recipes yet. And given that most of the recipes are not new to me now, I probably won't use it that much. But for anyone just starting out, it looks like a very handy cookbook to own and enjoy.
I read my copy of Healthy Meals For Less on Logos books, and it looks like they rushed the ebook through. There's a few typos, and one recipe that's actually missing most of the ingredients. Oops! show less

Impressive. A lot of recipes, and tips, no frills of photos or big hardcover. Even though I already know many of these by heart, there are many more I will certainly try. McCoy understands real ppl in regular kitchens with access to ordinary grocery stores. Thank you very much, Jonni, for such a variety of healthy, enjoyable meals without a big list of ingredients or tools needed. I especially like that many of the recipes are more like 'templates' in that you can use whatever meat or tofu show more you have handy, or whatever veggies you have leftover, or whatever flavor yogurt. show less

Thus far, this book is utterly offensive. Apparently, the only reason to be frugal is because women, in hetro families of course, need to give up their jobs and stay home in order to home school their kids and raise them "right". Moments of this book made me want to throw it against the wall. I'm debating whether or not to keep reading for the frugal tips. But it all seems to be about buying in bulk and eating utter shite. Oy.

For those already living a miserly lifestyle (thrifting, comparing food prices, etc), not much to learn from reading this book. For those new to pinching pennies, this is a good catch-all. Ms. McCoy discusses many household areas to save, from the complex (comparing food prices) to the simple (lowering a thermostat). The book was a quick read with numerous references to other miserly books ranging from cooking from scratch to gardening to crafts with your children.