Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare

The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare
The 5 Dinner Mom Cookbook 200 Recipes for Quick Delicious and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare
Author: Erin Chase
The Market's bargain prices are even better for Paperbackswap club members!
Retail Price: $15.99
Buy New (Paperback): $12.79 (save 20%) or
Become a PBS member and pay $8.89+1 PBS book credit Help icon(save 44%)
ISBN-13: 9780312607333
ISBN-10: 0312607334
Publication Date: 12/22/2009
Pages: 304
Rating:
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 24

3.2 stars, based on 24 ratings
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

5 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

Minehava avatar reviewed The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare on + 829 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 26
Though the book hints it is possible to make a HEALTHY dinner for 4 people under $5. It is a myth.

I have shared this book with friends and this is what we found:
Though you can get cheap diners (that is true) a $5 budget is not gone happen!
For example: a black angus beef roast will cost more then $5/meal, especially if you have....
A: a husband, son or G..d help you husband AND 2 sons blessed with healthy appetite.
B: if you choose antibiotic/hormone free food (please do not read this as 'health nuts' that we are not)
C: if you are into healthy or low-to-no-meat foods
D: Loads of bacon is not what I would choose to include in HEALTHY (Nourishing) FOODS column.

The second problem was the dishes (read tastes) that do not fit many a tastebud:
A: If you are like me you will not appreciate meat/fruit combinations (80% book)
B: meat, meat MEAT!!! (not vegetarian friendly)
C: Not a low cholesterol/ gout/ diabetes/ food allergies friendly recipes (also not Atkins/weight-watchers friendly)

Meat pricing notes: (though this is not directly related to the book, a shopping list containing 80% cheap - discount priced - meats needs certain things to be noted):
A: That the cheap ground meat which you get at lowest 'rock bottom' prices almost certainly contains pink slime. (Think ground throw away cuts of 'meat' such as skin, bones, fat - no actual meat present -... all processed beyond recognition, and sterilized with delicious safe chemical mixture of ammonia.) This pink slime does not need to be noted on the label as long as it is less then ??? not sure here 30% ???
B: That the lowest priced cuts of 'solid' meats are far from 'choice cuts' and would most certainly lack tenderness or taste. That is why the recipes include tons of bacon, fruit and other flavoring agents.

Conclusion:
It is not funny, my friend told me, when your men start playing 'guess the meat... and no it is not a chicken' 'round the dinner table, or ask for a carving knife to cut their oversized steak bought as the lowest priced meat in an effort to fit the $5 budget dinner.

So it depends on your individual tastes, health, finances and other aspects wether any of you will find the book helpful, and to what extent. I'm sure some of you will but for my friends and me, it did not work.
Good Luck!
DanielleFM avatar reviewed The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare on + 177 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
So many great recipes that we have added to our family recipe box. All normal ingredients most of which I already had on my house!
superscrounger avatar reviewed The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare on + 18 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
It's a winner!
Great recipes and shopping strategies. My mom borrowed it to copy some recipes and my sister liked it so much she purchased a copy herself.
lynnn1112 avatar reviewed The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare on + 51 more book reviews
some pretty good ideas!
reviewed The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare on
I am willing to pay double credits for this book since it is so thick.