This encyclopedic cookbook is the comprehensive guide for parents who believe that preparing and enjoying good, healthy food should be an important part of family life. Speaking to all the needs of families with children of all ages, Kathy Gunst and the editors of the award-winning Parenting magazine offer more than 325 recipes for every meal of the day as well as for special occasions. The heart of the book for busy working families is the Monday-through-Friday chapters of quick breakfasts, quick lunches, and quick dinners (with nearly seventy-five recipes), followed by chapters on leisurely weekend breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Other chapters cover desserts, snacks, drinks, microwaving, and cooking basics. But there is much more here than a collection of outstanding recipes from a working mother of two young children. Gunst offers special ideas and strategies on how to have the pleasure and avoid the pitfalls of eating out with the kids; what to do about your picky eater; entertaining, or how to throw a dinner party without losing your mind; cooking with kids; the importance of family meals; and new ways to shop for groceries. She also gives dozens of tips, menus, and theme ideas for birthday parties, holidays, and other special occasions.