Once the baby is born, moms keep offering the healthiest nourishment they can to their babies. But then when baby starts eating solid foods, a curve ball is thrown into the kitchen. How do you prepare meals for babies, tots, kids and a hungry husband too? Is it possible to make everyone at the dinner table happy without spending your entire day in the kitchen?



Thankfully there are many awesome cookbooks available that make the job of preparing and cooking food for your family a little easier.

Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair is one such cookbook. It's not strictly a vegetarian nor vegan cookbook and assumes that you are an omnivore. It does not advocate any kind of exclusive eating regime. It's just what it says – a whole foods cookbook. You won't find any recommendations for fake foods or boxed stuff with mystery ingredients that are hard to pronounce. (Although, you might find yourself shopping for a few items that are only available at your local health food store). The recipes are simple and easy to prepare, tasty and appeal to everyone in the family.

What makes this cookbook unique is that each recipe has a recommendation for feeding a baby who has recently begun solid foods. Many moms want to make their own baby food so as to give their infant the freshest, highest quality food they can, but don't want to spend all their time in the kitchen. That's hardly feasible when you have a young baby on the hip anyway! Nor is it even necessary. All you have to do is remove a little of the food before adding salt or other ingredients that baby may not be eating yet. Simple! The book also guides a new mom through the process of offering solids - from knowing when baby is ready to transition from breastmilk only to lowering risk of food allergies.

The first section of the book provides an overview of what whole foods eating actually means, has suggestions for alternative ingredients (such as healthier fats and sweeteners) that you can substitute for the less healthy ingredients you may be using currently. It also has many tips for pregnant and nursing moms who may have questions about their diet. It gives instructions on how to prepare whole grains and legumes, including some that may be unknown to someone new to whole foods eating but that may quickly become staples to you.

The individual recipes are uncomplicated and typically quick to prepare, making it a great choice for today's busy mom.

This cookbook would be an excellent choice as a gift for a friend who is transitioning to a healthier diet or on any mom's shelf who has already made a commitment to feeding her family well with a minimum of fuss.