Mealtime Magic: Delicious Dinners in Half the Time

by Amy Houts

• Save $500/year • Spend fewer hours in the kitchen • Please picky eaters • A tried-and-true method Use the recipes and strategies in this unique cookbook to help you save time and money. Over 200 pages of recipes with clear, detailed directions will help your cooking earn rave reviews even from picky eaters. Award-winning cookbook author Amy Houts shares her time-tested, proven method of intentional planning to provide delicious, home-cooked meals and spend fewer hours in the kitchen. Amy's method, where one dinner becomes the basis of two additional meals, works. Each meal is completely different, so different that no one will guess they are eating leftovers. And with little food waste, you save money, too. Multicultural recipes in "Mealtime Magic" represent the melting pot of the USA. You will find typical American fare such as, Chicken 'n Dumplings, Beef Pot Pie, and Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. Italian dishes include Easy Lasagna, Betty's Spaghetti, and Meatball Heroes. Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas, Nine-Mile High Tostadas, and Stacked Enchiladas con Huevos will please Mexican food fans. "Mealtime Magic" wouldn't be complete without the delicious flavors of Asian Pepper Steak, Pork Fried Rice, and Hot & Sour Soup, plus much, much more. Recipes use ingredients from in your pantry or local grocery store. A semi-concealed spiral binding allows for easy recognition on the bookshelf and easy reading while cooking.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food

208 pages, Spiral-bound

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Amy is the author of 100+ books for children. She writes for both faith-based and general market publishers. Amy’s faith-based books include bath books, Noah's Ark and The Creation, God's Earth is Something to Fight For (Sunbeam/Bushel & Peck Books), Christian Q&A Book for Kids (Rockridge Press), and God’s Protection Covers Me (Beaming Books). Amy’s educational books include 60 retold tales for the series, Compass Children’s Classics, 2020. Her 10 nonfiction science early readers for Highlights were also released in 2020.

Amy won first place in the Best Children's Picture Book, category from The Missouri Writers' Guild. Sponsored by The Missouri Association of School Librarians in 2024. She won two awards in 2020 for her picture book, God's Protection Covers Me, the Christian Market Children’s Book of the Year, second place, and the Angel Book Award, second place. Her books, activities, and poetry have won the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children’s Product Award, Missouri Writers’ Guild Walter William Major Work Award, Creative Child Magazine “Seal of Excellence” Award, and more. As a longtime member of the Missouri Writers Guild (MWG) and the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI), Amy enjoys its online community and regional conferences.

Observing young children when Amy taught preschool at Head Start and as a graduate assistant in the Early Childhood Department of Northwest Missouri State University helps her to write authentically. For seven years, Amy taught the course, “Writing for Children & Teenagers,” through the Institute of Children’s Literature.

Amy and her husband, Steve, live in rural Northwest Missouri, an hour from Steve’s family farm. Amy and Steve are the parents of two grown daughters and three grandchildren.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a genius approach to planning meals, especially for bust people who don't have the time, or maybe the interest and cooking experience to think of nutritious and appealing dinners every day. The recipes are easy and varied and the idea of planning in 3-day blocks is so practical. I'm hanging on to some recipes for myself, but then I'll pass this gem of a cookbook along to our wonderful homeless shelter, where families are given an apartment to live in for a year, while they save enough money to afford to get a place for themselves. In the meantime, they receive training in all kinds of skills necessary to be a successful tenant, including shopping and cooking wisely.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have in every kitchen! The recipes are easy, healthy, and use simple ingredients. I love how Mealtime Magic has creative recipes using leftovers...and the recipes don't require much effort.

All of the recipes are tempting and inviting. Whether you enjoy cooking or not, this is a cookbook for all. You won't be disappointed.

I received Mealtime Magic for free from Goodreads First Reads.