A Review: "Motivate Your Child" by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller

"Motivate Your Child:  A Christian Parent's Guide to Raising Kids Who Do What They Need to Do Without Being Told" by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller is a practical resource for parents to help them build internal motivation in their kids.

The book is divided into two sections:  moral development in children and spiritual development in children. The authors say it best:  "The purpose of this book is to define those two tools [faith and a good conscience] and to provide you with hands-on strategies to give each of your children an accurate and reliable GPS for his or her heart. Passing on the faith to kids and helping them each develop a clear and strong conscience are strategic for success in life" (p. xii).

This resource is packed with valuable tips and insights that are suitable to parents with kids of all ages at home. This book will definitely become a valuable resource that we will return to again and again as needed while bringing up our two boys.

(I’ve received this complimentary book through the BookLook program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)

A Review: "Supermarket Healthy" by Melissa D'Arabian

"Supermarket Healthy" is the latest cookbook from Food Network personality Melissa D'Arabian. In this book, she sets out to prove that eating healthy at home is easy, achievable, and affordable.

D'Arabian included a nice introduction as well as a list of her pantry staples.The cookbook is divided in to several main sections:  Breakfast; Snacks; Soups and Stews; Salads, Wraps, and Sandwiches; Veggie Mains; Pasta; Fish and Seafood; Chicken and Turkey;  Beef, Pork, and Lamb; Sides; and Dessert. Each section starts with a basic introduction and index of the recipes included in that particular section. Certain recipes include supermarket strategies (buying tips, ways to save, and insights about making choices while shopping), kitchen strategies (ingredient swapping, make-ahead planning, and time-saving tips), and entertaining strategies (ways to adapt the recipes to suit a larger gathering of people). Each recipe also includes a brief introduction of her thoughts on it.

As I looked through the cookbook, there were a number of recipes that I am eager to try. I appreciate that the majority of the ingredients are things that I either already have on hand or can easily purchase from my local grocery store--a nice change from some recipes that include highly specialized or difficult to find ingredients. The one downside to this cookbook is there are not enough photos of the food. I find that pictures help me to see how the recipe should look, as well as helping me to decide if I actually want to attempt to make it. I'm eager to get started with testing out some new recipes on my family in the upcoming weeks!

(I’ve received this complimentary book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)