Somewhere on the wish-list of most moms I know is the idea of getting their family to eat a healthier diet. For me, it is one of those things that occasionally becomes really important, and I actually do something about it, but typically it is a back-burner issue. “It would be nice if … “ just never becomes important enough for me to go through all of the effort. I don’t think I’m alone in that.

Years ago, Sue Gregg was trying to get her family to eat better, and she tried some of the same things I have done, with not-so-great results as well. Eventually she hit upon the idea that eating is one of those things where familiarity is a good thing. People may love going out and trying new things, but on a regular basis, the comfort foods of our lives are the old standbys. Instead of trying to overhaul her family’s dinners, Sue took what they already were eating and making gradual changes.

I love that approach, on so many levels. First off, I don’t have to completely change everything I’m doing immediately. Second off, there is no expectation that I’ll go through my kitchen and throw away hundreds of dollars’ worth of white flour or other “bad” things. If I am gradually making a switch to whole grains, I can start by going 50/50, which means I am still using some of the white flour. Third, everyone can get used to small changes.

So what do you get when you purchase the Digital Edition? You receive a CD-ROM with seven cookbooks plus recipe demonstrations for three of those cookbooks. If I were purchasing this, I would go for the Digital plus Baking with Whole Grains Notebook option, which gives you materials to easily create a one semester home economics course for your high school student.

Included in the set are:

• Whole Foods Cooking, which also includes demos. This is more of a how-to book than a recipe book, with plenty of teaching on nutrition, how to add more whole foods into your diet, putting together a menu, keeping costs down, etc.
• Whole Grain Baking, which also includes demos. This is an introductory book for making bread (both quick and yeast breads) using whole grains, and Sue’s two-stage process. Roughly 2/3 of the book is focused on teaching, with teaching about the various grains being the bulk of that. The remainder is recipes. My favorites are the quick breads, specifically the Blender Cornbread, Pumpkin Bread, and Zucchini Bread.
• This book is exactly what it sounds like. A cookbook that covers breakfasts, including cereals, eggs, fruits, shakes, muffins, and waffles, pancakes and French toast. There are also some special occasion ideas. I followed her suggestions for something as simple as scrambled eggs, and my children (even the one who “hates” scrambled eggs) were all happy with the results.
• Lunches & Snacks, which also includes Lessons with Children and demonstrations. There are sixteen lessons included, intended to be used with children up to age 12. Lessons include nutritional information, tips or techniques, and of course, preparing a recipe.
• Soups & Muffins. This includes all kinds of soup recipes, with most using real ingredients like carrots, potatoes, broccoli, etc. Some canned goods are used, and Rosie’s Hot Chicken Chowder uses only canned ingredients and makes a fantastic last minute meal. There are also muffin and bread recipes.
• Meals in Minutes. I love this idea. Right now, freezer space is something we do not have, and much of this book focuses on making meals in advance and then having them ready in the freezer. One beautiful aspect of this book compared to other freezer-cooking titles I’ve seen is that you are assembling only five recipes at a time, and not trying to prepare 60 meals in one weekend. This five recipe approach doesn’t have to take a lot of time.
• Dinners on the Table. This one is a fairly traditional cookbook, covering your usual categories, including beans & grains, beef & lamb, fish, ground meat, chicken & turkey, vegetarian dishes, salads, vegetables, and breads, sauces & spreads.

There is a wealth of information in this set, and Sue Gregg makes me think that I really can move my family towards healthier eating patterns. I particularly love that I have resources to use in teaching this to my children, and that I have the ability to stretch myself as well. One step at a time.

-Product review by Debra Brinkman, Crew Administrator, The Schoolhouse Review Crew, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, August, 2016