“Part memoir, part how-to, … [these] war stories and chatty tone will likely resonate with many mothers.” – The Washington Post

With so many definitions and opinions on what constitutes “healthy,” from organic to vegan to free-range, how are we supposed to keep track of it all?  Let alone find the time to make quality meals.   Betsy Block’s The Dinner Diaries  follows a mother’s odyssey of figuring out how to get her picky family to eat healthy while still pleasing a crowd who’d rather just eat Halloween candy. And you get to read about it all for the budget-friendly price of $1.99 as one of our Lucky 7 e-books for September.

“I’d always thought food was pretty straightforward: you’re hungry, you eat; you’re not, you don’t. Then I became a mother.” So begins Block’s humorous, life-changing book on the ultimate of all makeovers: improving the family meal. But how is her plan even possible when eleven-year old Zack’s favorite food is Halloween candy; little Maya is so picky that she’ll only eat cut squares of white bread; and her husband’s idea of a gift is an electric fryer?

Determined not to give up the good-food fight, Betsy comes up with a creative ten-step makeover plan. She consults experts, visits farms, and shows how she and her family manage the pitfalls, struggles, and triumphs of eating well when busy schedules, surreptitious lunch trades, snack machines, permissive grandparents, and willful temptations intervene. With helpful charts, food lists, recipes, tips, and suggested culinary and farm programs for kids, The Dinner Diaries chronicles one family’s intrepid ten-month challenge to change the way they eat—one forkful at a time.

You can buy The Dinner Diaries at AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, GOOGLE, APPLE, and POWELL’S.

“Beset by conflicting expert advice, Block manages to carve out a narrow path between what her family should eat and what they actually will eat. Each chapter takes a semi-comic look at serious issues like child-targeted advertising, fish farming, school lunches, picky eaters and sourcing local produce… Her keen sense of humor doesn’t hurt either.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)