And then I discovered “Cooking with all things Trader Joe’s” — a fabulous cookbook written by two huge TJ fans (not at all affiliated with the store). This cookbook is perfect for those of us who love to eat healthy, nutritous, home-cooked food, but lead busy lives and have trouble finding the time to make these types of meals.

The idea behind this cookbook is combining fresh items with already-prepped items (that you can easily find at Trader Joe’s) to create easy, quick, home cooked meals (all in about 10 minutes!) ALL items in the cookbook can be purchased at TJ’s, and every recipe has a real photo (not professionally styled, the real thing!).

There are tons of recipies to choose from, including appetizers, soups, salads, and light meals, main meals, side dishes, desserts, and drinks. There is even a chapter for “bachelor quickies” which you can use when you really have no time. I tried a few different recipies — each very easy and delicious. The Soyaki Broiled Salmon was amazing and only took 6 minutes (and I never knew how to use my broiler with fish until I tried this recipe!), and the Peanutty Sesame Noodles made a yummy and healthy side dish. We tried the roasted garlic recently at a party and it was a big hit. I am excited to try even more recipies in this book!

Want to try out this book with your family? Let us know your favorite TJ item(s) (hey, I would love to hear so I can try it out!) in the comments field below and one lucky winner will get a brand new cookbook shipped directly to them. (We’ll pick a winner at random on June 12th, winner must respond within 24 hours). Can’t wait and want a copy of your own?  Use code MOMMYSTYLE to receive $10 off your cookbook purchase. And for some enjoyable reading, check out the author’s cool blog, featuring some more great recipies and interesting food-related information!

There are recipes for breakfast, packable lunches, hearty salads, microwave meals, easy suppers, dinners that are more involved, slow cooker meals, sweet treats, and snacks. While it’s easy for me to  stick with the portion size the cookbook recommends,  I serve my in-shape (and bottomless pit) husband larger portions.

Since I was getting tired of my usual breakfast of oatmeal, the Momentum Cookbook gave me several great new breakfast recipes. The Bacon Cheddar and Egg-Topped English Muffins, Spinach Feta Scramble, and Brown Rice ‘n’ Honey Pancakes were winners. I liked the salad and sandwich recipes, which were terrific because they helped me break out of the lunch rut I had also been in.

The best thing is I discovered some new family dinner classics. No more days of making my family one meal and fixing a salad for myself. The California Fish Tacos are permanently in my recipe roster – though I substitute the halibut it calls for with tilapia or flounder. The Mediterranean Turkey Burgers were a more filling (and delicious) change than the usual turkey burgers I make. The Baked Ziti with Summer Squash is delish. My very picky 3 year old even liked it (and didn’t realize that there was yellow and zucchini squash inside). I’ve made it for a couple of extended family dinners – no one realizes that it’s a healthier (and yes, a Weight Watchers) recipe.

Recipes indexes are organized by major ingredient, as well as point values.

You can find the Momentum Cookbook at Weight Watchers locations or online at Weight Watchers.com.

Pre-kids, the author was a professional chef and foodie.  Her book chronicles her life in the kitchen, cooking for a family of six, over the course of a year.  She shares over 100 yummy recipes along with everyday life family stories.

I hesitate to call it a “cookbook” because it’s not that.  It’s basically a year-long story about a Mom who happens to have a cooking background, having fun in the kitchen testing different foods and recipes on her family as she multi-tasks everyday at just being a Mom.  She shares plenty of fun antidotes along the way that any Mom can appreciate.

It’s a fun read I think everyone can relate to (whether or cook or not) with a variety of recipes like good old corn pudding to Egg Nog Pancakes and Kahlua Sauce. (yum!)

Read an excerpt and get it on Amazon for 32% off at $16.99.