Why bust the budget on pricey take-out during the week, when you can whip up fast, healthy meals at home? Make-A-Mix is perfect for working parents, two-career couples, and over-committed retirees.

Make-A-Mix is really two cookbooks in one. The cookbook begins with 67 make-ahead shortcut mixes for everything from all-purpose cake mix to meatball mix. These can be made on a weekend—or whenever there's free time—and used to speed food preparation on busy days.

The mixes are a key ingredient in one or more of the 306 recipes that follow. The kitchen-tested recipes run the gamut from breakfast dishes to after-dinner treats. They include hearty dinner entrees, like enchilada casserole, onion pot roast, and shrimp & vegetable stir-fry; international fare like green chili burritos and quick chow mein; soups and other appetizers, like New England clam chowder, and even freezer treats like fruit slush.

With the Make-A-Mix method, home cooks can control the amount of sugar, salt, and preservatives in a recipe, and save money on store-bought mixes. This cookbook is the updated and expanded version of Make-A-Mix that sold over a million copies.