LUCINDA SCALA Quinn knows how to handle a hungry man. She has four of them at home, three sons and a husband, with formidable appetites all.

Her men, and men like them, inspired her to write "Mad Hungry, Feeding Men & Boys" (Artisan, $29.95), a lively and down-to-earth tome that delivers a heaping plateful of recipes, strategies and survival techniques geared to making tasty, nutritious family meals that don't cost a bundle. Or as Quinn puts it "Civilizing the wild beasts in your life, one meal at a time."

"I've taken some flack for separating the sexes in the title," said Quinn, who works full-time as the senior vice president of food and entertainment for Martha Stewart Living. "Of course, the book is for everybody. But come on guys, men and women are different, and we eat differently. Women will eat a really average salad because it's a salad. We're supposed to eat it. A guy is just not going to do that. It can be 95 degrees outside and my husband wants beef stew or [roast] pork shoulder - and all I want is a piece of steamed fish."

Surrounded by brothers and male cousins growing up, and now the lone woman in her household, Quinn has observed the phenomenon she calls "mad hungry."

"Once you have more than one hungry male, you have an urgent situation," she said. "And if you aren't prepared for that, it just isn't fun. You don't want to face that every day."

Quinn's aim isn't to serve her men but to raise boys into men who understand food and know how to cook it. She's already achieved that in her own family - "my boys like to cook" - and she wants to spread the word.

"There's a lot of noise out there that just adds to everyday stress," said Quinn, who will sign books at Chester County Book & Music Co., in West Chester on Nov. 10. "I promote more of a system, a strategy to cooking that anybody can do.

"For me, I shop every Sunday morning at 8 a.m. I get home, unpack, clean my lettuce, maybe start a soup or lasagna, and by 10:30 or 11, I'm pretty well set up. I have a schedule of meals for the week, and I enlist everybody's help in getting it done."

That might mean marinating meat or chicken the night before, or cutting and prepping vegetables in the morning so that all you have to do is put everything in the oven later. "From that point, you have a 30-minute meal," she said.

The self-described "queen of budget," Quinn was reared in a frugal household and runs her own the same way. "If I don't plan, we could end up ordering Chinese for four starving guys, and that $100 is half my grocery budget."

She's big on braises, like the steak pizzaola recipe that turns pedestrian chuck steak into a divine comfort meal.

Bacon is another way to stretch flavor and always please her men. "Think about meat as an accessory to some of your meals, not the main course. I made an early decision to introduce my guys to beans and legumes. They resisted at first, but now they love them."

Shopping at ethnic food markets is another way to stretch her budget.

"It's really not hard to cook delicious meals at home that don't cost a fortune. And you don't need fancy equipment. A few basic tools and you're ready to go."

Quinn knows what you're thinking: Sure, you work for Martha Stewart; you're a foodie. It all comes easy to you!

While the foodie part is true, that doesn't cut it for Quinn when it comes to keeping a schedule.

"I have a really intense job that requires me to work long hours. At 6:30 in the morning, the dog is barking, I'm rushing, and when I hear, 'What's for breakfast?', I'm in the same position as anyone else. I'm not doing anything gourmet, I'm just trying to survive."

Breakfast can be a real problem in most households, especially on school days. Quinn is a firm believer in planning ahead. "Don't become a short-order cook. It's hard enough to pull off one meal a day, let alone two or three."

She advises figuring out the night before what you're going to serve. And make it mandatory to eat before leaving the house. "Make only one breakfast, and make enough of it. Don't give them money for junk food that costs more and isn't nutritious."

What to feed the kids in the morning?

Homemade granola, oatmeal, smoothies, hard-boiled eggs, a microwave-"fried" egg over leftover rice. Or how about leftover soup or stew, or sliced turkey on pita bread?

"I think somehow we as parents forget who's in charge," she said. "We ask them if they want breakfast, or dinner, then we make a different meal for each kid. That just isn't right, or fair. I know this takes dedication, but it's absolutely doable, as long as you don't bite off more than you can chew."

Lucinda Scala Quinn will speak and sign copies of, "Mad Hungry," at 5 p.m. Nov. 10 at Chester County Book & Music Company, 975 Paoli Pike (at Route 202), West Chester, 610-696-1661, www.ccbmc.com.