Cookbooks that are worth the read!

I got two cookbooks for Christmas because they were on my Amazon wish list.  Gotta love making a list throughout the year and getting fun surprises during the holidays.  I got one of these books out of the library and wrote down a list of recipes that I would try from it.  I got to try two or three before I had to return the book so I decided that I should get that cookbook and the other one by the same author, Erin Chase (better known at $5 dinners)

The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare by Erin Chase (Paperback) was a great read.   The first few chapters were about some budget saving ideas like couponing, meal planning, sale stockup shopping.  The great part is it gives you immediate steps to start saving money and then recipes that she uses to save money right after that.  She even states that you can start with one step and add another so that you feel most comfortable.  I am already doing most of the hints in the book but it would be a great starting guide on different ways to save money.

Next, I went through and made a list of all the recipes that I thought that I would make from the cookbook with our picky eaters.  There were a ton of great recipes starting with baked ziti and going to homemade salad dressing.  I think that they are great weeknight meal ideas that you can pull together and get on the table before everyone isn't starving.  I think that it would be a great book for people who don't think that they can cook because it takes away any guess work.  It gave me some good ideas on different ideas to try.  Erin focuses on making a balanced meal with protein, starch, and vegtable dishes which is a little confusing and different from other cookbooks.  This is hard because different veggies are cheapest at different times during the year so my meal plan would be based on what I already have on hand or what is cheapest.

I also got The $5 Dinner Mom Breakfast and Lunch Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare by Erin Chase.  This was a really good mix of recipes that were for meals that are always hard for me to get creative for- breakfast and lunch.  This is the one that I took out of the library so I already made lemon coconut bread, quick carmel popcorn and baked oatmeal.  I actually wasn't a huge fan of any of the recipes that I made from this book but they were all good enough and quick and easy.  I have a feeling that if I try ones that are really meals, that they will be good.  I am looking forward to spagetti sauce pita and baked potato soup.

I hope that you all check out these at least from your local library.  The beginning of the one book is the quickest start to saving money that I have seen with lots of helpful hints.  If anyone wants to borrow my copy, just let me know :)