Today I’m sharing some of my favorite cookbooks that I keep coming back to. Having some staple recipes that are easy to make and are delicious make meal planning so much easier.
I’m one of those people who actually doesn’t mind meal planning. I like being organized, and picking out some recipes for the week, putting together a grocery list with all the ingredients, and then going shopping is something that I don’t mind doing each week. It feels good to know that I have a week’s worth of meals in the kitchen and I don’t have to go to the grocery store again for another week.
Half the battle of meal planning is having a bunch of recipes that I know I like, are relatively easy to make, and I don’t mind eating once or twice a month. I have a couple cookbooks that I always come back to when I’m planning out my meals for the week. It’s always so much easier when I don’t have to search for recipe options, so being able to flip through a couple cookbooks and find recipes makes meal planning so much easier for me. I thought I’d share some of my favorite cookbooks so maybe help you with your meal planning too.
Here are some cooking and meal planning posts that I’ve written:
Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
I remember going to the bookstore with my mom and getting this cookbook when I moved into my first apartment in university. My first year away from home I lived in residence and had a meal plan at the cafeteria, so there wasn’t much cooking happening.
Once I had an apartment with a kitchen though, I was all about cooking at home. Of course there were nights out with friends at the bar, but making my meals at home was so much better on my budget (especially as a student) than going out to eat.
I made so many delicious recipes from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (affiliate link) the four years I lived in that apartment – everything from pasta sauce to chocolate chip cookies. My mom had the same cookbook (though an earlier edition) when she was single and living on her own, and she wanted to make sure that I had some recipes to make too. We still have her copy o the cookbook, and while there are spills and pages have been ripped, there’s still some delicious recipes in it that we still make. Standouts are the corn bread and chicken fried rice.
Martha Stewart’s Cookies
This has been my to go cookie recipe book for years now. Martha Stewart’s Cookies (affiliate link) has some delicious cookies as well as beautiful photography to go with the recipes. Every single recipe has a photo to go with it, so you know exactly what to expect when you pick a cookie recipe to make.
I’ve made a ton of recipes from this cookbook, and they’ve all been winners. There hasn’t been one that has turned out bad. Clearly a lot of work went into making this cookbook, that the recipes are delicious.
America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook
I’m pretty sure I found this cookbook at Costco a few years ago. I’m so glad I did because I’ve gotten a lot of use out of it. Like the Better Homes and Gardens one, this cookbook comes in a hardcover 3 ring binder, so you can lay it flat on the counter and you don’t have to worry about the keeping the page open.
The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook (affiliate link) has more involved recipes with ingredients that you may have to look for at the grocery store, but the recipes are all great. If you’ve ever watched their cooking show on PBS on Saturday mornings then you’ll know that the test kitchen is all about perfecting recipes. They’ll do a ton of testing with ingredients, cooking times and temperatures, and combine the best of everything to come up with a perfect recipe.
If you’re looking for quick recipes to make, this definitely isn’t the cookbook for you, but I do have to admit that everything I’ve made has been well worth the effort. Budget a bit more time to make things from this cookbook, but the extra time pays off in taste.
What’s a favorite cookbook of yours? Share it in the comments below – I’m always looking to add more good cookbooks to my collection.
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog – I appreciate it!