Good Cheap Eats: Everyday Dinners and Fantastic Feasts for $10 or Less

This book is an amazing tool for "regular" moms like me, who want to feed their families minimally processed foods without a plethora of additives...but who also aren't health food extremists. I pre-ordered this expecting a quality cookbook filled with useful recipes...but it delivers so much more than anticipated!! Further down in my review, you can find a list of some of the recipes I'll be trying out first.Every recipe has colored coded labels to denote when these special categories apply:-Dairy-Free; -Gluten-Free; -Meatless; -Slow Cooker; -Make Ahead; -Freezer FriendlyThe recipes that fall into either the "Make Ahead" or "Freezer Friendly" categories include a tiny extra section with the specific instructions for what's required to use these options. Also included is the recommended maximum length of time to store in the refrigerator and/or freezer.Most of the recipes in this cookbook include 5-15 ingredients & consist of a few core ingredients - meats, fruits, and/or veggies - plus a handful of simple ingredients to add the flavor - spices, vinegars, cheeses, etc. Although this is a budget-friendly cookbook, I haven't found any recipes in it (so far) calling for cans of condensed soup or bottles of prepared salad dressing...Thank Goodness! Very few ingredients appear to involve extensive prep time, which is an obstacle I often hit using other cookbooks that focus on from-scratch recipes. I am disappointed that nutritional information is not included in this cookbook, since I have to be carbohydrate conscious due to a diabetes-related situation.The following from-scratch recipes are just some that I'll be trying out. (The # in parentheses shows how many ingredients are listed in that recipe):-Baked Apple Porcupines (7)-Fire-Roasted Mushroom Marinara (8)-Jalapeño Cheese Dip with Homemade Tortilla Chips (11)-Honey Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough (8)-Ale-Braised Pork Roast (13)-Easy Homemade Hummus (8)-Chocolate-Cinnamon Meringues (7)-Fruit and Cream Tart (7)-Broiled Bruschetta (7)-Scalloped Potatoes (5)-From-Scratch Refried Black Beans (6)-Smoky Corn Salsa (7)-Easy-Peasy Popovers (6)-Garlic-Parmesan Texas Toast (6)-Spready Cheese (13)-Homemade Sourdough Hamburger Buns (12)-Homemade Corn Tortillas (3)-Oven Hash Browns (6)-Malted Hot Cocoa Mix (9)-Homemade Mayonnaise (6)The product description on Amazon would have turned me off, if I had bothered to read it first. Many of the highlighted recipe titles sound a little too far outside the norm for my crew, who generally thrives on basic, down home, southern & Chesapeake Bay coastal food. I usually bypass all recipe titles containing the words: orange, asian, mint, or honey-ginger. But this little gem of a cookbook is chock full of a LOT more than that!"Good Cheap Eats" hits the mark as a SIMPLE REAL-FOOD cooking reference that is both cost AND health aware. It's an excellent resource for preparing homemade replacements for many foods commonly bought already prepared in boxes or bags at the grocery store. There's no doubt that you could look elsewhere to easily find similar versions of the more basic recipes. What adds value here is that they're assembled together in one book, then further used as building blocks in a wholesome, complete, and budget-friendly meal.As a mom of 3 young girls, I've followed the author's blogs on Good Cheap Eats & Life As Mom a while now. I consistently find the content she posts on both blogs to be relevant. She shares the kind of down-to-earth advice & invaluable guidance that can ONLY be gleaned from the veteran moms who are kind enough to pass along their wisdom to the rest of us. This book is yet another example of it!FYI- I did NOT receive a free copy of this (or anything else) in return for giving my opinion - I actually bought it. You are getting an honest review here & not one written by a pro reviewer.

I have had this book since 2014 and am a big fan of Jessica Fisher and her website/blog Good Cheap Eats. The recipes are straightforward and use pantry staples. The focus of meal prep is on saving money and Jessica has created a great system that is described on her website on how to do that. The cookbook follows along with her philosophy. The book is laid out in a menu style which helps to decide on what dishes might work well together. there are over 100 meal tips throughout the book. Jessica speaks from practical experience of raising and home-schooling 6 kids and getting out of debt. She knows what she is talking about. I love to read through the book from time to time to refresh my perspective and get me motivated to be more efficient in the kitchen. Some of my favorite go-to recipes are: Honey Whole Wheat Bread, Easy Homemade Hummus, Beef Potpie and Jalapeno Cheese Dip.

My life has gotten much more hectic in the past few months. Although I like to cook and entertain, I honestly don't have much time to plan for it. I love how this book is set-up with recipes grouped together as ready-to-go menus. I just choose something that sounds good and then make my shopping list. I also find the chapters helpful in narrowing down what I want to make for a particular occasion. I haven't been disappointed yet-- and neither have my guests.Although I usually don't like to serve a recipe to a guest until I've tried it first, I've used so many of Jessica's recipes -- both from her books and her blogs -- that I feel confident in doing it. From this cookbook, some of my favorites include:* Poblano Chile Enchiladas - I'll fight for these leftovers* Grilled Pineapple Chicken with Pineapple Sauce & Vegetable Skewers* Potato-Corn Chowder with Cloverleaf Garlic Rolls - I have to make a double batch of the rolls because my family loves it so much.* Fired-Up Chili Bean Soup with Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread - this recipe is so easy to make and tastes great.For me, this book has been worth every penny. I look forward to using it more in the coming months.

This is a fantastic family cookbook. I love that she includes a main dish, 1-2 sides and occasionally a dessert with each menu. It makes it so easy to put together a well thought out meal with little effort. Most everything we've tried has been easy to prepare, mostly kid friendly and makes good leftovers for lunch the next day. There have been a few "dud" recipes I won't make again, but that's pretty much the case with any cookbook. I love this cookbook, but other than the fact that she avoids expensive cuts of meat, I don't know that I would say it's extremely economical. I live in a high cost of living area, but I am pretty sure that a lot of these meals are more than $10, but I'm OK with that.

I first heard about this book from a Pintrest recipe that was posted and I made (can't remember what it was though:-( ). That was so good, I decided to look into buying the book. I ordered it from Amazon think it's one of the best cookbooks I have purchased in a long time. The recipes are simple yet yield incredibly delicious results and author Jessica gives menu ideas which I really appreciate. Both of my children (ages 9 & 12) have made meals from this cookbook, with just the minimum of help from me, the recipes are that easy! This would be the perfect cookbook to give to a college student, a bride, a novice or an experienced cook. Just incredible! Some of the recipes we've tried so far: rice bowls, creamy spicy gravy, grilled chicken legs, garlic mashed potatoes, confetti rice, no-egg meatballs, and some more main dishes that I can't think of off the top of my head. Every single recipe has been stellar! This would be a great "backbone" cookbook for any cook's library.

So far have tried 5 recipes on this and all a hit. The book keeps its promise - good and very economical dishes. Great for a growing family on a budget. And for starter cooks like myself.