You all know by now that cooking isn’t my favorite activity. It’s hard enough for me to cook when I don’t have a grocery budget. When I’m trying to cut my budget, it’s even harder.
A few months ago I picked up the book Cheap. Fast. Good!
I was pleasantly surprised by the content of this book. First and foremost, it’s a cookbook with frugal recipes. The recipes are separated by category, and there are recipes for everything, including soups, pastas, meat entrees, breakfast, and batch cooking recipes.
At the beginning of each recipe, the number of servings and preparation time is clearly stated. That comes in handy when you want to find a quick recipe to make after soccer practice. Some of the recipes are also labeled “super-cheap”, so if your budget is really limited, you can easily flip through the book looking for the most frugal recipes.
I’ve tried several recipes at this point, and though none of them are what I’d consider gourmet recipes, they weren’t bad. I don’t think I’d want to cook from this book every night of the week, but I could easily eat 4-5 meals a week from this cookbook.
Where this book really stands out is in the author commentary. More than just a collection of recipes, this cookbook offers short articles on “Healthy Eating on a Budget”, “Buying a Freezer”, “Keeping Tabs on Your Grocery Inventory”, and much, much more. The authors also write commentary about their personal experiences with many of the recipes.
At a retail price of $13.95, I think Cheap. Fast. Good!
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Sweet! I put it on my library book list!!
I bought it at Tuesday Morning for $9.99 and it is really a bargin if just for the hints in pink. I have made a few of the receipts and my fave is a topping for fish made with tomatoes and olives.
I don’t think I’ve tried that fish recipe yet. I’ll definitely put it on my list of things to try!
Do you read http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/ ?
Its a really nice blog on cheap health and good food that you might like.
Plonkee, I’ve never heard of that blog. Thanks for letting me know about it!
I’ve been using this book for several months now… and I too would give it high reviews. The recipes are easy… AND the tips are fun and helpful! :)
I checked the link out for this book and what a find! This book is definately on my wish list .
Thanks! :)
I checked this out from the library and found a few helpful receipes! Definately worth a look!