Meal Prep Magic: Time-Saving Tricks for Stress-Free Cooking, A Weelicious Cookbook by Catherine McCord

Meal Prep Magic: Time-Saving Tricks for Stress-Free Cooking, A Weelicious Cookbook Reviews

• 
  Kaceey

  If I’m not curled up somewhere reading, you’re likely to find me in the kitchen, (amateur gourmet!) cooking or baking up a storm!🏼‍🍳
  
  So in order to give myself more time dedicated to reading I’ve become interested in trying meal prepping.
  A real win-win proposition!
  
  This book is dedicated to the tricks of the trade!
  
  Pros:
  🔺Every recipe is accompanied by mouthwatering pics.
  🔺recipes are written in detail and easy to follow.
  🔺lots of vegetarian options
  🔺 At the bottom of each recipe is instructions on To Enjoy Later and/or Prep in Advance
  
  Small con:
  🔻The organization of recipes are by fridge / freezer / pantry rather than breakfast / meats / fish / veggies. Just took a while to get used to, and find a particular recipe.
  
  Cooking results:
  🔸Mushroom, spinach and pinto bean enchiladas. Absolutely delicious! Followed directions exactly as written (except made my own enchilada sauce from scratch) and the result came out looking like the photo and the taste was amazing. Didn’t miss the meat based proteins whatsoever!
  
  Next up:
  🔸California black bean burgers
  🔸salad jars to take to work for lunch
  
  If you’re looking for a guide to help organize your weekly meal planning…put on your oven mitts and grab this book!
  
  Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways
• 
  Rhiannon Johnson

  I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
  
  
  
  
  Some people may know former model, actress, and television hostess Catherine McCord from her Weelicious website and socials, but I know her from my favorite cooking show Guys Grocery Games. She always has great insights for stretching a dollar, using pantry items, and how to sneak in extra vegetables. You can just tell that she's a mom who is constantly cooking for kids.
  
  In Meal Prep Magic she shares how she successfully makes healthy and delicious meals while "saving time, money, and your sanity" through organization and meal prep. In addition to tips on organization, McCord shares 100 recipes complete with full-page color photos to help you get started with your meal prep routines. If you are overwhelmed with the idea of meal-prepping, this book would be a great place for advice and inspiration.
  
  
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• 
  Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews

  I love to cook, and discovering new authors, recipes, techniques, and other helpful hints really goes a long way to improving my skills.
  
  This book is good for a beginner cook since it starts with organizing your kitchen, purging what you don't need (perhaps those old spices from lord knows when), to what staples you need to keep on hand.
  
  The recipes included are a wide variety and range from simple to a little more complex. The dishes also range from breakfast items to dinner, with dessert thrown in as well. I think that almost anyone could master these dishes with a little practice and utilizing the tips she shares.
  
  I have to admit that one tip, clean as you go, is a wise one. This way, there isn't a sink full of dishes at the end of the evening.
  
  One recipe I would like to try soon is the Cheesy Brown Rice Cakes. There are a few ingredients and looks to be one of the simpler recipes in the book.
• 
  Lu Anne

  If you are a foodie who just needs some guidance in organizing your kitchen this could be the book for you provided that you remember that the author runs a food based business from her home and has several refrigerators and lots of pantry space that are in the photos in the book. The principals are sound but the examples will have to be scaled down for the average kitchen.
  
  Ms. McCord trained as a professional chef and her recipes assume you actually like cooking, or at least you would if your kitchen were not in chaos. The recipes are great for incorporating more veggies (and less meat) into your meals. They are designed for families who still have children at home.
  
  For those of us whose children are grown, who genuinely hate cooking and would be perfectly content to live on PB & J sandwiches to avoid it, the book was an interesting look at another point of view.
• 
  Jamie

  I received a copy of this cookbook via Goodreads giveaways and want to thank the publisher and Goodreads for the opportunity to receive, read and review. I have followed Catherine on social media for years and have adored watching her family grow and thrive; I particularly loved her smoothie series. I really enjoyed the introduction of this meal prep cookbook and how the author provided a strategy and plan to reset and organize your kitchen to set you up for meal prep success. I have tabbed several recipe ideas for future meal prep and cannot wait to see if they help my busy family when it comes to chaotic meal times.
• 
  Lauren Zahn

  I've always been intrigued by the idea of a flexible or no plan meal plan, but my brain doesn't work in a way that allows me to go to the grocery store, get what looks good, and be able to use those ingredients throughout the week. While I'm still far from walking into the store without a list, Meal Prep Magic is helping me get closer to that with recipes that can be built upon each other depending on what I have the time for or what my family wants to eat without tons of food waste. I also love how many vegetarian recipes are included in this book.
• 
  JennaMarie

  I loved this book! It's not just a cookbook and not just a book about organization and meal prep, but combined both in one! I loved all the tips shared by the author for organizing a kitchen and foods kept on hand. I also loved the recipes. So many delicious and healthy recipes and even my kids love them and were pointing some out asking me to make them.
• 
  Kristy Smith

  GoodRead giveaway winner, this is a good book for someone who wants to meal prep, eat health and save time, plus the recipes look so good
• 
  Sarah K

  Pretty pictures, very little useful info
• 
  Laura

  Lots of great information on setting up your pantry, and the mechanics of meal prepping....but unfortunately, not many of the recipes appealed to me.
  
  
• 
  Jenna

  Some good vegetarian suggestions
• 
  Sandy Fortier

  I like the organization of the book and the idea of the recipes but many of the recipes didn’t turn out well for me. The monster cookies are delicious though.
• 
  Valerie

  I downloaded this book from my local library and read it in Hoopla while on vacation. It was a quick read with a lot of practical information on meal planning, food storage, kitchen organization, etc. I think a beginning cook would benefit immensely from this book. Lots of recipes included which have straightforward ingredients and instructions.
  
  Lots of pretty pictures too, but to be honest I don't have the time to arrange my pantry, refrigerator and freezer by color and put everything in matching containers! She also advocates keeping things in glass containers in the frig, which I think is a great suggestion but I can foresee what would happen if I did this in my house. "Clean up on Aisle 3!!" She also plans all of her meals a month at a time. Then every Sunday she cleans out the frig, grocery shops, preps all the ingredients, makes chicken stock, roasts vegetables, steams rice, and cooks chicken breasts. I'm exhausted just thinking about doing all that on one day!
  
  Lots of great suggestions, but not all of them will work for everyone. I'm sure that we can all glean some helpful hints from this book.
  
  Read more of my reviews at
  https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.