Book Review: Family Feasts for $75 a Week

I checked this book, Family Feasts for $75 a Week, out of the library.  I found a number of recipes that I adapt to the way I like to cook.  For starters if you are cooking almost 100% organic like I do, you will go over $75 a week, but her techniques, tips, suggestions, and resources can still help you lower your organic grocery bill.  Much of it I already knew, but I did a learn a few new things, like the fact that you can freeze cooked beans to have on hand.  Since I don't use canned beans, this was helpful information to learn.

This is a great book that has a lot of resources on how to save money in the kitchen whether you cook organic or not.  She has an AWESOME recipe for a make-your-own taco seasoning mix that we tried.  We have also really liked the recipes for Chili Corn Pone Pie and the Thai Lettuce Wraps.  I really like that she has some "ethnic" recipes in there that provide some variation in flavor to our dinner table menu.  I still have many more recipes I would like to try as you can see from the flags on my book.  Too bad it is a library book, I might just have to buy it!

Here is a photo of the taco seasoning mix we used on our ground beef / ground turkey mix for tacos last night.  The only change I made was I put a little less Cayenne pepper in so it wasn't too spicy for the kids.  The mix makes a lot, so you have it on hand.  You would only use 1/4 cup per pound of meat.  I don't want to post the recipe here because I don't want to infringe on her copyright, but you can either buy the book or search Google for other Make Your Own Taco Seasoning Blends to find your own version.



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Fish is Fish - Book Review

Now that my son is in preschool we have started the book order routine. I love reading to them and go to the library frequently but I really find it hard to not order 100 books every time it comes home. I obviously don't as we still have another kid who will be bringing these things home for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, yesterday an order came home and we've been reading Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni over and over again. I really like his books, but I find the illustrations in this book especially creative/thought provoking because when a frog comes back to tell the fish what he saw in the world the illustrations show that the fish's concept of these "creatures" is limited by his own experiences. I think this book is a good reminder for us "grown-ups" to remember that we may have had certain experiences in life, but these experiences shouldn't define all of our future perceptions.