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I’m someone who really enjoys eating out. I love trying new restaurants. And I’ve realized that’s where all my money goes. Not shopping (yes, those $120 jeans make by butt look great, but imagine what type of fabulous meal and wine I could buy for that price). In the new year, I needed to get a handle on this expensive eating habit.
Enter the cookbook A New Way to Dinner by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs (the founders of Food52.com). It had come across my desk a few months ago, and it was full of delectable photos. The book maps out 16 different weeks of meals. It has shopping lists and tips that tell you exactly how to prep each menu the weekend beforehand.
I knew what I had to do. And it didn’t seem daunting because Amanda and Merrill had already done the heavy lifting. I didn’t have to make any decisions or do any planning; I just had to follow directions.
“Initially, we were shying away from getting into the nitty gritty of planning and executing a week of cooking,” Amanda said. “But as we wrote the book, we realized that this detail is exactly what people want and need.”
How right she was. I followed one of Merrill’s winter weeks of dinners to a “t,” and here’s what I learned.
So yes, I found a way to save money (and promise I won’t be shelling it out on a pair of new jeans instead). I also found a way to save time. Sure, it seemed like a lot of work when I did it once. But if I kept working off an organized fridge, rolled over those foods that stretched my menu, and tossed those round storage containers, the plan would work like a well-oiled machine. Week 2 of meal prep, here I come. Though this time I’m getting my groceries delivered.
This article originally appeared on RealSimple.com
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