Intentional Meal Planning: Recipes

This series on meal planning has been so much fun that I'm sad to see it come to a close! I hope you all have found help for your own meals and some great ideas. Please share them with me! I'd love to know what you've learned and tried.

Before we end, we have one last topic to cover: recipes. Many of you asked me how I find recipes, how I create variety in our meals, and how to plan dinner from the pantry. I'll break down all of that and share a few of my favorite recipe books and recipes with you.

Finding Recipes

It can be so hard to find new recipes when you're in a rut. Many people recommend Pinterest, but I've had more than a few Pinterest fails in my time, so I shy away from trying recipes there regularly. Here's a few of my favorite options:

Check out recipe books from the library.

Most libraries have a large selection of cookbooks and it can be fun to browse through them if you have time. I'll often grab 2 or 3 that look interesting and take them home to browse more. I typically only try one or two recipes in a cookbook, but usually they turn out quite well!

Ask friends for recommendations.

Most of your friends likely have a few go-to recipes that are different than yours. Ask around and see what they are eating. Ask them if they have a favorite cookbook or a favorite food blog. If a good friend is enjoying the book or blog chances are you might too. Also, ask for their favorite Pinterest recipes (the ones they've successfully cooked!) and you'll find those hidden gems!

Ask family members.

There are generations of women who have been cooking far longer than you who would love to share their ideas. I regularly use my mother-in-law's chicken soup recipe that she passed on to me a few years ago. When I got married, I was given a cookbook full of recipes from friends and family that I still use! Even if you aren't getting married, ask for recipes as gifts for a birthday or holiday.

Try celebrity recipe books.

It seems like everyone has a recipe book these days! Find a celebrity chef you like and try their cookbook. I personally really like Joanna Gaines and Paula Deen.

Try copycat recipes. 

Have you ever eaten an amazing meal at a restaurant and wished you could eat it every day? Google "copycat recipe" plus the meal you love and you'd be surprised what you find! Not every recipe is exactly the same, but you can find something pretty darn close to what you love. There's even an entire recipe book devoted to this.

Recipe Books

Now for a few of my own favorites! I don't own very many recipe books, but the ones I do have I use over and over again.

The I Heart Naptime Cookbook by Jamielyn Nye

This is hands-down my favorite cookbook. It's written by moms for moms and the recipes are delicious. I reguarly use her crockpot chicken tacos recipe, taquitos, baked ziti, and many more.

Magnolia Table by Joanna Gaines

This is my newest addition. I absolutely love her creamy chicken and rice soup.

DIY Recipe Album

This is my golden ticket. Right here. I began copying down recipes I regularly use back in high school, and I've kept up with it. My binder is from Hallmark, but you can use any old binder or try one from Amazon.

I mentioned that I was given recipes when I got married- I tried out a number of them and my favorites went into my recipe binder. My favorite blog or Pinterest recipes make their way in here. Bottom line- if I use it regularly it goes in. I find I prefer a handwritten recipe to a digital file, and I look forward to passing this along to my kids someday!

Pantry Recipes

Pantry recipes are my catch-all term for anything you throw together for dinner from your fridge, freezer, pantry without having to run to the store. Here's my quick list:

• - Pasta with a jar of tomato sauce
• - Crockpot chicken: place frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot with a bottle of oil-based salad dressing all day, then combine chicken and sauce with cooked pasta
• - Salad kit from the grocery store with any leftover meat I have on hand
• - Stir-fried veggies and meat in a bottle of Asian sauce plus rice
• - Honey Mustard Chicken

What is one of your favorite recipes? Tell me in the comments!