Kylie Perrotti - The Weekly Meal Plan Cookbook: A 3-Month Kickstart Guide to Healthy Home Cooking

Copyright 2020 by Kylie Perrotti All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

Skyhorse and Skyhorse Publishing are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file. Cover design by Daniel Brount Cover photo by Kylie Perrotti Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-4607-7 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-4608-4 Printed in China This book is dedicated to my parents, Jim and Barbara Thompson, for inspiring me to cook throughout my life; my husband, Jason Perrotti, for always supporting my dreams; and my cat, Grammy, for always being with me in the kitchen while I cook. I also owe a great deal of gratitude to my best friends Chrissy Marselle and Marci Yankelov for always being listening (and collaborative) ears to my never-ending supply of ideas. Contents INTRODUCTION I am a self-taught home cook who started a cooking blog (TriedAndTrueRecipe.com) because I wanted a no-frills, no-nonsense approach to finding easy, elegant, and delicious meals to make at home.

I had a growing catalog of recipes, but what about people who wanted something even simpler? I began to imagine all the different scenarios where someone may not want to dig through even one cooking bloga busy mom or dad who has to plan seven dinners each week and shop for them, a novice cook who wants to elevate their home cooking but feels overwhelmed, or someone who likes to cook but is sick of buying a full bunch of basil only to use a few leaves for one recipe as the rest slowly wilts in their fridge. And so, The Weekly Meal Plan Cookbook was born! The goal of this book is to take the guesswork out of planning with a comprehensive grocery list, reusable and easy-to-source ingredients, and simple recipes for beginner home cooks. Each weeks grocery list is organized by store department, allowing you to buy all your ingredients for the week in one shopping trip. Many of those same ingredients or key players are used in multiple recipes throughout the week, so home chefs never have to throw away half-used basil again. PLAN 1: WEEK 1 This seven-day recipe plan includes dinner recipes for five days, all of which serve four. To conquer the grocery store in one shopping trip, the next page outlines a detailed grocery list, with items separated by store department.

You will also find storage, freezing, and thawing tips to help you plan your week. This plan focuses on bright, clean flavors paired with simple cooking techniquessuch as roasting and poachingto allow the brightness of the lemons and fresh parsley to shine through. Pay special attention to the key players throughout the week (butternut squash, flat-leaf parsley, and fresh lemons) and be sure to buy the freshest and healthiest of those ingredients that you can find, because you will use them for multiple recipes. Store produce in a bag in the crisper to keep fresh. THE MENU MONDAY Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Squash Seeds TUESDAY Poached Fish with Roasted Vegetables WEDNESDAY Spicy Turkey Sausage Orecchiette THURSDAY Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash and Mozzarella FRIDAY Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Herbed Pearl Couscous PLAN 1: WEEK 1 CONQUERING THE GROCERY STORE FOOD SAFETY GUIDELINES Buying groceries for the entire week can require some forethought, so be sure to refer to the FDAs storage and freezing guidelines for raw ingredients. All fish, chicken, and steak require twenty-four hours to thaw out in the fridge.

Raw fish, shellfish, chicken, and ground meats: Store in fridge for 12 days Steak and pork (roasts and chops): Store in fridge for 35 days Uncooked, unopened bacon: Store in fridge for 12 weeks MEAT & SEAFOOD 1 pound ground chicken 4 (4-ounce) cod fillets 1 pound ground spicy or mild turkey sausage 1 pound pork tenderloin GRAIN 16 ounces orecchiette 2 cups pearl couscous OIL Cooking oil Extra-virgin olive oil DAIRY 1 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons butter 1 (8-ounce) ball of fresh mozzarella STOCK 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock 3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock FRUITS & VEGETABLES 3 yellow onions 2 medium butternut squash 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes 2 zucchinis 3 lemons cup fresh flat-leaf parsley 5 scallions 5 ounces arugula 10 ounces baby spinach 8 ounces cremini mushrooms 1 red bell pepper PANTRY & SPICES 1 (15-ounce) can black beans 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes 1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes cup walnuts 1 cup dry green lentils Paprika Cumin Chili powder Garlic powder Cayenne powder Dark brown sugar Sugar Dry rosemary Salt Pepper Crushed red pepper TIP To speed up the thawing process, place the frozen protein in a resealable storage bag and push out the air before sealing the bag. Place the bag in a bowl and run cold water over the bag. Fill the bowl with water and use a heavy jar (such as peanut butter) to keep the bag submerged below the water. Replace the water every ten minutes with more cold water. Alternatively, allow the water to run at a very slow rate. This will take anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour.

Note: To keep bacteria from forming, the water must be at 40F. If using standing water, do not allow the water to reach room temperature.