Cookbook Review: The Fresh 20 Cookbook by Melissa Lanz

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from the Fresh 20, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it

Last month I shared with you about the great website, The Fresh 20, and their getFresh campaign, and I'm thrilled to be able to share their new cookbook with you as well!

The Fresh 20 is a meal planning service, created for busy families and singles who want to eat fresh, healthy meals, and save time and money. Their meal plans rely on simple, healthy, homemade lunches and dinners using just 20 fresh, seasonal ingredients per week, that YOU purchase, base don their meal plans list. No more grocery lists with 80 items that will eventually go to waste, and most subscribers advise that it only takes them 20 minutes to shop for the items! The Fresh 20 mixes and matches a small list of ingredients to create 5 balanced meals that play off each other. With detailed guides to meal prep, original recipes everyone will enjoyand motivation to help you stay the course on busy weeknights. They even offer Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Kosher, Meals for One and Lunch, in addition to the Classic Meal Plan.

This cookbook is based on those meal plans!

The book is broken down into 6 sections. The preview section includes notes from Melissa, how to use the Fresh 20 plan, Pantry Essentials, 20 Kitchen Tools you need, and Melissa's journey to making the program. Then the 4 season are each represented with 4 weeks of recipes in each section. Each section tells you what is in season, and your best buys, The Final section includes resources, acknowledgments and final notes.  Scrumptious Fall recipes include Mimi's Chicken and Dumplings, Mushroom Soup, Chicken Fricassee, Braised Beef Skillet Lasagna, Shrimp Gumbo, and even Meatloaf!

Here's Melissa's Take on an old favorite, macaroni and cheese, spiced up with sausage!

Newlywed Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
12 ounces whole wheat macaroni (substitute if can't have whole wheat)
1 lbs Italian turkey sausage, removed from casings, if needed
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 cp whole wheat flour (substitute if can't have whole wheat)
3 cups 2% milk
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sweet Hungarian Paprika
3 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt then add the pasta and cook til al dente. Drain the pasta, do NOT rinse. Meanwhile complete steps 2-4.

2. Brown the sausages in a 5 qt dutch oven, or other heavy pot, over medium heat, until lightly browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

3. Add the butter, onion and garlic, to the saucepan and saute until the onions are softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes, or until the raw flour smell is gone.

4. Pour in the milk, stirring, and bring to a simmer. Season with remaining 1/2 tsp salt, pepper and paprika. Stir in the cheeses until melted.  Cover the pot and set aside, until the pasta is done.

5. Combine the pasta with the cheese sauce in the dutch oven. Fold in the sausage and serve immediately with side salad of romaine and carrots, topped with dressing.

See easy peasy and yummy!

This would be a great book for newlyweds, a coed off to their own apartment, or the recent college grad! It would also be a great housewarming present stacked in a basket with some of the 

About the Author:

Melissa Lanz is a former internet marketing executive who quit her day job to promote good eating habits in the midst of a national health crisis.  As founder of The Fresh 20, Melissa strives to bring fresh food back to the household table and reduce the amount of processed ingredients being used. During the fall of 2009, Melissa dedicated her efforts to creating this tool for busy families and singles stuck in a takeout rut. To further her goal to be a part of The Food Revolution, she has authored and recently released The Fresh 20 Cookbook (Harper Collins 2013) and also promotes education in nutrition and healthy cooking through speaking, locally in Southern California and throughout the country.