"A mini-session consists of choosing one main ingredient, such as chicken, and then preparing a group of chicken recipes in a single afternoon or evening. A mini-session usually involves only an hour or two of cooking rather than the eight to ten hours often required for a complete month of cooking." ~Deborah Taylor Hough

Deborah Taylor Hough has a talent for not only saving money (she saved $24,000) in five years, she knows how to cook once a week and then enjoy meals every night with her family. In this book she shares her secrets and tips and has divided the book into Mini-Sessions which include a shopping list, preparation instructions and recipes. So, for the Vegetarian Mini-Session you could make Vegetable Fried Rice, Ricotta & Broccoli Pie, Cheese and Vegetable Quesadillas and Three Cheese Lasagna. There are plenty of recipes for Tofu, Beans and Eggplant. The rest of the book is made up of pasta, tuna, crab, pork, beef, turkey and chicken. There seems to be something for everyone in this cookbook.

By using the ideas in this book, you can find ways to save money. Like if you find a sale on chicken, you can save money on the Chicken Mini-Session meals. Some of the recipes in this book include:

Marinated Lime Chicken
Mushroom Chicken Couscous
Sloppy Turkey Joes
Braised Beef
Pork Rice Skillet Bake
Crab Strata
Cool Lime Burritos
Eggplant Bake

While the chapters are designed for making more than one recipe at a time, each recipe can also be used to just make one meal to serve six people.

~The Rebecca Review

I picked up a copy of this book at the library because I wanted to see if I could save time and money by making meals in bulk. Being a vegan, I eat a lot of stirfrys, beans, lentils, soups and stews and I thought it would be easy to substitute some ingredients for the non-vegan ones. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The book suggested that you can make the recipes vegetarian by using TVP or tofu but it just doesn't work. So if you're not a vegetarian/vegan this book would be perfect for you.

I had no trouble with this transaction. The book arrived in new condition ahead of scheduled arrival time. Thanks.

If you are already familiar with the idea of cooking for a day, and eating for a week or month, then you will likely be disappointed with this bland and boring cookbook. The best recipes in it are uninspired versions of spaghetti sauce, chili, and casseroles. These are all concoctions that you probably already have recipes for, and could just double and freeze. This cookbook also needs serious editing. The author repeats recipes in several sections, and often has inaccurate measurements for her ingredients. Save yourself some money and buy a traditional cookbook instead.

I loved this book too. I learned alot of ways to save money grocery shopping and on food. Unfortunately some of the recipes are not ones that would be useful to me.