The Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook by Coco Morante ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

I don't usually review cookbooks, but I wanted to use my Instapot (pressure cooker) and air fryer more. If your New Year's resolution is to cook at home more, create healthy meals for your family, or do meal prepping, then this is the book for you.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

As a family of 1, this cookbook wouldn't really work well for me. I meal prep most weeks, but it is usually only 1 or 2 "meals" which I eat all week. The 10-week plan includes 4 meals each week that usually make 4 servings (some made 6 servings). That would have been 16 meals for me each week. It would be doable if I froze some of the servings, but how well the recipes do in the freezer wasn't provided.

If you haven't done a lot of meal planning and meal prepping for an entire week at a time, this cookbook is an excellent one to start with. Each week, you are provided with a shopping list so you can get everything you need. Then there are instructions for the things you can do ahead of time, so that it is pretty much just throw it all together and cook it each day. Sometimes this is just chopping the vegetables, other times it is mixing up dressings or preparing the side item completely.

There is a lot of variety in the meals, and none of them were too complicated. I haven't ever done a meal kit subscription, but in a lot of ways, this cookbook seems laid out for those who have done them. 

I tried a couple of the recipes: Tomato and Bean Soup and Savory Breakfast Muffins.

The soup recipe was from one of the weekly plans. It was really tasty, but I remembered why I don't eat white beans (they don't agree with me). I will make it again, but I will substitute chickpeas for the beans. 

The breakfast muffin recipe was from the last section of the cookbook that included quick lunch ideas, breakfasts, and snacks. The muffins were a lot like my drop biscuit recipe, and I wonder if I could just drop them on the cookie tray instead of using the muffin pan. Mine stuck horribly to the paper liners. I'm hoping to make another batch before going back to work, and I'm going to try them as drop biscuits. 

The muffins were a big hit at the department holiday party (we did a morning coffee and hot cocoa bar with treats). Since they include spinach, they looked quite festive. They would also be great for a Grinch-themed party. They were kind of like a quiche in muffin form. I think I needed a more flavorful cheese, as I didn't taste it so much. I also think a little onion powder in the mix would be good.

The cookbook assumes you have a few kitchen things (besides the pressure cooker and air fryer), which I don't have (namely, a microwave and a blender). I cook enough that I could work around that with the recipes, but it would have been nice if Morante had given some suggestions or substitutions (as well as storage info - though I know she is expecting the meal will be consumed in one sitting and not have leftovers).

When I was looking through the cookbook, I really thought it would be great for a busy family that needs a little help with the meal prepping each week. It would be simple to follow and save you time each week.

Buy The Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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