The Dinner Plan

Steel Russell started The 99% Cooking Club after walking out of the grocery store with a single bag of food that cost $150. He focuses on tips for making easy, cheap meals taste complex and flavorful, and shares recipes for family dinners that stretch your grocery budget. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, we talk through the best budget-friendly ingredients to buy right now, and how to think about meal planning when you're trying to save money.

We’re all in this together, Steel reminds us. "I wanted to be able to show people how to make good food for cheap, but I also wanted to find a way to give people a place that they can come to and not feel isolated," he says. "I think we need to be reminded that, you know, my neighbor is going through the same thing I'm going through right now. On the other side of my house, they're going through the same thing I’m going through right now, but we don’t talk about it."

Steel gets into the backstory that inspires this work. Trigger warning: addiction.

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Check out this week’s sponsors:

Find Ajinomoto at your local grocery store, and stocked in bulk at your nearest Costco.
Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.
MaraBela: Find Marabela Alcohol-Free Sparkling Tea at MaraBelaTea.com
Straus Family Creamery: Find Straus organic ice cream at Whole Foods nationwide or at strausfamilycreamery.com.

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When you ask cookbook author Alex MacLaren how to save money on groceries, her answer is simple: don't go to the store for as long as possible. The author of We Use What We Have is known for making family dinners on a budget, thanks to smart substitutions and a lot of flexibility. Sometimes, you just gotta let things run out. In this episode, Alex explains why she doesn't think about meal plans until after she's already shopped, how she gets her kids to eat leftovers even when they claim to hate leftovers, and how she stretches a small amount of meat into a full meal. If back-to-school dinners are feeling overwhelming for you right now, you'll want to listen for Alex's easy dinner ideas and practical advice for cooking for kids.

Get Alex MacLaren's recipe for honey garlic slow-cooker ribs on our newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com ➡️

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Discounts for you from this week's sponsors:

Dirty Labs: Use code THEDINNERPLAN to get 15% off your first order at DirtyLabs.com.
Michele's Granola: Use code DINNERPLAN15 for 15% off your order at MichelesGranola.com
Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.
Find CookShelf on iOS and Android, and use the code DINNERPLAN for 25% off your first year.
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Pierce Abernathy is my go-to source for summer vegetable inspiration, and he's exactly the recipe developer I turn to when I want to make the most of summer corn and tomatoes in every dinner I cook before the season ends. But Pierce's new cookbook, Every Leaf, Every Stem, goes beyond the pretty produce that gets all the attention and aims to help you fall in love with celeriac and rutabaga, mushrooms and squash. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, we talk about the best way to cook corn, Pierce's dream low-stress end of summer dinner party menu, and the way he'd meal plan for a week of eating more vegetables every day.

Get Pierce's recipe for the ultimate tomato toast with corn compound butter on The Dinner Plan's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com.
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Thanks to this week's sponsors:
Find CookShelf on iOS and Android, and use the code DINNERPLAN for 25% off your first year.
Dirty Labs: Use code THEDINNERPLAN to get 15% off your first order at DirtyLabs.com.
Massican Wines: Use code DINNERPLAN for 10% off at Massican.com. Must be 21+
Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caroline Chambers knows how to make easy dinners easier, and the mother of four needs quick weeknight recipes now more than ever. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Caroline shares a bit of her behind-the-scenes chaos and her strategy for meal prep that won’t leave you bored. She says everything that’s going on has made her an even better recipe developer, because her mindset is "if you’re putting any effort into it, it better freaking be good! Or else just get pizza!" Caroline's new book, What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking: Make It Fast, is full of quick dinner ideas that you can fit into busy back-to-school season. Get a preview recipe over at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com.
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Thanks to this week's sponsors:

Straus Family Creamery: Find Straus organic ice cream at Whole Foods nationwide or at strausfamilycreamery.com.
Row 7: Get 10% off Row 7’s chef-prepared tinned vegetables using code DINNERPLAN10 at Row7Seeds.com
Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.
Massican Wines: Use code DINNERPLAN for 10% off at Massican.com. Must be 21+
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Level Chef contestant Omi Hopper has published a new cookbook full of essential Puerto Rican recipes—the ones that feel like a welcome home to the folks who follow her on Instagram and TikTok. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, she shares her story. She was working as a makeup artist when her husband was laid off; she worried about how they'd pay for groceries. Find out how she ended up cooking on TV and writing her own cookbook, Cooking con Omi, plus learn what she cooks for parties and how she stays creative in the kitchen. For Omi's recipe for stewed beans, head to our newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com.
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Thanks to this week's sponsors:
Une Femme Wines: Use code DINNERPLAN for 20% off at UneFemmeWines.com. Must be 21+
Straus Family Creamery: Find Straus organic ice cream at Whole Foods nationwide or at strausfamilycreamery.com.
Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.
Check out Food Friends on Substack, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.