review & giveaway! dinner revolution!

if you know anything about me, you know i love to cook.  i live for it.  it's my greatest source of relaxation & frustration!  i also tend not to cook a lot of the same things over & over- i always want to try something new.  i do have favorites, but i love being adventurous- always trying something new!  i was so thrilled when i got the opportunity to review & share with you a fabulous new cookbook- dinner revolution.

cooking has become less of a joy & more of a frustration since having ian.  it's hard to cook when you're chasing a baby.  whether it's stopping him from breaking dishes or going through all our cabinets, or having him pull at my leg screaming for me to feed him what i'm attempting to cook- when i can't even get it in the pan!  i tend to go for the complicated when i need to go for the simple.

chef jeff's dinner revolution is full of family friendly recipes (over 200!), with 10 ingredients (or less) and they take 30 minutes or less to prepare (really)!  i wanted to prepare a couple recipes before i shared this with you- and i can't wait to prepare more....  oh, and the simplicity of these dishes means less dishes (to wash).  boy is dave happy about that!

in our house, monday & thursday are pizza/corndogs/easy food night.  i have to work, and don't have time to cook.  i was actually able to make a dinner revolution meal- sit down & eat with my family- and get out the door to work- so much better than the same old frozen pizza.  added bonus- ian ate these meals with us!  we're in the picky toddler stage now- so anything i can get him to eat is points in my book!!

what i made: palak paneer & apricot chicken!  palak paneer:  i've dabbled in indian cooking once or twice before, but i've never made palak paneer.  i've had it as a frozen meal though, so i wasn't expecting much.  well, it was really good- and this was one that really shocked me when ian ate it- dave enjoyed it as well.  plus, it made so much that we had leftovers.  apricot chicken:  sweet chili sauce is a favorite in our house, so i was immediately drawn to this recipe- plus, i seriously couldn't believe that i would be finished making chicken in 20 minutes.  add in a simple side- and i had dinner ready when dave was walking in the door from work!

 (palak paneer with whole wheat naan)

next up in our kitchen:  buffalo chicken & bleu cheese meatloaf, and from there, i can't decide, there are so many delicious options, and if you know me, i'm going to try them all!!

so i know you want a copy of this too!  well, one of you all of you are winners!!!  chef jeff has been gracious enough to allow me to share this cookbook with all of my readers!!  all you have to do is click here for your free copy of dinner revolution!  there's something for everyone in your family in this book and i know you will all find recipes that you love!  i hope that you guys will enjoy it as much as i have!  now get in the kitchen!