5 great family dinners from 5 favorite cookbook authors

I'm not really sure how it is that we are heading into the last week in April, but here we are! It seems like every week I am trying to rekindle my passion for cooking, and one way to do that is to revisit or seek out a few new recipes from cookbooks from some of my favorite cooks and chefs. Not all of the recipes below are directly from the cookbooks featured, but if you find a recipe online that you love, it's always worth a quick search to see if that chef has a cookbook! It's a tough industry, and any love you can send your favorite cook is so appreciated. Grab your pen, paper, or open up that AnyList app or your favorite meal planning app, and let’s make our meal plan for next week. Top Image: Healthy Hamburger Soup from The Real Food Dieticians and Coconut Chicken Fingers with Bang Bang Sauce from Half Baked Harvest All books can be ordered from our affiliate Amazon, or please support your local indie bookseller and pick up your own copy! I often turn to The Real Food Dieticians for meal inspiration and one of my favorite crock pot recipes is this one for Healthy Hamburger Soup. I love how fresh and healthy it is, and I especially love that I can throw everything in early in the morning and enjoy a well rounded bowl of soup after all of the crazy day activities. As with most of the recipes on their site, there are instructions for how to make this soup in the Instant Pot as well. They recently published their first cookbook: The Real Food Table and it is full of over 100 healthy and delicious meals for every night of the week. You will be super happy to have this book on your shelf.

Related: Easy and Delicious 5 Ingredient Soups

Photo: Stacie Billis  of Didn't I Just Feed You, via Instagram

Did you know that you can totally serve a dip for dinner? This is just one of the AHA tips I have learned from former CME editor turned food podcaster, Stacie Billis. This recipe for Chicken Chili Queso Dip is a fun twist for Taco Tuesday. Serve with a bright green salad and a giant bowl of guac and it's a party in the middle of the week! Stacie's cookbook Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner: 50 Winning Ways to Cook It Up! is one of my weekly go-to resources for dinner ideas, so grab it if you've got chicken-loving kids and want to change up your own meal plan a bit.

Related: 7 fantastic nacho recipes that you don't have to save for game day 

A good turkey burger can be elusive, however this recipe for Grilled Turkey Burgers by Jenn Segal at Once Upon A Chef is hands down the best turkey burger I have ever made. It's only five ingredients and was a family favorite last week -- so much so, that my kids have asked for me to make it again next week. And that's always how I evaluate the success of new recipes I try. I've had Jenn's cookbook, Once Upon A Chef, The Cookbook: 100 Tested, Perfected, and Family-Approved Recipes on my shelf for a few years, and this recipe inspired me to pull it out and bookmark even more of Jenn's easy, healthy family-friendly recipes. Michelle Tam at Nom Nom Paleo has been creating the very best Instant Pot recipes (and many many other types of recipes) for years now, and I have been following her for all of those years. They are not only incredibly flavorful, but easy to prep and make, but they are keto-friendly, Whole30-compatible, and many recipes are plant-based. Her recipe for Instant Pot Spicy Pineapple Pork has been a family favorite around here for years and if you like it a little less spicy just cut the peppers. Michelle now has three cookbooks you can add to your collection, and I just got her most recent: Nom Nom Paleo: Let's Go! (Volume 3) and it's every bit as wonderful as Volume 1 and Volume 2 that are already house on my cookbook shelf.

Related: 7 easy sheet pan dinners for one dish meals with fast, easy clean up

It's no secret I am a huge fan of Tieghan Gerard of Half Baked Harvest. Her Half Baked Harvest Every Day cookbook is lovingly dog eared and stained right next to my stove. This week, this recipe for Coconut Chicken Fingers with Bang Bang Sauce popped up in my Instagram Feed this weekend and I immediately bookmarked it to make later this week. I can't wait.

I put these weekly meals plans together based on recipes I am actually cooking for my family, and with you in mind.  If you have suggestions, tips or recommendations for recipes or other food bloggers I should check out please comment here, or shoot me a message in our Recipe Rescue group on Facebook.  – Lisa

Follow our Weekly Meal Plan Ideas for Families board on Pinterest @CoolMomEats for even more ideas!