Meal Planning Monday

I'm teaming up with fellow blogger, Kristin from Busy Bee for Meal Planning Monday. In an effort to expand our dinner options, get more use out of my cook books, and organize a grocery list (so I don't have to run out the the store in the middle of cooking); I am going to start planning out my meals for the week every Sunday. Well I'm going to give it a go at least, starting with this week and we'll see how it goes.

So here's the dinner menu for this week:

Monday: Panko Chicken w/ Lemon & Mashed Potatoes
I actually found this recipe in Glamour magazine. It's really easy and delicious too. You dregde the cutlets through egg, then coat with Panko breadcrumbs, fry, sprinkle with salt, squeeze some lemon juice over the cutlets and viola!
Tuesday: Skinny Pasta Al Burro with Broiled Chicken (from the cookbook, Skinny Italian)
You can find the recipe here.
Wednesday: Chili
I mix ground beef, McCormick Chili Seasoning, garbanzo beans, red kidney beans, onion, garlic, salt, and a little pepper and simmer it on the stove for about 45 minutes.
Thursday: left over Chili
Friday: takeout- Pizza Night!
Saturday: Gabriella's Chicken Parmigiana (from the cookbook, Fabulicious!)
Sunday: Butterfly Basil Chicken (also from Fabulicious!)

I have so many recipes bookmarked in my Skinny Italian and Fabulicious! cookbooks because of the obvious- they look and sound delicious but also because they are practical. Some of the cookbooks that I have require so many steps that it's impossible to find the time to make them during the week. Another complaint that I have about most cook books is that their recipes require strange ingredients that I have never heard of and certainly have no idea where to find them in the grocery store either! Can you relate to this too?

Are there any other great cookbooks out there with practical recipes? Let me know because I'm always looking for new recipes so we don't get stuck in a rut of eating the same old thing every week. Unlike my husband, I can't "freestyle" a recipe, I have to follow a recipe by the book, line for line. I'm can't make stuff up off the top of my head like he can; well I can but does it taste good? No.