Does the thought of organizing a week of meals send you into a nervous sweat? Do you start Monday off with the best cooking intentions, only to resort to takeout by Wednesday night? Then meet A New Way to Dinner by Food52 founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs—an indispensable playbook for stress-free weekly meal-planning.

Filled to the brim with dependable, delicious recipes—hi, chicken salad with fennel and smoked almonds; hello there, meatballs with tomato and zucchini—this playbook will get you from the weekend to a week of dinners, packed lunches you’ll (gasp!) look forward to eating, and even dessert.

How? There are 16 seasonal meal plans, each detailed with a:

• Grocery list
• Weekend cooking plan
• Meal combinations (and how to assemble quickly the night of)
• Base recipes
• Ideas for riffing
• Storing, freezing, and reheating tips
• Words of encouragement
• Pretty pictures

In the words of Amanda and Merrill: Let's conquer dinner together!

Don't your coaches look fun? Well, not only are Amanda and Merrill fun and friendly, but they're also going to get your meal routine in gear. They're the best in the biz because this is how they actually cook for their families: Via various paths, they both began preparing several recipes each weekend and then weaving together a full week of menus—all with an eye toward variety and efficiency. They’d talk to each other about what they were cooking and trade tips and recipes (and bites of lunch). Soon, they realized this, this was the book they should write—the one that'd change people's lives.

"It’s a self-help book masquerading as a cookbook."

—Peter Meehan, Lucky Peach

“A gift for the time-harried, food-particular cook: a shopping and cooking plan for meals that can be prepared in advance to carry you deliciously through the week. It’s not only the recipes that are inspiring, but also the organizing rambunctiousness and confidence-embuing enthusiasm of the authors. Rich in ideas and hand-holding pointers, this is a book that makes itself immediately indispensable.”

—Nigella Lawson

“Amanda and Merrill make an intimidating challenge (orchestrating five meals, plus brown-bag lunches, for a week) seem not only doable but also somehow even serene. I’m so inspired by this book—it’s a treasure trove of Amanda and Merrill’s genius.”

—Joanna Goddard, founder of A Cup of Jo

To share your spoils (virtually), grab your copy and post what you're making with the hashtag #anewwaytodinner.

You're going to need a few storage containers for all that food that's going to carry you through the week. Here are some of Amanda and Merrill's essentials.