My Most Well-Loved Cookbooks

I did a post a while back about some of my favorite cookbooks. There are a few that have stayed the same, and a few that I use less often. So I’m doing a bit of an updated post. Below are some of my most used cookbooks and a few that I’m hoping to dig into more.

1. 100 Days of Real Food, Fast and Fabulous. Lisa Leake has some great recipes that are so easy to make. Like some other health-conscious cookbooks, Lisa doesn’t send you off on a rabbit trail trying to find a crazy ingredient at a specialty food store. A lot of my lunches for the week come from this book. Lisa also has a few other cookbooks – her 100 Days of Real Food, On a Budget looks like it would be a good purchase as well! Follow Lisa Leake on IG @100daysofrealfood
   
   
2. Magnolia Table. This book screams comfort food. I love the simplicity of Joanna’s recipes. Some of my favorites from this book are the egg salad and the meatloaf. Both 10 out of 10! In the dessert department, I love the lemon bars and her chocolate chips cookies are a close runner up. One downside is that the book doesn’t lay flat to stay open – you’ll need a cookbook stand for this one. Follow Magnolia on IG @magnolia
   
   
3. Laura Lea Balanced Cookbook 1 and Cookbook 2. If you follow me in any capacity, you know that I make ALOT of Laura Lea’s recipes. Laura Lea’s books have opened me up to the world of balanced, healthy recipes that are also SO DELICIOUS! I think she is a true master of flavor combos. I’ve noticed in both of her cookbooks that she has a “theme” of about 5 to 6 ingredients that run throughout the book, and, within the recipes, she suggests where to use an ingredient in another recipe, should you have any left over. I also appreciate that she includes how long leftovers will keep in the refrigerator and/or freezer and how to properly store.
   
   Laura Lea recently launched a Meal Plan subscription-based community, which aims toward batch cooking on a budget, as well as cooking education via monthly zoom/facebook live chats. In the meal plans she gives you exact ingredients, so there is nothing leftover, and step-by-step ingredients, so you can do all of our cooking in one day, and relax the rest of the week! Follow Laura Lea on IG @lauraleabalanced

Runner-Ups and New-to-Me
These few are newer to me and I haven’t really dug into them completely, but I’m excited go through them more.

1. Earthy Andy’s Plant Over Processed – This is a plant-based cookbook, so it may not be appealing to the masses. But, her smoothies are a work of art! I’ve tried a few, and they are super yummy and fulfilling. Mostly, I love her chill, tropical vibe. She lives in Hawaii, and just following her on Instagram makes me want to go back! Follow Earthy Andy on IG @earthyandy
   
   
2. Half Baked Harvest – Super Simple by Tieghan Gerard – I started following Tieghan at Half Baked Harvest a few months ago. I don’t know how I’ve missed her because she currently has 2.7M followers on Instagram…what! Her account first caught my eye because of her beautiful food photography, and awesome kitchen/work-space. Then, I got into her recipes and recently purchased one of her cookbooks. My first recipe out of her book was the Chicken Pot Pie, which I made for Valentines Day. It was a hit! I’m also eyeing her homemade snickers bars…yum. Follow Half Baked Harvest on IG @halfbakedharvest
   
   
3. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nasrat – If I’m being honest, I’ve had this book a while, but have not taken a deep dive into it yet. I need to. I think it’s a great resource for the fundamentals of cooking. I’ve heard her ButterMilk Roast Chicken is out of this world. If you haven’t caught her Netflix Series, you should – it’s a fun one to watch. Also, her quarantine podcast, Home Cooking, with Hrishikesh Hirway, was a joy to listen to during some hard months.
   
   
4. Food Babe Kitchen by Vani Hari – I’ve got this one on order, and should be arriving to my house today. I’ve listened to a few podcasts featuring Vani, including this one, and also have recently started following her on Instagram. She is a true advocate for getting “junk” out of our grocery stores. It’s interesting to read some of her posts. The ones that strike me the most are the comparison of ingredients in the same brand/product between the U.S. and the U.K. Let’s just say the U.K. uses alot less “junk” than the U.S.
   
   I have to say that you cannot get too caught up in ingredients and harmful additives, or you will drive yourself crazy. Nothing is perfect. But, it’s really eye opening to see how much of our processed food is just complete crap, AND with a little effort can be easily replaced using at-home wholesome ingredients. I talk a bit about this in this post. Follow Vani on IG @thefoodbabe

That’s it for now! Do you have a favorite cookbook? Let me know if the comment box!