by Shelley Rael
At the beginning of the book, the author provides excellent advice about changing your lifestyle to be healthier, sleep better, reduce stress, and include gentle exercise into your daily routine. The book gives a positive picture of the whole person, instead of only focusing on diet. There are sections about portion control, calories, vitamins, and whole foods, but the book also mentions developing good habits of exercise, meditation, unplugging from technology and screens, and how to make time in your busy schedule for cooking. I really appreciated the balance in this common-sense approach.
The best thing about this book is having a meal plan and grocery shopping list already written out for you. It takes all the guess work and decision fatigue away, and leaves you free to enjoy your food!
Each recipe section is divided by the type of “pot” being used for the recipes. There are sections for using a blender, a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, a soup pot, dutch oven, casserole dish, and skillet. Each section includes breakfast recipes, lunch recipes for taking to work or school, dinner with the family recipes, and a healthy dessert.
The photos of the different foods are making my mouth water, and they are very useful for helping the reader to visualize what the completed recipe will look like.
The recipe instructions are easy to follow, and include wonderful information about the nutritional value of different foods and the way various spices or vegetables help our bodies to release toxins, reduce inflammation, provide essential vitamins, or encourage healthy gut bacteria.
The recipes look amazing, and I can’t wait to try some of them out in my own kitchen! There are several soup recipes that sound delicious; Carrot Apple Soup with Turmeric, Chunky Tortilla Soup, and Sweet Potato Kale Soup.
Some of the pasta recipes include Vegetable Lasagna, Pizza Casserole, and Lemon Chicken Orzo with Asparagus.
The Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe looks especially good too!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.