If you’re looking for a cookbook to help you reshape your relationship with food and health, look no further than Simply Real Eating: Everyday Recipes and Rituals for a Healthy Life Made Simple by Sarah Adler (Countryman Press, November 2019).

* Complimentary book received for review. This post contains affiliate links.

One of my first thoughts about Simply Real Eating is that it’s not just a recipe book. Indeed, in the introduction, Adler herself says “It isn’t just a cookbook. It’s a life book.” This is emphasized in the book’s tagline, Everyday Recipes and Rituals for a Healthy Life Made Simple. We all know what a recipe is, but it’s helpful to understand Adler’s definition of rituals as “tiny little acts, done with love daily, that add up over time and help you show up as your best self, each day.”

The introductory section of the book is full of ideas and strategies for adapting your approach to food and adopting a healthy lifestyle. Some of this is like a session with a life coach, and some of it is practical advice on things such as food choices and meal planning.

All of the recipes are naturally gluten-free and feature “real food.” The recipe chapters are organized like a day’s worth of meals: Morning Magic, Nourishing Noons, Effortless Evenings, and Sweets and Sips.

Here’s a sampling:

• Carrot, Turmeric, and Ginger Smoothie
• Cranberry Walnut Grain-Free Granola
• Life-Changing Gluten-Free Waffles
• Pesto, Quinoa, and Tomato Salad
• Roasted Cauliflower, Carrot, and Tahini Salad
• Healthy Veggie Noodle Pho
• Superfood Butter and Banana Bites
• Chilled Cucumber Gazpacho
• Crustless Chicken Sausage and Veggie Pizza
• Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto
• Sweet Potato and Turkey Chili
• Flourless Brownies
• Healthy Crispy Rice Bars

There’s even a section called “Healthy Cocktails to Cin-Cin and Cheers” that includes drink recipes such as Cucumber Mint Margarita, Maple Old-Fashioned, and Blueberry Shrub.

Adler’s presence is a big part of Simply Real Eating. She shares her thoughts and experiences throughout the book, and she’s in many of the photographs. She writes, “This book is my personal collection of the habits, foods, and recipes that have brought me back to good, over and over again, and the rituals behind them that have made a healthy lifestyle a lot more effortless, easy, and long-lasting.”

Sarah Adler is the founder of Simply Real Health, which she describes in the book as “a full-service nutrition coaching and consulting company.” For inspiration, visit Simply Real Health on Facebook.

While you’re online, also check out the publisher, Countryman Press (an imprint of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.), and browse their collection of books on cooking, travel, crafts, nature, and more. Stop by their Facebook page or blog to catch up on all the latest news.

* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!

Giveaway: One lucky winner is going to win their own copy of Simply Real Eating, thanks to Sarah Adler and Countryman Press.

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US ONLY age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on February 22nd, 2020 at 11:59 pm EST time. No purchase necessary to enter or win.

Disclaimer: A. Bailey received a complimentary product for review purposes & feature on The Classy Chics blog. No monetary compensation was received. A. Bailey’s thoughts, opinions and words are 100% her own. Your thoughts may differ. Please read the blog’s terms of service policy before entering any giveaways. The Classy Chics are NOT responsible for prize fulfillment or shipping of any items won from this blog. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, we may or may not make a small commission which helps to support this website. Thank you!!! 

Are you looking to improve your diet by eating more plant-based foods and decreasing your consumption of meat? If so, I have the perfect book for you! It’s Three Veg and Meat: More Veg, Less Meat; Flip the Balance on Your Plate by Olivia Andrews (Murdoch Books, January 2020).

* Complimentary book received for review. This post contains affiliate links.

The premise of Three Veg and Meat is simple, as Andrews explains in the introductory chapter called “Welcome to a New Way of Eating.” She writes, “This book is designed to flip the balance of our meals, pushing the meat to one side and making vegetables the star—ramping up all the nutritional benefits of eating plenty of vegetables, without compromising on flavour, taste and texture.”

Oh, if you noticed the spelling of “flavour” in that quote, let me explain that this book was published in Australia, but that won’t be a problem for us USA-based readers. Ingredient listings are helpfully provided in units of measurement to suit anyone anywhere in the world, and alternate names for ingredients that go by different names in different countries are provided. Here’s an example from the recipe for Deep-Dish Pizza: “1/2 cup (50 g) roasted capsicum (pepper) strips.” See? No conversion or translation needed.

Three Veg and Meat begins with an interesting discussion of the flexitarian diet, including its benefits and easy ways to transition to this healthful way of eating. Following that is a section with sample weekly meal plans along with tips for planning ahead to simplify weekday meal preparation. Then it’s on to the recipes!

About the recipes, Andrews says “There is something for everyone, whether you are vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, an omnivore, or prefer to eat dairy or gluten free.” Many of the recipes cleverly replace the meat with veggies, like the Corn Dogs To Be Proud Of, which use baby carrots rather than hot dogs but still promise robust flavor and a good texture. The recipes that do include meat generally use less of it, such as The Burger, which combines beef with kidney beans, finely chopped walnuts, some optional grated zucchini, and seasonings to make a flavorful, satisfying, and nutritious patty.

Here are some more recipes from Three Veg and Meat to tempt you:

• The New Sausage Roll
• Corn and Chicken Soup
• Quick ‘N’ Easy Pho
• Black Pepper Tofu and Prawns
• Buffalo Hot Things
• Chick Chick Cacciatore
• Amen for My Ramen
• Sweet Corn Doughnuts
• Mushroom Stock

Each recipe is accompanied by “Top Tips” with suggestions and ideas for streamlining the recipe or for swapping out ingredients to make it suit different dietary needs. Many also include a “Divide and Conquer” segment describing how to make the recipe for both meat-eaters and vegetarians or vegans. A helpful “Make Ahead” feature is included where applicable, too.

* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!

Giveaway: One lucky winner will win a copy of Three Veg and Meat, thanks to the publisher, Murdoch Books  (an imprint of the Quarto Group).

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US ONLY age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on February 1st, 2020 at 11:59 pm EST time. No purchase necessary to enter or win.

Disclaimer: A. Bailey received a complimentary product for review purposes & feature on The Classy Chics blog. No monetary compensation was received. A. Bailey’s thoughts, opinions and words are 100% her own. Your thoughts may differ. Please read the blog’s terms of service policy before entering any giveaways. The Classy Chics are NOT responsible for prize fulfillment or shipping of any items won from this blog. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, we may or may not make a small commission which helps to support this website. Thank you!!!