I make a point to do a meal plan every Saturday, and then I grocery shop every Sunday. It took me a while but I finally have my go-to resources for recipes. I feel that we eat pretty healthy, and when I keep an arsenal of tried and true recipes on hand, it’s a lot easier to stay on track!


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1. Practical Paleo

It’s more than a cookbook – it also talks about the reasoning behind paleo, what is allowed on a paleo diet, meal plans and tips on using healthy ingredients such as which oils or sweeteners are the best. Although we don’t eat strictly paleo, I get a lot of great recipes and ideas from it. We try to eat a produce-based diet more than anything, so using a paleo cookbook is a surefire way to get some great vegetable-based meal ideas.

2. Against All Grain

This is another book that is similar to paleo, but more of a gluten-green/grain-free diet than a strictly paleo diet. Her banana bread is superb, and the lamb meatballs with salad are incredible – ground turkey is a much more frugal replacement while still maintaining a great taste. I limit my grain intake in general (except for healthier grains like oatmeal, quinoa – which is a seed, millet and so forth) so cookbooks that steer away from that help me not make so many substitutions.

3. The Sprouted Kitchen

This is not a paleo cookbook; the subtitle reads, “a tastier take on whole foods.” Which is exactly what it is, and that is what defines my food philosophy more than anything – eating real foods. I have so many favorites from this cookbook!

4. Super Natural Every Day

This is another cookbook that focuses more on whole foods rather than a specified diet plan. The baked oatmeal in this book is one of my favorite breakfasts that will last half the week, as well as the quinoa patties, which make an excellent main course if you’re looking for a vegetarian dinner.

5. The Gluten-Free Almond-Flour Cookbook

This book also goes along with the author’s website, Elana’s Pantry. She is my go-to for any gluten-free/healthy baked goods. I have yet to try a recipe of hers that is not deliriously delicious. The only caution I have against this book is that her recipes call for agave as sweetener, which is highly processed. So if you also like to avoid processed sweeteners, I suggest an alternative such as raw honey, pure maple syrup or coconut sugar.

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The great thing about all these cookbooks that I’ve noticed is that substitutions are very easy. I prefer to use coconut oil for all my cooking and baking, so if a recipe calls for any other oil, I usually substitute. The same with sweeteners if I’m baking a baked goods item, I usually only keep about two kinds of sweeteners on hand. I’ve had a lot of fun learning and trying new things with these resources – and there are still so many things I have yet to try.

What are your favorite cookbooks?