Simply Real Eating Simply Real Eating Simply Real Eating Simply Real Eating Simply Real Eating
Life all around us just seems to keep getting crazier, busier, and more unbalanced. Sometimes, no matter what you do trying to balance one area of life can tip another part out of whack. It’s definitely a balancing act, constantly in motion and needing adjustment and consideration as we are constantly assessing what best meets the needs of our families and ourselves.
I like picking up new cookbooks now and then, especially ones that focus on easy and natural ways to spend more time consciously in preparing meals for my family. I like cooking and baking. Easy and simple recipes are great for most weeknights since everyone is busy and we’re all tired after whatever we’ve had to do that day.
And, I like what I consider medium-complexity recipes for days that I have the time and energy to focus more on the process of planning and preparing a nice meal to put on the table. It’s one of the ways that I use my energy and time to show that I care for my husband and our children.
I really don’t often love to do really super complex dishes, just because I don’t really feel that they show I care for my family any more than quicker easier ones, and I just don’t have the time (like, ever) or the physical energy to spend all day preparing one meal, unless I can use a crock pot. [Best. Invention. Ever!!!]
The newest cookbook to land on my countertop is Simply Real Eating by Sarah Adler. I like this one because it’s not just a hodge-podge collection of healthy recipes. I mean, it is a collection of healthy recipes. But, there is a very good bit of the beginning of the book that talks about how the author came to change to sourcing healthier ingredients and utilizing a healthier way of preparing food for her family.
In this section Sarah Adler outlines her 7 Steps to Creating a Healthy Lifestyle That Lasts as well as helpful tips to setting yourself up for this endeavor, creating delicious meals from ingredients in your pantry, and the ever popular concept of meal planning.
I’ve dabbled in meal planning a little bit, but have yet to make this an ongoing part of my household routine. Not for lack of trying, but more because my kids are teens and adults now and often doing their own thing which means that I kind of never know how many people I might need to be cooking for on any given day — sometimes it’s all four of us, other days it’s just myself and my husband eating dinner. I just never know.
But, to get back to the cookbook, I like it because in the introductory section she touches on quite a few different topics in a brief, concise way. She doesn’t get too wordy or over explain things. And the pages are laid out in a very visually pleasing way, incorporating pictures of delicious looking food items as well as smaller boxed areas with important information that can be found easily if going back to refer to these pages.
Basically, cookbooks are a dime a dozen. They are everywhere and there are bound to be too many to use regularly enough to justify actually buying them, in my opinion. I have donated more cookbooks to Goodwill than I have ever kept and used, just because there are too many to keep them all. I have less than a dozen that I have kept over the years and use semi-regularly, and at least for the foreseeable future, Simply Real Eating by Sarah Adler has earned a rare spot on that shelf.
There are all kinds of recipes that I can’t wait to try. Here are a few on my must-do list:
Golden Milk Pots of Gold (a breakfast staple along the same lines of oatmeal)
Sarah’s Matcha Latte (because matcha is a new thing I’m into)
Vanilla Cold Brew (because who doesn’t love coffee, and I’m interested to try the surprising sweetener she recommends)
Everyday Smoothie Bowls
Seasonal Jam Dots (cookies!!!)
There are a ton of others, too, from muffins to a chicken and vegetable sheet pan meal, doughnuts to skillet potato pancakes, tasty salads to soups and side dishes. All of the recipes in the book feature a short list of really simple ingredients that you won’t spend a ton of time or money to get, and simple instructions to prepare them, also.
I actually made the Flourless Brownies recipe from this cook book one night when I was craving something chocolate. They literally disappeared before my eyes. I didn’t even take a picture because I thought they’d be around for a few days like brownies usually are. Nope! My kids fairly demolished the entire pan.
Bottom line, you should definitely give this cookbook a glance through and check out Sarah Adler’s Simply Real Health website. The book and the website are both set up in a very easy format and the gorgeous images and simplistic design make it a very exciting way to make healthy changes for a healthy life. Two thumbs up!
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