Blogger friends’ books
Hey! How’s the morning going? Hope you’re having a great one so far <3 I just finished up a morning stretch, an awesome breakfast, and am ready to enjoy the day’s adventures.
I feel inspired with recipes lately. It’s certainly a mixture of a few things: the fall produce (gimme ALL THE SQUASHES), enjoying new dishes, and the fact that I’ve had a couple of awesome new cookbooks to enjoy. New cookbooks always help me to think outside of my usual habits, and they’re an enjoyable way to take down time when you’ve been working on creating your own recipes. It’s comforting to breeze through a recipe knowing that someone else has carefully tested it for you. My two latest faves are even better because they were written by very good friends.
The first one is this PTV: The Part-time Vegetarian Smoothies and Juices, which was written by Tina.
I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with Tina quite a few times, and she’s become one of my closest blogging buddies. (I still haven’t met Murphy though, and am borderline obsessed with that pug cuteness.) Tina is also a new mama, a CrossFitter, and writes an awesome blog if you haven’t checked it out.
To write this book, she had to create and test over 140 smoothie recipes in two months (!!!!). When I received my copy, I was amazed by how beautifully it came together. Not only are the recipes incredibly creative (so fresh and vibrant!), but the full-page color photos are gorgeous. There are so many awesome smoothie and juice combos in here, and it’s really encouraged me to step out of the usual rotation. I tend to make the same smoothies and juices over and over, and for the past few weeks, I’ve been using quite a few of Tina’s amazing recipes.
Blueberry-basil smoothie:
Another cookbook that I was particularly excited about: Seriously Delish by Jessica.
Ok, so I’ve never met Jess in real life (sad face), but we’ve been blog friends since the early days. I’m also convinced that she’s the Pilot’s dream wife. I read him some of the titles of her blog post recipes, and he walked to the kitchen to get a bowl of cereal with a trail of drool on the floor behind him. Needless to say, her recipes always go well in our household 😉 In pure Jess fashion, the cookbook pages are filled with beautiful photos and unique recipes. There’s a beautiful mix of indulgent and healthy options; I love that everything is made from scratch.
A huge hit: these chewy granola bars. They’re a medley of oats, pumpkin seeds, flax, sunflower seeds, chia, honey…
and for her first bar, Liv was walking around the house saying “Mmmmm. Mmmm! Mmm. Mmmm!”
Here’s the thing: the PR reps sent me copies of these cookbooks, and I had already ordered both on Amazon. So, I’d love to give them to one of you! Just leave a comment below with something that’s inspiring to you, or your favorite cookbook ever, and I’ll pick a winner this Thursday midnight EST. I’ll send both of these cookbooks to the winner, along with whatever goodies find their way into the box 😉
xoxo
Gina
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You can’t beat church cookbooks – there are always good, tried-and-true recipes there!
I am inspired by blogs. I’ve made the most recipes from Iowa Girl Eats and Oh She Glows.
Some of my best recipes are from my mom, and I love How Sweet Eats too!!
Both of these cookbooks look fantastic! Thanks for the heads up! Something inspiring me lately…my husband and I got to hear our baby’s heartbeat yesterday! It was incredibly amazing especially since its our first and we had no clue what to expect! Hearing that is inspiring me to treat my body extremely well and listen to what it needs! It isn’t “mine” anymore 🙂
Lately I have been loving the Budget Bytes cookbook because I’m always trying to watch my grocery budget but these recipes actually use real foods and everything I’ve tried so far has been delish!
Such a hard question! But Pie Love has been in the rotation a lot lately.
My favorite cookbook is a collection of my grandma’s recipes. Several years ago when I was visiting, we spent a whole week looking thru recipes, assembling a collection, and cooking/baking nearly every one of those recipes.
My favorite cookbook lately is “Apples for Jam” – so beautifully written and the pictures are amazing!
I’m currently inspired by fall – anything pumpkin related is on my radar, and I’m planning to try my grandmother’s pumpkin pie recipe next month!
Oh my. I find these cookbooks inspiring! Funny enough, I had added them to my Amazon wishlist before I even got to the bottom of the page. Anyways – my real answer is the farmer’s market. Walking through and looking at all the bright vegetables really gets my mind turning for what’s ahead for the week’s meal plan.
I think my favorite cookbook has to be Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo. The recipes are simple, healthy, quick, and delicious. Even though I don’t eat raw all the time, the recipes are great to throw into rotation, especially when I need a quick health boost!
Something inspiring me lately would be my baby girl! It is so important to me to set a good example for her and have a healthy relationship with food. One of my go-to cook books is Better Homes & Gardens, they have everything in there!
My mom has given me Junior League cookbooks over the years. I like cooking things from them that I remember her making us as kids.
I’ve been getting a lot of recipes from blog posts lately.
New at really cooking healthier. I struggle coming up with new ideas. Could use all the help I can get.
My Bible is my great inspiration. Hanging to God’s truths!
raleigh, north carolina has an INCREDIBLE farmer’s market that gets state $$ so the vendors can charge substantially less… and they have a wholesale section that’s even cheaper (though you have to buy in bulk). 3 watermelon for $2? yes please! $1 per spaghetti squash (not per pound!!!)…um yeah I’ll take 5. So, as a recent transplant here, that’s my inspiration: getting lots of fresh, local, and some new-to-me finds. I don’t consider myself a grape fan, but muscadine grapes are a whole new ballgame.
Joy of cooking is my main recipe book – but the internet is my go to!
My official favorite cookbook is Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian. It’s full of simple recipes from around the world that are naturally vegetarian- no crazy meat substitutes or fake dairy, just whole foods in simple and delicious preparations. I haven’t made anything from it in a while – time to bust it out!
My best friend and Dad passed away exactly four months ago. He was my number one fan always, and he had a work ethic like nobody else. My Dad’s motivation and the 24 years of encouragement he provided me are what inspire me every day to be my absolute best. I am so proud to be his legacy, and his persistence and focus push me daily.
thinking of him watching over you and feeling so proud. keeping you in my heart <3
Lately I’ve been loving the Oh She Glows cookbook, even though I’m not a vegan. Everything I’ve made from it has been delicious. I would love to try the Seriously Delish cookbook! Just like the pilot, my husband would probably appreciate some delicious treats, given how many green smoothies and quinoa concoctions I subject him to. 🙂
I actually have a bunch of these books (yours included!) on my Christmas list this year (too early? 🙂 because my “collection” is basically non-existent. When I was in college however, I used to babysit for family that had every Ina Garten cookbook and I loved reading them after I put the kids to sleep. Her recipes are so classic and I always thought that if I were to host a dinner party, her book would absolutely be something I would turn to. Awesome giveaway!
Cookbooks inspire me too! My most-used cookbook is probably “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman because, well, it pretty much helps me cook anything I can think of! However, it is not so pretty or inspiring to look at! I recently picked up a few that I am loving. “Eating in Color” is such a beautiful book that it inspires me to eat healthier every time I look at it! Gena Hamshaw’s “Choosing Raw” falls into that category too (I first read about that right here, so thank you!). I also picked up Gran Cocina Latina, which is a 900-something page behemoth of a book covering all sorts of Latin cuisine. It does not have too many pictures, but it is awe-inspiring in both size and contents!
I’m inspired by all of you ladies (Gina, Tina and Jess) who get to do what you love everyday and have the guts to put it on the internets for the entire world to see, inspire and criticize!
Totally NOT kissing butt here……however, your blog has hugely inspired me, especially this month. Not a day has gone by in September that I haven’t busted out one (or more!) of your videos and/or workouts. And the squat challenge is what got me started. 🙂
Can “the internet” be my favorite cookbook? 🙂 Right now, my favorite cookbook is one about making baby food since I have a seven-month-old. I never knew pureeing chicken and potatoes together would be so satisfying and so much fun.
I love “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman. That and the family cookbook my mom put together for us are easily our most-referenced. But I have about 15 others and love leafing through them for ideas!
I hate to say it because it’s cliche, but my 1st edition Julia child cookbook from my grandmother is my treasure!
Two things inspiring me lately:
1. Whole30 – I’m almost a week in, and feel so satisfied with my choice. My body needed a serious reset. I can’t wait to slowly reintroduce certain foods again and see what my body’s true response is (i.e. dairy, and certain processed foods that I have always had an unhealthy relationship with)
2. The running group, Moms Run This Town. I’ve been a member of my local chapter, but it took me MONTHS to actually join a group run with this amazing ladies. Today was my first… not only am I in awe of their strength and willpower, but I’m still in disbelief of magic that occurred to get me hitting pavement at 5am….for 6 miles…with hills. I finished, and was like…. What.Just.Happened. This group of ladies is magical.
The Weelicious cookbook has been my go-to cookbook right now!
There are no pictures, but my favorite recipe book for whatever my heart desires is definitely Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything. Seriously. Everything is in there.
I love getting new cookbooks! I really like Gwyneth Paltrow’s book “It’s All Good”, and Alicia Silverstone’s book “The Kind Diet”. Also, Martha’s “Meatless” cookbook is great, and full of amazing pictures! I also love quite a few dessert cookbooks, especially around the holidays!
My favorite cookbook is from a little cafe in Sedona. It’s filled with recipes with a southwestern kick, but also healthy goodness that you can find all over that special little town!
My Mom recently put together a cookbook for me and my sisters of all our family’s recipes. It’s just a great collection that brings back some great memories with each recipe.
I love watching my mom cook – she makes it look so effortless and everything turns out amazing. I am so excited for Seriously Delish!!
These cookbooks look fabulous! I’m a huge Alton Brown fan, so my favorite cookbooks are the Good Eats collection that cover every episode and recipe from his show Good Eats!
My mom always used her Betty Crocker cookbook and bought me one a few Christmases ago. It’s got lots of basic plus fun recipes to try
Yummmm – also love everything “scratch” made. I like to know what the ingredients are! 🙂
I never seem to use my cookbooks. Google seems to be my go to. I just put the main ingredients I want to use and find a recipe with great reviews.
Im loving the Oh She Glows cookbook! Love the blog and the recipes in the book are awesome!
I love Jamie Oliver cookbooks! But have definitely strayed from the hard copies as Pinterest/blogs have come more into play… but I still can’t stop buying cookbooks. Have been getting back into smoothies lately and would love the smoothie cookbook for some new inspiration!
My mom has the BEST old recipes, all written on index cards in a basket back at home. I laugh whenever I ask for a recipe from her, because she has to dig through them all to find it, and we usually seeing something else that strikes our mood along the way and making something totally different.
I am inspired by you! Seriously, I love reading all of your posts and ideas on healthy eating. Having a 1 year old has also inspired me to explore healthier options as I think the best way to learn about healthy eating is to grow up with the best options!
that makes my heart so warm. thank you!!
My favorite cookbook would have to be the cook’s illustrated cookbook! I also just bought meals made simple by Danielle walker of against all grain and have enjoyed all the recipes so far!
I am inspired by recipes I see posted on blogs. I have made many things from how sweet eats!
I have to say I find a lot of inspiration for recipes from Pinterest. My roomate and I just had a luncheon this past weekend and found everything we needed on there…everything was delicious!
My yoga practice has been inspiring me lately to make the extra effort to be good to my body. So I have been trying to eat really clean and very produce heavy. I always feel better when I take the extra time and effort to take care of myself.
My all time favorite cookbooks are the Art of French Cooking, nothing like good French comfort food and Giada’s Everyday Italian, so simple, so delicious.
I can’t really say I have a favorite cookbook as of late. I usually scour my favorite blogs when meal planning on Saturdays and use all of those great recipes for the week.
I love the Smitten Kitchen cookbook.
i’m inspired by reading my favorite blogs, including yours! =)
xoxo!