7 Stress-Free Strategies to Get More Variation in Your Diet
It’s the same old question every day: “What’s for dinner tonight?”
No matter if you’re a seasoned home cook or a kitchen novice, you can never have too much healthy food inspiration. Whether you’re looking for nourishing breakfasts or easy weeknight dinners, the lush food photography in the cookbooks listed below will get you fired up to prep healthy meals in no-time.
There’s a recipe guide for everyone’s taste, from plant-based dishes and Paleo feel-good food to family-friendly, balanced dinners. All the cookbooks have one thing in common: they all showcase home-cooked meals made with fresh, wholesome ingredients.
So get the perfect gift for your foodie friend or expand your own culinary repertoire with these 7 healthy cookbooks you need in your kitchen – now.
If you feel inspired to buy these amazing cookbooks through the links below, not only will you support The Health Sessions with your purchase, but Better World Books also donates one book to a person in need for every book solved. All at no extra cost to you! Pretty great, right?
1. Green Kitchen at Home by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl
To longtime readers of The Health Sessions, it won’t come as a surprise that I’m a big fan of the Swedish food-blogging couple David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl. Over the years, I’ve shared many delicious vegetarian recipes from their wildly successful blog Green Kitchen Stories.
Their fourth cookbook Green Kitchen at Home focuses on family-friendly, comforting dishes that are easy to cook and to adapt to your liking. Every recipe is accompanied by beautiful photography and a short personal story why that dish is a family favorite. Unlike some other healthy cookbooks, the meals in Green Kitchen at Home don’t call for exotic superfoods or hard-to-find ingredients.
There are sheet pan dinners for stressful weeknights, a vegetarian version of fish and chips and Popeye Polpette with courgette noodles and big-batch tomato sauce. And kids won’t be the only ones who’ll love the Va-va-voom Donuts and spinach-banana pancakes!
So if you’re looking for quick and healthy vegetarian food for every day, Green Kitchen at Home is just the cookbook for you.
2. Eat Happy: 30-Minute Feelgood Food by Melissa Hemsley
You might recognize Melissa as one half of Hemsley+Hemsley, the British homecooks known for their simple but nutrient-dense meals. The Hemsley sisters believe that feeling good starts with eating well: a rainbow of seasonal fruit and veg, high-quality meat and fish, no grains or refined sugar.
In her first solo cookbook Eat Happy, Melissa celebrates fuss-free, real food recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less. Eat Happy shows you how to make flavor-packed dishes using everyday ingredients you’ve already got into your cupboards. What’s more, Melissa focuses on reducing food waste and making weekday meals a breeze, by batch cooking and turning leftovers into tomorrows meals.
You can prep Spinach & Smoked Trout Muffins for busy mornings, quickly whip up Monday Miso Noodle Soup after a long day and enjoy guilt-free Buckwheat Pizza on the weekend.
Eat Happy makes a great addition to the kitchen of busy and budget-conscious cooks who still want to put nutritious feel-good food on the table each night.
3. Healthyish by Lindsay Maitland Hunt
Are you working long hours but still want to eat a bit more healthily? Then Healthyish might just be the cookbook for you. Recipe developer Lindsay Maitland Hunt created a cookbook that revolves around real food. Not diet food or fad food, but realistically healthy meals – with the occasional indulgent treat.
With clear cooking instructions, Healthyish shows you how to make crowd-pleasing meals from simple ingredients that require little time and clean-up. The cookbook offers doable and delicious recipes for a Chocolate and Peanut Butter Smoothie, no-cook lunches and quick weeknight dinners, like the Cauliflower Frittata or Chicken Tacos with Smashed Avocado.
If you’re new to the kitchen and want to start eating healthier – without searching the grocery isles for açaí berries – Healthyish gives you the foundation that will make a difference in the way you eat.
4. Half Baked Harvest Cookbook by Tieghan Gerard
I’ll admit, the Half Baked Harvest Cookbook might not be the first recipe collection that springs to mind when you think of healthy eating. The reason I still included it in this list is the same reason why I – and millions of readers around the world – love Tieghan Gerard’s stunning food blog: every dish featured looks so inviting, flavoursome and comforting.
With recipes ranging from super healthy to super decadent – I’m looking at you Death by Chocolate Ice Box Cake! – Half Baked Harvest offers a fresh take on comfort food. The cookbook contains a large breakfast section with everything from Fancy Toast 8 Ways to colorful smoothie bowls. You’ll also find “healtified” dinners like Braised Mediterranean Lentils with Roasted Spaghetti Squash; the Korean Beef, Sweet Potato and Quinoa Bibimbap, and Shrimp and Mango Summer Rolls.
But Tieghan’s also well-known for her love of chocolate, cheese and full-fat dairy, which makes her recipes not for those with strict health diets. However, the Half Baked Harvest Cookbook would be a great treat for omnivores who love to eat wholesome, seasonal ingredients but don’t mind a bit of sugar and butter from time to time.
5. Deliciously Ella – The Plant-Based Cookbook by Ella Mills
It’s the fastest selling vegan cookbook in Britain of all time: Deliciously Ella The Plant-Based Cookbook. In her fourth cookbook, award-winning food blogger and entrepreneur Ella Mills has gathered the 100 most popular plant-based recipes from her London deli and supper clubs.
Whether you’re a longtime vegan in need of meal inspiration or you’re new to plant-based cooking, Deliciously Ella The Plant-Based Cookbook has got you covered. From Red Berry Chia Pudding for breakfast to a vegan shaksuka and Baked Sweet Potato Falafel to warm you up, Ella shows you how delicious plant-based dishes can be. The dinner section includes salads, warming soups, several curries and her favorite Five-Bean Chili with Corn Bread. And of course she didn’t forget to teach you how to make vegan versions of your favourite treats, like Fudgy Brownies and Red Velvet Cakes.
The cookbook also includes diary fragments that give you a peak into Ella’s life and how she’s grown her business so far.
So if you’re looking to grow your vegan cooking with simple meals for everyday, Deliciously Ella The Plant-Based Cookbook.
6. The Laura Lea Balanced Cookbook by Laura Lea Goldberg
Are you searching for an easy way to feed the different food preferences in your home? Certified holistic chef Laura Lea Goldberg offers a relaxed approach to healthy eating, by focusing on good-quality ingredients and moderation. In her debut The Laura Lea Balanced Cookbook, she encourages you to see cooking as a daily adventure instead of a rote chore. The recipe guide features 120 nutritious, family-friendly meals, most of which can be made in 30 minutes or less.
After explaining the LL Balanced approach to food, the cookbook dives into the comfort-food inspired recipes with a healthy twist. The colourful and glossy photographs showcase Grain-free Cinnamon Waffles for breakfast and healthy snacks like PBJ No-Bake Energy Squares. There are warm entrees for every taste, from Chilled Caesar Shrimp and Asparagus Salad to Mexican Slow Cooker Bolognese and Marinated Tempeh Sushi Burritos.
To make home-cooking even simpler, Laura Lea provides sample weekly menus, including cooking schedule. She also gives you inspiration what to make from the cookbook for special occasions like a picnic or birthday party.
The Laura Lea Balanced Cookbook makes the perfect addition to the kitchen of healthy home cooks who want to easily whip up tasty weeknight meals made from nutrient-dense whole foods.
7. The First Mess Cookbook by Laura Wright
I first fell in love with Laura Wright’s food blog when I discovered her stunning cozy warming drinks. But in her much-awaited debut cookbook, Laura shows she can make simple-to-prepare plant-based meals look just as delicious.
The First Mess Cookbook highlights the best produce of the seasons. From enjoying a Vanilla Corn Cake with Roasted Strawberries on a summery day to a Creamy Quinoa and White Bean Risotto with Crispy Brassica Florets for a comforting dinner, there’s an abundance of vibrantly vegan dishes made with seasonal whole foods.
Besides breakfast and hearty mains, you’ll also find recipes for soups and stews, salads, energizing drinks and small treats. Who can resist a Salted Caramel Date Shake or Decadent No-Dairy Ice Cream – especially once you realize the ingredients are all pretty good for you?
So when you’re searching for exciting new ways to prepare nourishing plant-based meals, The First Mess Cookbook is just what you need in your kitchen.
What is your all-time favourite healthy cookbook? I’d love to hear your must-have tips in the comments!
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