One of our most favorite ways to spend time together as a family is hanging out in the kitchen. It’s extra special when we’re all pitching in to create a delicious meal and catch up on our day. With two little ones under five, finding cookbooks that make it easy to cook up nutritious meals on those busy weeknights has been a lifesaver.

These cookbooks? Well, they’ve earned a permanent spot on my kitchen counter for a very good reason, and I’m so excited to share them with you!

My Most Favorite Cookbooks of All Time

Bakerita – hands down my absolute favorite cookbook for baking and gluten free desserts. I’ve been a fan of Rachel for a long time and I was so excited when she came out with this book. My family and I love all the recipes that we’ve tried and you’d never know that it’s all gluten free. Home bakers essential if you ask me!

Love and Lemons Every Day – when I was eating vegetarian for almost a year this was my go to cookbook for delicious plant-based recipes. I still refer to it when I’m making stand out veggie dishes and my favorite is the dessert section, the brownie recipe in here is amazing! Can you tell that I have a sweet tooth?

The Complete Slow Cooker Cookbook – with over 400 recipes, this book has you covered when life gets busy and you just want to come back home to a warm cozy meal. I use my slow cooker often to make stews, soups and curries and this book has it all covered from appetizer, main course and dessert.

The Little Lunchbox Cookbook – the author, Renee Kohley has three daughters of her own so she gets what makes a healthy nourishing meal for kids. I’ve made so many of her recipes and my family loves them all. This book is filled with lunchbox inspiration, you’ll never have to think of something from scratch on your own, she’s got you covered.

Baked to Perfection – this one is for the gluten free baker who likes to push the limit on what’s possible without GLUTEN! Each of her recipes are fancy bakery status. If you love baking gluten free and want to hone in on your skills, this book takes gluten free baking to the next level. The author breaks down the science and provides a framework to go beyond the book and play around with your own creations.

Food? What The Heck Should I Cook – my blueberry protein smoothie that you’ve probably seen on my Instagram is from this book! I love Dr. Hyman’s food philosophy and this book is filled with countless examples of how healthy eating can still be delicious. I love making the lamb stew from this book in my slow cooker.

Fresh Flavors For The Slow Cooker – I love how much thought and heart Nicki Sizemore pours into her recipes. Her slow cooker recipes have depth and flavor. Our families weeknight favorite chicken tikka masala is from this book and it’s easy enough to start up on on the slow cooker on a busy morning unlike the traditional multi-step version.

Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain – this book is gluten-free, diary free and paleo friendly. I love how it caters to food sensitives yet includes a wide range of delicious recipes that are easy to follow. I also love this book by the same author Against All Grain: Delectable Paleo Recipes To Eat Well And Feel Great.

Chasing Smoke: Cooking over Fire Around the Levant – this book elevates backyard cook outs focusing on grilling meats, veggies and family style spreads. Each recipe is chef created and exquisite with unique flavors from around the world.

Cook Once Eat All Week – for the busy bee’s out there this cookbook helps make meal prepping a breeze by preparing a few key components at the start of the week which brings several meals together throughout the week. We enjoyed many of the recipes and it was especially helpful when my daughter was just a baby.

Barefoot Contessa Back To Basics – who doesn’t love Ina Garten and her timeless recipes. This one is an essential for cookbook lovers. She covers it all here from impressive dinner party dishes to casual family meals.

Can It & Ferment It – my absolute favorite book that I revisit every summer when the harvest is overflowing on my kitchen counter tops. This book has one of the best tomato sauce recipes I’ve ever tasted and many of my favorite pickling recipes. It’s just filled to the brim with goodness.

Simply Soup – right around Fall as the air starts to crisp, I get an urge to stir up some good old soup. This book is perfect for just that with over 50 recipes.

Ottolenghi Simple – beautifully laid out Middle Eastern inspired recipes from chef Yotam Ottolenghi.

The Natural Cook – simple delicious seasonal plant forward recipes. I love revisiting this cookbook for inspiration throughout the seasons.

Dishing Up Dirt – seasonal driven cookbook written by Andrea Bemis who also runs an organic farm so you get her take on eating from seed to table. I love Local Dirt as well.

Here’s your inspiration to get cooking! I’ll continue to add to this list, come back soon!

Love this cookbooks roundup? Check out Baby Essentials and Garden Tools while you’re here.

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