Setting Up Your Good Eating Year With Cookbooks

The REAL reason I build my cookbook shelf …

Jan 10, 2025

Have a New Year’s resolution to eat healthier this year? How’s it going?

Whew, do I know how difficult it can be. You set the goal, have the best intentions, and then - wham - life happens.

Like yesterday. I had a meal all planned out. Had the ingredients. Even had them laying on the counter. But things kept happening, phone calls ran long, and before I knew it, dinnertime came and went. When 5 is turning to 6 and you’re hungry, that’s when you pick up the phone and order in.

And that blows your goal of healthy eating. Right?

But I don’t do that anymore. When I finally made my way down to the kitchen last night, I had an arsenal of tools waiting for me to move into action. Nope … not the phone. It’s …

Cookbooks!

I hear you. I know what you’re thinking. How can cookbooks be a tool to help you get dinner on the table WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY?

I talk about it in my video. Plus, I give a host of tools you can use to find the best cookbooks to place on your shelf.

I’ll also give you a shortened version in case you’re hungry for dinner and looking for a few new tools. 😉

This is my third year running The Cookbook Club. I LOVE it and am excited for what this year brings.

I initially set it up as a way to gain inspiration for meal planning each month. I choose a cookbook, and use it to plan a handful of meals throughout the month. Nope, I don’t use it exclusively. Instead, I glance through it and choose two or three each week to try them out. If I have time and want more, that’s okay. If I LOVE one and want to cook it every week, that’s okay too.

TIP: I go into it in more detail in my video, but I highly recommend using your local library to find your favorite cookbooks. I’m always putting cookbooks on reserve to try them out. Because you won’t resonate with them all. Some will be meh. But some … oh, will you fall in love. (I go through some of my favorites, the ones I have on my shelf.) Then when you find a good one, order it to place on your shelf. It’s the best way I’ve learned to get the best of the best for your shelf.

I’ve given you two dozen cookbooks over the last two years. Some I have on my shelf, several I have on my Kindle app, because I LOVE taking some with me when I travel. Because some are perfect to use when I stay at Airbnb, and choose to stay in for an evening, possibly to enjoy the view.

Why so many?

Because we need different cookbooks for different moods.

Take the example from above. I was busy. I walked into my kitchen late. I didn’t want complicated. Yet I didn’t want takeout.

I have a cookbook for that. One with GORGEOUS meals I can prepare in 30 minutes or less.

I have another one - possibly my favorite - that I consider my go-to cookbook. I LOVE her recipes. I love the flavors. I have all the ingredients in my pantry. I KNOW how each recipe will turn out. But they take time. And they’re soooo worth it … on the days when I have the time.

And this, my friend, is why you need a cookbook shelf too.

It can be a tiny shelf in your pantry, a cupboard you haven’t used. Your countertop if you have the room. Or maybe you add shelves in your breakfast nook, or put them in your office because that’s where you plan. It’s totally up to you.

But what’s important is you have one. And use it.

And that’s where my Cookbook Club comes into play.

I love trying new cookbooks and recommendations. I’ve been on a plant-based journey for 30 years. When my Dad died 30 years ago, I went on a quest for better health. Caregiving for my Mom has added to that quest, giving me even more motivation for wellthy living.

So let’s get to January’s recommendation, it’s one I really think you’re going to love. And I bet you already know the author!

I Love You
By Pamela Anderson

I was excited about it the moment I saw it was published. I knew she’s lived a vegan life for many years, so I knew it would be filled with nourishing recipes.

And how can you resist a cookbook with the title I Love You!? Or not be intrigued by the subtitle Recipes From The Heart.

Cookbooks are meant to be read, not just used to make dinner. And I love her story and the photographs she shares.

“Since the boys were young, cooking has been a family event. “Happy feet” drumming under the table was a good sign - moans and sighs and “oh my Gods” drenched in gratitude and yumminess.”

She started this cookbook as a labor of love:

“I Love You is an idea that started out as a box of recipe cards - a gift to my boys, Brandon and Dylan - honoring their new home (with their beautiful girlfriends, Lily and Paula.) I thought the title was nice to keep and would be a kind gesture to send out into the world …
I’m happy to share with you my family favorites - and love is something we could all use more of.”

Doesn’t that just draw you in?

I’ve been on a cinnamon roll kick this holiday season, and enjoyed her Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze recipe.

Want something lighter? Try her Shaved Fennel and Apple Salad with Fried Capers and Dill. (It’s good 🥰)

Or the one I was most intrigued by - Harvest Veggie Pot Pies.

I think when I pull I Love You off the shelf, it will be the lazy days when I have plenty of time to devote to my kitchen. I’ll pull it off the shelf because of the energy behind it - knowing it was created with love, purchased with love, and used to create just as much love in my own kitchen.

It’s the first of the new year, but that’s my gift to you. Enjoy January’s cookbook. I know I will.

p.s. Did you like this message? It would mean a lot to me if you’d press the ❤️ below if you liked it, left a comment 💬, or shared it with a friend. I’m trying to grow this publication, and I depend on people like you to do so!

Setting Up Your Good Eating Year With Cookbooks

The REAL reason I build my cookbook shelf …

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