These recipes are healthy recipes with nice photos and the recipes are easy to follow. There is something for all dietary needs and I really liked the part that had suggestions for how to use leftovers. I also really liked all the tips in the beginning. However, for me the recipes were organized a little confusingly.

This is a very well thought out cookbook. As someone who eats gluten and dairy free I was excited to see so many options that involved ingredients I already have on hand or could find easily. I like that there are sections for quick meals, instant pot meals, and sheet pan meals, and the index in the back that tells you which meals are gluten free dairy free, etc. is pretty genius. Great photos throughout, too and I like the quick stories/explanations behind each recipe. Only critique I would give is I don’t see myself using any of the recipes in the leftovers section, where you take previously made meals from other parts of the cookbook and incorporate them into new dishes. Some people may find the organization a little off putting (e.g in the 5 ingredients or less section, a dinner recipe followed by a matcha-kale smoothie), but that didn’t bother me.

The Whole Smiths Real Food Every Day is a cooking and style guide with recipes developed by Michelle Smith. Due out 29th Dec 2020 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, it's 272 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is an upbeat well written cookbook with a family vibe full of attractive healthy well prepared recipes. The introduction includes a whole-food philosophy which makes a lot of sense. The author makes a good case for eating fewer processed meals for health and well being (sort of paleo, but not fanatically so).

The book's introduction contains a list of tips and tricks which are really useful covering a range of tasks like pitting cherries, shredding chicken, getting more mileage out of pickle brine after the pickles are gone, and a host of other small tasks. The recipes themselves are arranged a bit whimsically (there's an index, so it's not really a problem): ingredients and make-ahead staples, meal prep recipes, sheet pan recipes, five ingredients or fewer, one dish, 30 minutes or less, instant, leftovers, weekend recipes.

They have their ingredients listed bullet style in the sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard only. There is no nutritional info provided. Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and step by step cooking directions. Special features such as gluten-free, grain-free, and nut-free are noted in the header.

The ingredients are mostly easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store; not all though (coconut aminos and collagen peptides for example - but as the author notes, those items can be sourced online). Roughly half the recipes are pictured (by my rough estimate). The photographs which are included are clear and appealing and serving suggestions are appropriate. Many of the photos are of the author and her beautiful (and healthy) family, which adds a personal touch.
There's also a useful recipe list with a chart showing dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, paleo, vegan, and vegetarian status for every recipe in the collection individually. There's a useful cross-referenced index which is useful since the recipes are not arranged by category.

This book would make a great gift/housewarming for someone cooking for themselves or family members with special dietary needs, containing appealing recipes, and for fans of food-prep planning / batch cooking. These are healthy and tasty recipes.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

There are some recipes that I will try, but unfortunately, there are a lot of recipes that didn't interest me. It's not my style. I would prefer more vegetarian meals. It's a pity that there isn't a photograph next to each recipe. Otherwise, this is a good cookbook. It contains clear instructions, and the design of this cookbook is good. 3,5 stars

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this! All opinions are my own.

I will definitely be trying out several of these recipes. I loved the meal prep and make ahead section. Everything looked amazing!

This cookbook is fantastic! It is laid out very well, recipes are accompanied with colorful pictures and they are easy to read and follow. I also like that most recipes include ingredients you’ll mostly have at home. I’ve tested a couple recipes so far and can’t wait to try more.

I enjoyed this book. Good information with a lot of recipes and meal plans. Easy to read. It is written in an easy to read pleasant manner.

This is a nice cookbook full of healthy food options and I would try some of the recipes. It's well organized and easy to follow and the photos look pretty good. I like cooking healthy foods at home and I like trying new recipes sometimes. The cooking tips in the begging are very useful! I didn't really find a recipe that would make me want to cook it right now though. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Healthy eating made fun and accessible with gorgeous photographs and simple instructions. There's something for every dietary need and creative ideas for leftovers. Novice cooks will appreciate tips found at the beginning of the book and busy cooks will appreciate home cooked meals that don't require huge time investments.

Healthy recipes in a friendly and family oriented cookbook. Mouth watering recipes.....oh yea. I think I bookmarked the majority of this cookbook. Wow...they look truly amazing.

What did I like? The condiment section was truly amazing. I can not wait to try some of these great looking recipes. Author gives us some fun tidbits but dives head on into some great clean eating with a paleo diet recipes. Real food is where it’s at these days. Some of the pictures just looked positively decadent. I can’t wait to try some of these recipes.

Would I recommend or buy? I really want a copy...it’s on my wish list. The author has a passion for the paleo style eating and I enjoyed seeing her family blanket the pages. Diversity of the book was nice too...meal prep, using leftovers, 30 minute dinners...etc. I really enjoyed the cookbook.

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left my opinion. Five stars..loved it.

This is a fantastic cookbook and resource! The recipes look delicious and the accompanying pictures are mouthwatering. This is one I’ll return to again and again!

The Whole Smiths Real Food Every Day
Healthy Recipes to Keep Your Family Happy Throughout the Week
by Michelle Smith
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Genre: Cooking, Food & Wine
Release Date: December 29, 2020

I thought the 26 tips at the beginning of the book were super helpful and a great idea to include!

I am on a health journey and have been trying to find cleaner, healthier versions of my husbands favorite meals (or at least meals that he will eat). When I saw this book, I was hoping that this would include a lot recipes I could try with my husband, but unfortunately he won't eat most of the ingredients used (yes, because they are healthier...but also because they can't be disguised well).

I did find some recipes that I think he would be willing to try though, like the Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken and Veggies, Apple-Cinnamon Mini Frittatas, Balsamic Chicken Thighs with Mushroms and Caramelized Onions, Apple "Pasta", Chai-Spiced Kettle-Style Apples, Drive-Through Burger Bowls, Hawaiian Chicken Thighs, and Carnitas Ramen Noodles. I am excited to try some of these, since they are made from better ingredients and I think they'll be better for us in the long run because they are made from real food.

There are a lot of pictures and easy to follow instructions. Some of the recipes seemed a little overwhelming, but I think that once I became familiar with the techniques and ingredients they would become easier.

Each recipes lists an estimated number of servings and which dietary restrictions the recipes meets. There is no nutrition information for the recipes though.

I'm so grateful to Michelle Smith, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

As someone with Celiac Disease this cookbook is heaven! So many incredible gluten free recipes with tons of other variations available such as dairy free, vegan, etc. I already tried my hand at making the chicken and pesto stuffed sweet potatoes and they turned out incredible. I’m looking forward to making the gluten free blueberry hand pies this weekend. Overall this is a worthy addition to any chef’s cookbook collection :) Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

At the beginning of the book, you'll find some great tips on how to make your cooking life a little bit easier. While a couple of them were familiar to me, the 26 tips you'll find there are great for those new to cooking.

Most of the recipes look delicious and like things that I would love to eat. I like that at the beginning of the recipes, the author lists the approximate serving size the recipes create as well as the diets that the recipes cater to (dairy free, gluten free, paleo, vegetarian, etc.)

The photos were nice and the food looked good. If she and the publisher insisted on including so many photos of her and her family in the book, it would have been nice if they seemed a little more natural and less like everything had been run through several instagram filters.

Overall, there are some great looking recipes to be found within this book.

Lots of yummy recipes! Love the pictures that accompany each recipe as well! Just need to fix the formatting issues.

I am unsure of what diet this is aimed at meat but no dairy unless it’s cheeses, no wheats or grains most of the time. Still have a different take on meals.

What a fantastic cookbook! I really loved how Michelle Smith adapted each recipe to allow for people with sensitivities to enjoy them as well. I have saved quite a few of these recipes and look forward to trying them.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.