Do you ever find yourself searching for quick and easy meal recipes for your family? Rachel Hollis knows what it means to be a busy mom. This entrepreneur shares with her fans how she comes up with quick and healthy meal ideas to feed her bustling and busy brood. Complete with pictures, Rachel offers step by step recipes that enable you to spend more time with your family and less time in the kitchen.



With Rachel’s signature spice blend included in the book, you will find some interesting ideas for cooking a healthy meal for your family. Some of the recipes made me stop and think ‘why haven’t I thought of that’. Case in point – Freeze Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches and Breakfast Quesadillas. These recipes were simple, and made me pause at just how simple it can be to tackle a family friendly meal.



While I found myself intrigued by certain recipes, I did find some recipes a bit commonplace. The salad recipes, salad dressing chicken, and the soup recipes were not as original as I was expecting. In fact – I have a ton of other cookbooks that contain those exact recipes. They are ‘tried and true’ recipes that some may not have tried, but I was expecting a bit more originality where the recipes were concerned. There were ideas that wouldn’t fly in my house with several of the meal ideas.



With that said, kudos to Rachel for sharing what ideas keep her family around the dinner table. A lost family connection in today’s world that is the catalyst of so many conversations that would be missed between family members. If you are a cookbook fanatic like myself – you will want to add this colorful and creative book to your collection….even if you may have heard of some of the recipes. Rachel does give a bit of commentary on why or when she serves certain dishes. A personal touch that allows fans of Hollis to get a sneak peek into what makes the writer’s household a place that anyone would be happy to call home!

One of my favorite activities is reading cookbooks, and this one is truly a delight. I love all the personal background stories. It is just like reading the author's blog. The title of Real Life Dinners is so appropriate because these are the type of recipes that I will not only read, but actually incorporate into my own meal planning. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance preview.

This was a great curated collection of easy dinners. I liked the variety but also consolidated collection of dishes - sometimes cookbooks can become too big and overwhelming. I thought the pictures were great, the instructions were clear, and the dishes were very broad in appeal and sounded delicious!

Real life dinners for a busy family with kids? YES- great recipes, great advice!!!
Easy to understand and follow. I’ve made 4 recipes and they have all turned out great!! This would be highly recommended to mom’s clubs and to all of the parents in my daughter’s elementary school to help them get through the start of school !!!

This a beginner cookbook with very basic recipes. It provides good, quick ideas for family dinners but somewhat falls short on creativity. I’ve seen a lot of these recipes in other cookbooks or websites. There wasn’t anything unique that grabbed my attention and I probably won’t try any of the recipes just because I can “wing them” on my own.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher and am voluntarily reviewing it. I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end! I loved her pantry tips and few staple recipes like the vinaigrette. I made the hot pockets, grilled mushroom kabobs, bacon wrapped chicken tenders and I loved them all! I will buy this book and for a few busy mom friend gifts.

A mouthwatering collection of fun and healthy meals that will have the whole family running to the table at dinner time. As the title says, these truly are "Real Life" meals. They are simple, quick, and made from easy to get ingredients that most families already have in your cupboard. I am not a experienced cook by any means, and not one single recipe in this cookbook had me worried it would be too hard to make. A must have addition to your cookbook collection.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I truly appreciate it!

Wow!!! What a beautiful book! The recipes all look amazing, I cannot wait to try them all! I have already started to dig in to fill use of this book, the pineapple chicken stir fry is so mouthwatering. The recipes are simple to put together, and the directions are really easy to follow. I have added this to my preorder list so I can be ready for summer dinner nights!

Really great cookbook! The title says "Real Life" and so often cookbooks boast easy or real life and it's not the case. These recipes ARE "Real Life" certified. Very simple. Great tips and tricks to help organize the meals and keep them all week long!

If you're looking for recipes to make your dinners easier and appealing to your family check out this book. While I wasn't able to see all of the recipes, there are a fair amount to try at home.

While this is a recipe book, there are personal stories shared and photos to add to the overall flavor of the book.

Many of the recipes may require ingredients you don't already have in your pantry so be sure to check out the ingredients before sitting down to cook.

Now, go shopping and start cooking!

I love how the recipes are truly real-life. They are not overly complicated and don’t need tons of ingredients the average person does not keep in their pantry. The recipes are all family friendly and sure to please!

I love the format of this book. Rachel has a great variety of kid friendly recipes . I really enjoy how she includes the whole family into the book. The kids really look like the like making and eating all of Rachel's recipes. The make ahead dinners section is my favorite! It is great for any busy person!

It's nice to read a cookbook that literally is about 'real life' and talks about what jar/canned food you should have in your pantry, as opposed to 'buy everything fresh'. That's just not how life is :) There are great photos and recipes that I haven't really come across in the many cookbooks I've reviewed -- or maybe I've forgotten! Breakfast pizzas, freeze-ahead recipes, kid-friendly recipes, all of these are truly of use in a hectic and crazy world. If we can get drive through food that's prepackaged, frozen, and containing ingredients no one wants to know about, why not put a bit more effort at home and cook, prepackage, and freeze our own foods?

This was just a sample of the entire book. The recipes given wher easy to follow and many used standard pantry items. Clearly written instructions with beautiful colour photos.

The pictures are beautiful, recipes tasty and stories are life giving. What more could you want it a cookbook? Buy this for everyone woman in your life. It's the perfect birthday, mother's day, Christmas or wedding gift!

I really enjoyed the author’s conversational style in this sample.She was fun to read throughout the book. Unfortunately for me the recipes weren’t what I was looking for. Too many of them were not easy or they prepared with too much of ingredients that weren’t the healthiest. Bacon wrapped chicken tenders is not going to be a go to weekly meal for my family.

My review is based on the excerpt provided via NetGalley. My opinion could change if I view the entire cookbook.

"Real Life" is a good title for this book. None of the recipes seem original and I think you could find most of them in other sources. Many of them you don't even need a recipe for (breakfast pizza, homemade hot pockets).

In general, I think this would be a good cookbook for someone just starting out on their own, with or without a family. It is a simple straightforward reference for a novice on how to make familiar dishes.
If you are looking for a good wedding shower gift, this would fit the bill. If you are looking for new recipes that you haven't seen or tried before, this wouldn't be for you.

I really enjoyed this sampler and can't wait to pick up the final book.

Easy to follow recipes. Good food, good ingredients, and easy prep.

Nice cookbook with colorful pictures. . Personal favorite is the “Grilled Mushroom Kabobs” a recipe which features a nice balsamic marinade. The book hits a high note with recipes for a weeks worth of breakfast sandwiches complete with instructions on freezing and reheating each morning. Freezer burritos are another good one. The book only gets clunky with the overly long introduction and stories between the recipes. But readers/cooks looking for a nice book of recipes who don’t mind skipping the “lifestyle” notes will find a winner.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martins Press in exchange for an honest review.

Author Rachel Hollis stresses that she’s a real-life mom: She and her husband work outside the home, she has three children already and one on the way. Hollis sets the reader at ease immediately: Dinner doesn’t have to be a production. Who has time for marinades, intricate ingredients and a spotless kitchen? Instead, here’s how Hollis sets the bar: “Making sure my family is fed is a success, but truly taking the time to give them something wholesome and delicious is me at my best…. Just made, with love and care, by me … that’s the bar I set for myself. I don’t’ get there every day — not even close — but it’s my pursuit….”

Who doesn’t love that goal?

Hollis includes some easy-to-bring together meals and some make-ahead meals to freeze. The sampler intrigued me enough that I really want to see the complete Real Life Dinners. I don’t think it will be in the same league as Melissa D’Arabian’s Ten Dollar Dinners: 140 Recipes & Tips to Elevate Simple, Fresh Meals Any Night of the Week and Katie Workman’s The Mom 100 Cookbook: 100 Recipes Every Mom Needs in Her Back Pocket — both essential for any busy cook, whether a mom or not — but I do think Real Life Dinners looks as if it’s worth owning.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a sampler of Real Life Dinners from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.