A busy parent's guide to dinner! I love how this is split into sections (30 min or less, 7 ingredients or less, One pot meals, Slow Cooker/Instant Pot meals and Easy Add-ons) and the 3 non-negotiable dinner rules: 1. There must be a vegetable, 2. There must be enough food to satiate you and 3. There must be at least one part of the meal that you're really looking forward to eating. Recipes that are not just quick and easy but also delicious AND healthy!

I work too much (don't we all?) so I'm always looking for recipes for dinners that I can get on the table as quick as possible without sacrificing flavour or having to use a bunch of "junk" ingredients. This book accomplishes that beautifully. While a lot of recipes do use short cut ingredients, there really isn't anything wrong at all with eating fish sticks (especially in taco form! why didn't I think of that before?). This book is so nicely laid out, with beautiful photographs, and all the recipes are easy to follow. This book would be a great gift!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC. This is a wonderful cookbook with lots of tips and ideas to simplify creating meals. I adore the nonnegotiable mealtime rules which are very similar in my home (although my husband often breaks them when he prepares the meal, ugh).
Things to love here are plentiful. The photos are gorgeous. Check out "The Savory Fruit Salad" photo. Incredible. The intro gives plenty of instructions and recommendations. The recipes include lots of ideas with spices and fresh ingredients., breaking it down into quick weeknight meals and more involved meals. There are many one-pot or slow cooker ideas as well. The section on Instant Pot recipes is wonderful. My favorite is the "Instant Pot Saucy Chicken" that goes onto have multiple sauces that can be chosen and then suggested side servings for each idea.
I look forward to the publication and final copy of this lovely and helpful cookbook. For anyone who already cooks and plans meals or those who are new to it, this book is a winner.
#BareMinimumDinners #NetGalley #HoughtonMiflinHarcourt

I really like the full color pictures of each recipe, so that you know what each dish is supposed to look like. I love all the tips and tricks in the beginning of the book too. I already do most of the tips, but I learned some new things, and at the age of 50 I delightfully surprised! I have to admit, I don't really care for the flavor of most of the recipes. I don't care for ground turkey. I also don't care for a lot of the spices the recipes call for or the combinations of certain foods. If you do, then, this would be a nice cookbook for you. Each recipe is designed to be completed in 30 minutes or less.

Cute and very well laid out cookbook! My favorite part about it is that the ingredients list is not excessive and overwhelming as they can sometime be. 10/10 recommend! I can't wait to share some of these quick and easy recipes. Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a copy of this audiobook for an honest review.

I love Real Simple magazine, so I was stoked to see that the food director at Real Simple created a book sharing her favorite delicious, easy, and simple recipes. The recipes really are bare minimum and only use 7 ingredients or less, so these are perfect recipes to keep your weekly planning simple and straightforward.

This book is a lifesaver. I’m constantly running around which can make eating quality meals difficult. I also tend to get overwhelmed when trying to meal plan new recipes because they require a million ingredients, some of which I’ll probably never use again. These recipes are easy, fast, and require minimal ingredients. They even include substitutes so you can use what you have. All in all, so pleased with the delicious recipes in this book!

I received Bare Minimum Dinners as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

Bare Minimum Dinners is pretty much what it says on the tin--filling and delicious recipes made for those with limited time, ingredients, and/or skills. I really appreciated the novel way in which it's organized, by asking "What are you lacking?" Time? Here are recipes that come together in less than 3o minutes. Ingredients? Here are recipes with 7 ingredients or less. Cookware? Here are some one-pot or one-dish recipes. It's a really useful set-up, one that I hope to see more of in the future. I think couples and families on the go who may not devote a ton of headspace to cooking will gain the most from Bare Minimum Dinners; real foodies may find it too lightweight. That said, as the world continues to open up from COVID restrictions, we may soon find ourselves out and about with less time to stand over a stove, and Bare Minimum Dinners seems well-positioned to step into that space.

I jumped on this cookbook because who has time to cook Instagram-worthy dinners after a 9-5 -definitely not me. I absolutely loved the way it was organized and the covers. The recipes are well laid out, well explained. In the true essence of the title, the recipes allow you to take less time in the kitchen however I needed more pictures because it's a cookbook.. I look forward to having this cookbook in my kitchen. A huge thanks to the publisher for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

thanks to netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the eARC!

We had recipes that take 30 minutes or less, 7 ingredients or less, single pan/pot dinners, instant pot dinners (we couldn’t do that because we don’t have an instant pot), and easy sides. I loved that she provides substitutes for some recipes-some can be made vegetarian or some vegetarian recipes can have meat added.

She really stresses the importance that if you want to adjust slightly or you don’t have the specific ingredient listed that the food will still taste good and to enjoy the process which I LOVE!! It’s something I struggle with when it comes to cooking and trying new recipes because a lot of times, the recipes use lots of ingredients that either a: I don’t like or b: we don’t have the right things here in Netherlands.

It was so nice to have a cookbook that encourages you to substitute ingredients and focuses more on the joy of cooking and trying new things in your own way. I will be buying this cookbook when it’s published because It’s the one cookbook where I wanted to make every single dish and it helped me fall in love with cooking dinner a little more, giving my husband and I another hobby to bond over, instead of viewing cooking as a boring chore!

This book is full of inspiration with truly bare minimum dinner ideas.

Jenna Helwig also goes the extra mile in categorizing the book with meals that fall under different categories; one pan, insta-pot/slow-cooker, 7 ingredients or less etc. to fit whatever mood or situation you're in. I will definitely be making the recipes in here when I run out of my usual ideas for cooking on the week night.

I really like the thought of bare minimum dinners because so many recipes take so many ingredients and a ton of time to prepare and cook. This cookbook is broken up into really awesome sections - ready in 30 minutes or less; 7 ingredients or less; made in a single pot/pan; instant pot/slow cooker; and easy sides. I'm definitely going to purchase this cookbook when it is published!

Fun cookbook. Enjoyed the recipes. It's always nice to see a new cookbook that give you ideas that aren't too fussy.

Bare Minimum Dinners is a cookbook and strategy guide written by Jenna Helwig. Due out 7th Sept 2021 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, it's 240 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a cookbook for the rest of us. I work full time in healthcare and to say this last couple years have been hectic is a massive understatement. There are so many days when I have come home and none of the adults in the household have had energy to put together much of a dinner at all. This book is packed with good recipes which are streamlined in terms of ingredients, time, hands-on prep, or cleanup.

The introduction includes a good overview of basic tools and supplies including a list of basic staple pots, pans, and tools to have on hand which would be a good jumping off point for newly-fledged folks living on their own for the first time. The rest of the chapters are arranged thematically: time-saving (30 minutes or less), 7 ingredients or fewer, single pot/pan for easy cleanup, instant pot & slow cooker (life savers for me for the last couple years of the pandemic), and easy side dishes to round out dinner.

Ingredient measurements are supplied in American standard measurements only. The nutritional information is not included. Each recipe includes a header with a short description of the recipe and approximate servings. Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in text boxes in the recipes. The recipes themselves are fairly straightforward and are made for the most part with easily sourced ingredients. Many are very simple, none of them are overly complex. The photography is abundant and clear and the recipes are illustrated simply and clearly. Serving suggestions are appealing and appropriate. Nearly all of the recipes also include tips and alternative presentations and variations.

There were, admittedly a couple recipes I tried which didn't thrill me. The refried black bean "burgers" were very very mushy and bland. All of the other recipes can be spiced up and changed up, but that one defeated me.

This cookbook is bare minimum (which is even in the title!). It's not haute cuisine, it's not for fancy company or special dinners. It's for when inspiration refuses to strike standing in front of the refrigerator and peering inside. This would also be a good selection for folks newly living on their own as the recipes are especially beginner friendly and require little in the way of exotic ingredients or tools/supplies.

Four stars.

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

I loved the division of sections in this cookbook. It made it very easy for me to navigate and decide which section I wanted to cook from. It has Bare Minimum Time - Recipes in 30 minutes or less, Bare Minimum Ingredients - 7 ingredients or less, Bare Minimum Cleanup - Dinners that Come Together in Single Pot or Pan, Bare Minimum Hands-On TIme - Recipes for the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker, Bare Minimum Sides - Easy Add-Ons to Round Out Dinner. There are literally sections to pick from depending on how hectic your day is which allows you to get dinner on the table. I liked the Pantry section. I love a well-stocked pantry. I bookmarked quite a few recipes I want to try. I'm looking forward to the Korean Sloppy Joes, Lemony Cod and Potatoes, One-Pan Chicken Dinner and Instant Pot Lemony Shrimp Risotto. I was really excited to see a section of sides that are quick and easy. Often these are neglected. So, while this cookbook may not be for the person that loves to be in the kitchen and cook with exotic ingredients, it's exactly what it claims to be, bare minimum. This book is perfect for the busy person that needs to feed their family.

I have already added this one to my Amazon wishlist.

Special thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Netgalley for this advanced reader copy I received in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book for a fair review:

I love the simplicity of these recipes. So easy to just grab a few ingredients and have a great meal. The thing I really loved is that it gave me a lot more ideas for "pantry dinners" where I just grab whatever I have on hand and create something with it. The instructions were easy to follow. Lots of mix and match recipes to create multiple combinations for dinner. Photographed beautifully.

I first want to thank the author and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this wonderful book!

I picked this book up because I am a mom and quick easy meals are my go to. I was so excited to get into some cook book ARC’s because I usually pull what I am going to eat and make for my family off Pinterest but that gets SO OLD!

I really loved this cook book and the lay out that the author presented it in. She talked a little about herself but then gave you a list of equipment, bare minimums, how to meal plan and reduce food waste. I also really liked that there was an index in the front that listed what the meal was and if it was vegan or my favorite “These are the MVPs”. I thought that was a great touch to this book.

I have already put 3 of the meals on my list to make this week and I am really excited. I like visuals and this book has them for most of the recipes which is super nice. Everything in this book likes amazing, the only thing that I will say is I probably wont be able to make some of the dishes simply because I can not get some of the ingredients where I live. I think that if you live in a large city that offers a variety of ethnic foods, you will be fine!

Over all, this cook book is beautiful and I cant wait to try out some of the meals. They are all pretty simple and I think that if you have everything on hand, these meals will truly only take you 30 mins to make. As a mom, we eat a lot of simple dishes but there were some wonderful swaps to these dishes like a home made mac and cheese and a summer pasta. I am really excited for the enchiladas because the picture looked SO YUMMY!

This cookbook is filled with super beautiful photos and a mixture of simple and complex flavors. A great addition to the collection!

For a book named Bare Minimum Recipes, it certainly delivers. They’re nice recipes for weekdays and the lazy weekends as well. I’ve seen some reviews about the recipes being bland, and I kind of agree.

However, in my opinion recipes should be guidelines. Add spices you like, add ingredients you think would be nice, be creative with it! And just taste as you go 😉

There are some really cool recipes that I cant wait to try, like ‘Skillet Harissa Beef and Cabbage’, ‘Kimchi Cabbage Cakes’ and the ‘Skillet Pizza’. Last night I made the ‘Korean Sloppy Joes’ and it was really good! Ofcourse I did add some kimchi.

It’s a perfect book for families or busy professionals, but also for lazy millennials like myself. It has very few ingredients, its quick, no hassle but it’s still really fun! Its very American (which I am not), but definitely has some international twists which I like. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an Advance Uncorrected Proof of this title. All opinions are honest and my own.

I LOVE this cookbook. I am always looking for simple and tasty meals that don't require a lot of ingredients or too much time. I think many people like me who are strapped for time in the evenings will find this one full of delightful recipes. I enjoyed the imagery paired with most recipes, that's one thing that's a must for me when cooking. Thanks Jenna and Netgalley for allowing me to read this! I'll have to get my hands on a physical copy and share with my friends.