I don't know why a perpetual grocery list never occurred to me in the last 30 years, but consider me converted to Emily Ley's way of doing things by page 22 of The Simplified Cookbook! Sometimes, you just need someone else to spell it out for you and hold your hand and Emily is here to do just that. Thank you.

Nothing in here is complicated (hence the title!) so experienced cooks who don't struggle to get multiple meals on the table in a week won't find much that's helpful within the pages, but it's a perfect guide for new cooks, cooks who gained more family members or work responsibilities and find themselves struggling to keep up, and those who'd like to add variety without the stress. There are all kinds of meals in here, even to please the pickiest of eaters, from old standby favorites made simple to newer things made internet famous lately (looking at you, baked feta pasta. Delicious.)

I admit to skipping recipes I find that have more than 6 to 7 ingredients, and I'm happy to report that I don't have to skip any in this book! Except the 3 at the end, which Emily very helpfully categorizes separately as 'Fancy.' She knows her audience well.

I'm still playing around with all the ideas, but everything I've made so far (I think 8 to 10 things) has been well received by my family and has been infinitely easier on my mental load.

Emily Ley, the author of The Simplified Cookbook, is the founder of the bestselling Simplified brand of planners and organisational tools. In this book, she presents the recipes that she has adapted to suit her busy home life. The keyword is simple: most of these recipes need fewer than six ingredients and take less than fifteen minutes to prep. In addition, ingredients can be subbed in and out, and the recipes are meant to be adaptable (no need to use the specific kind of cheese listed) and adjusted to own individual dietary needs. The recipes often use short cuts such as condensed mushroom soup, cake mix, stuffing mix, or ranch seasoning to make them easier to prepare.

The book starts with Kitchen Notes: Emily's top tips on topics such as make-ahead lunch box meals, feeding picky eaters, help for morning chaos, and freezer meals for big life events. The recipes are then divided into sections based on meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert, and Fancy - with a table of contents at the beginning of each section. The final part of the book presents some more useful information (a table of safe cooking/refrigerating temperatures and a list of twenty common substitutions for when you run out of a pantry ingredient like baking powder or soy sauce), followed by an index.

There are a wide variety of recipes, all presented with prep time, cook time, number of servings, ingredients and directions and, occasionally, a small comment from Emily (e.g. "perfect for a potluck"). There are also 5 stamps of approval which are given to specific recipes to help narrow the options down when you're short on time: Picky Eater Approved, Great for Leftovers, Emily's Pick. Easy to Make Ahead, Freezer Friendly. Each section also includes assembly meals: quick, easy dishes that can be made by combining ready-to-use ingredients with little to no cooking, for days when you don't feel like cooking. Notable recipes include ramen noodle salad, baked feta pasta (a version of the viral recipe), and foil packet dinner. I can't wait to try the air fryer salmon bites and the easy shrimp boil!

A recommend read for fans of Jamie Oliver's 5 Ingredients and quick and easy recipes for picky eaters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomes Nelson for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've been a big fan of Ley's work in the organizational space and now her cookbook launch! This book is spot on for my type of meal making. I appreciate the layout of recipes, the tips and tricks, and advice throughout. I already have an extensive selection of food I want to prep for me and my family. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a cookbook for folks on the go or those new to cooking. The tips are creative and helpful, and I appreciate the organization of the book.

I especially loved the breakfast section. I had recently decided it was not worth my time to make my family pancakes from scratch in this busy season of life, however, the recipe for sheet pan pancakes quite literally changed my life (and received my family’s stamp of approval!). Brilliant!

Finally, quite a few recipes use sausage or ham. If those are not your preferred protein, plan a substitution accordingly like Emily Ley suggests at the beginning of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC of this cookbook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This would be a wonderful cookbook for a person who is just starting to learn to cook and wants to make very basic recipes.