Below is a list of my favorite recipe developers and cookbooks. These recipe developers and cookbooks have healthy, gut-friendly, gluten-free recipes (often dairy free or can easily be modified), and have been chosen with picky eater approval and family friendliness in mind.

Note: When you see a recipe that’s “paleo”, you can typically assume it’s free of gluten, grains, dairy, corn, soy and other legumes, and artificial ingredients. Always double check if you and/or your child is avoiding these foods, of course.

I don’t follow recipes very often these days, as I tend to “flow” in the kitchen and see how things turn out… Thankfully this tends to work out well for me! But when I first started my health journey and I was focused on cleaning up my diet and healing my gut, finding and following recipes was very helpful for me.

These days, when I’m in a recipe rut and need some new inspiration in my life, these are the recipe developers I turn to and often recommend to clients. Usually I follow the recipe as close as possible the first couple times until I get the hang of it, then I may either keep it as is or put my own twist on it as I add it into my go-to recipes repertoire.

Take a look, browse their sites and cookbooks, get inspired, and start cookin’! I hope you and your family love these!

 

Favorite Recipe Developers & Cookbooks

Shawna Holman of A Little Less Toxic®:

Shawna’s book, A Healthier Home Cook: Whole Food Recipes, Techniques, and Tips for Families That Want to Eat A Little Less Toxic is so much more than just a cookbook. It is a beautiful resource for anyone who is navigating or embarking on a holistic nutrition and/or low tox living, sharing how to make your kitchen “a little less toxic” (from info on pots and pans, cooking utensils, aluminum foil, parchment paper, and more).

 
 

I was so honored to learn that Shawna included me/my website in her Resources section at the back of the book. ☺️ I didn’t know this before she published and I would recommend the book regardless! It’s a wonderful cookbook.

 

Julie Matthews, MS of Nourishing Hope + the BioIndividual Nutrition Institute:

If you’ve been following along with my journey, you may already know that Julie Matthews’ work has been transformative for me, both personally and professionally. Julie is a renown nutritionist specializing in children with autism, ADHD, anxiety, and neurodevelopmental delays. She is also one of my greatest nutrition teachers and I cannot recommend her book and work enough!

Her latest book, The Personalized Autism Nutrition Plan is, in my opinion, the go-to resource guide to nutrition and special diets for parents of children navigating autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. It is laid out in a way that helps parents understand the why and how behind special diets for these kids, while also keeping it practical for families. While this isn’t a standard “cookbook” per se (you won’t find any photos of meals), Julie includes 50 delicious gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free recipes for families.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Super Paleo Snacks: 100 Delicious Low-Glycemic, Gluten-Free Snacks That Will Make Living Your Paleo Lifestyle Simple & Satisfying by Landria Voight, C.H.H.C.:

While the title focuses on “snacks”, don’t let that steer you away from this one. I’ve found that many of these recipes can serve as parts of regular meals for children. These recipes are especially great for children’s lunch boxes, outings, etc.

 
 
 

Renee Kohley of Raising Generation Nourished:

Don’t let “baby food” on the cover make you shy away from this book! It’s really applicable for the whole family, but is especially great for families who have littles ones in the early feeding stages. This book will show you how to make one gut-healthy nourishing meal for you family, then break it down and/or reconstruct it to your child’s early feeding needs.

 
 
 

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