January is over and most of us are back into our regular (post/non-holiday) routines. It always takes me a few weeks to get back into the swing of things after the holidays, but when I do it feels oh so good. My personal goals this month have been simple and straight-forward – move more, eat less and cook more at home.

Cooking at home comes naturally to me (obviously), but that doesn’t mean I don’t get bored. We all get into cooking ruts from time to time, but the worst time to get into a cooking rut is when you are trying to lose a few pounds and eat right. That’s where today’s giveaway comes in. I’m so excited to share with you these 4 healthy cookbooks that I’ve received recently. The authors and publishers of these books have generously given me a copy to review and a copy (of each) to share with one lucky reader as well! Yep, that’s right, someone is going to win 4 new cookbooks!

(If you are a cookbook lover and collector like me then I am hoping you are excited too 🙂 )

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If there is one meal my kids get excited about, it’s kebabs. I’m not sure what it is about kebabs, but when I say that’s what we are having for dinner I always get a big “HURRAY!” from everyone. It makes me wonder why I don’t make them more often.

This simple and flavorful kebab recipe comes from the newest cookbook from the people at America’s Test Kitchen. It’s named 6 Ingredient Solution and when I was asked if I wanted to check out a copy for review, I couldn’t resist after reading it’s name. 6 ingredients?? Right before the busy school year is about to start? Yes, please. Talk about perfect timing.

As with all of their other cookbooks, America’s Test Kitchen 6 Ingredient Solution is chock full of recipes and tips that are tried and true. I always learn something new from the side notes that are included with each recipe – sometimes it’s a favorite ingredient that they prefer to use, most of the time it’s a technique with an unfamiliar (or familiar!) ingredient.

This Aloha Kebabs with Sesame Rice recipe is a busy weeknight dinner’s dream come true. The ingredient list is what drew me in, I always have cooked chicken sausage in the freezer and they defrost super quick (for someone who always forgets to defrost, that is a good thing). The rest of the straight-forward ingredients can be easily found already in your pantry (hoisin, sesame oil, rice) or picked up at the grocery store (peppers and pineapple). Cooking up the kebabs under the broiler with minimal effort on my part – as opposed to grilling them – was also something that intrigued me. This dinner literally came together in just about 30 minutes (give or take – with prep), and I can see it being even faster if you take a few minutes to put the kebabs together earlier in the day before dinnertime.

I even got my daughter involved with dinner prep, which is something I admit I don’t often do. Brushing on the hoisin sauce was a perfect job for her!

A few (several, actually) recipes from the cookbook I think my family will love:

Chicken Pizzaiola with Pasta

Polenta Casserole with Sausage and Peppers

Roasted Tomato and Corn Tostadas

Meatloaf Florentine

Egg, Ham and Hashbrown Pie

Mushroom-Miso Soup with Shrimp and Udon

Roasted Cod Fillets with Crispy Potatoes and Lemon

Dinner is served – enjoy!

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I think it’s safe to say most of us have the same mindset when it comes to eating come the New Year, right? Eat healthier. It is what it is, but we most often find ourselves indulging over the holidays (rightfully so!) and by the time January 1 rolls around, we are feeling pretty lousy and are ready for a fresh, clean start – as well as a miracle to get those holiday pounds to melt off. (Or is this just me? Please tell me it isn’t.)

I always find myself motivated to cook healthier meals when I get a new cookbook in my hand. Especially a cookbook focused on healthy or whole food based recipes, like the ones I am featuring here today. And, guess what? Not only am I featuring these awesome healthy cookbooks, but thanks to some generous authors, publishers (and a small gift from me), I’m also giving a copy of each away to one lucky reader to help kick start a new year of good healthy cooking! With a collection like this in your kitchen, you can’t help but be inspired to make good choices and cook great meals that your body (and family) will thank you for.

Ancient Grains for Modern Meals – It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a year since I first reviewed this book and made this Summer Tabouli with Farro recipe. If one of your goals is to incorporate more whole grains into your diet, then this is a cookbook you have to add to your collection. Not only is it filled with straight-forward, fresh and beautiful recipes, but author Maria Speck really takes the time to educate you on the selection, the preparation and tastes of the many different types of whole grains that are becoming more readily available to all of us these days. I started to incorporate more and more whole grains into my diet over the last several years and have noticed a great difference in my health and how I feel after a meal. It’s not a secret around here – I love whole grains.

Recipes I can’t wait to try: Chewy Almond Butter Bars, Spring Pilaf with Artichokes and Green Peas, Rustic Linguine with Summer Herbs and Olives, Warm Oat Berries with Walnuts and Gorgonzola

Clean Eating for Busy Families – I just recently discovered this cookbook after my friend Liz posted about it on her instagram as well as her blog. It immediately caught my eye for a few reasons – I love “clean eating”, I have a busy family and every recipe sounded absolutely delicious and something that I would make in my own kitchen. Most of us who are truly trying to eat healthy on a regular basis often fall into cooking ruts or burnouts when you just can’t think of another healthy family friendly meal on your own, at least I know this happens to me. It’s hard to keep everyone happy and healthy at the same time, and when I fall into this rut we end up eating more quickie meals that consist of processed foods and other stuff that’s just really not great for us. What I love about Michelle Dudash’s book as that most of the recipes take 30 minutes or less and use ingredients that I would normally have on hand. She also includes very helpful shopping lists, tools, tips and words of encouragement throughout her book that can get you on the clean eating track.

Recipes I can’t wait to try: Turkey, Vegetable & Oat Mini-Meatloaves with Marinara Sauce, Sizzling Sichuan Shrimp & String Bean Stir Fry, Pinto Bean & Avocado Taquitos, Macaroni & Cheesy Cauliflower Sauce, Orange Peel Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry, Garden Caesar Pasta Salad

The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook – If you’re familiar with American Test Kitchen cookbooks, then you know that you aren’t just getting recipes when you bring home one of their books. I have only checked out a couple from the library but am so happy to finally own a copy of this one in particular. This cookbook is chock full of charts, techniques and tips from how to prep and how long to cook different types of vegetables, how to poach salmon, how to prepare spaghetti squash, to how to slice chicken for stir fries. Every page I turn, I learn something new, including what kitchen tools and products have been successfully used in their recipes. This cookbook is a healthy cook’s treasure and I am so happy to be sharing it with you all here.

Recipes I can’t wait to try: Green Goddess Dip, Lemony Steamed Spa Fish, Pan Seared Shrimp with Tomato and Avocado, Chickpea Cakes with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce, Brown Rice Bowl with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables, Skillet Rice and Beans with Corn and Fresh Tomaotes

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