This week I am excited to share a few autoimmune protocol (AIP) cookbooks I love!
Whether you are starting the AIP, curious about AIP recipes, looking to help support a loved one on the AIP, simply trying to eat healthier, or want to try new recipes on your AIP journey, these autoimmune protocol (AIP) cookbooks are great resources for you!
Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Cookbooks
The Paleo Approach Cookbook by Sarah Ballantyne, Phd
This cookbook is a wealth of information! It is the companion to The Paleo Approach, and boasts over 200 healing recipes with hundreds of variations! The first hundred pages cover “The Basics” – everything you need to know to get started in the kitchen on the AIP.
This cookbook is a great resource for AIP beginners who are looking for many basic ingredients as well as additional AIP information! If you are a seasoned AIPer, this cookbook is also a great resource for a reminder of nutrient density and to change things up. More involved AIP recipes are also included.
What I love about it
My current favorite feature of this cookbook is the nutrition facts listed for every recipe. While I do not count or track calories, I love seeing the nutritional content of the recipes. I particularly look at the vitamin and mineral breakdowns, and looking at the types of protein, fats, and carbohydrates is interesting too!
My favorite recipes
Garden Salad (page 160)
While not a traditional recipe, I love this lengthy and extensive list of leafy greens, salad veggie extras, salad herb extras, salad fat and proteins extras, salad fruit extras, and extra crunches! While I cannot say I am a salad fan, salads are an easy to make, easy to take on the go, AIP nutrient dense meal. This list helps me to think outside the box when it comes to salads and reminds me to change things up.
Salad Dressing (page 126)
This page includes 5 different easy to make AIP salad dressing options! The basic vinaigrette is the first homemade AIP salad dressing I made, and is still one of my favorites!
Kale Chips (page 166)
I made these AIP kale chips for the first time on a lazy Sunday afternoon when I was hungry for something crunchy. While kale chips sounded anything but appealing to me, I loved these! I will say my kids are not a fan…yet.
The Paleo Approach Cookbook is available to order on Amazon here.
The Nutrient Dense Kitchen by Mickey Trescott, NTP
This beautiful AIP cookbook features 125 AIP recipes. The first few chapters of The Nutrient Dense Kitchen include an introduction to the author and her inspiring story, an entire chapter explaining the importance of nutrient density, a chapter devoted to the ins and outs of the autoimmune protocol, as well as a chapter detailing food quality and food sourcing.
In addition to the 125 AIP recipes, there is an entire chapter dedicated to meal plans, including seasonal, budget, nutrivore, and two-person meal plans. The appendixes of The Nutrient Dense Kitchen include a special considerations table for Low Fodmap, Coconut-free, Low-carb/Keto, One-Pot, Instant-Pot, and 45 minutes of less.
What I love About It
I love the extra tidbit of information at the bottom of the recipes on one featured ingredient! For someone like me, who is still relatively new to clean eating and nutrient dense cooking, I love the chance to learn a little something extra without feeling overwhelmed by too much information.
Also, as silly as it may sound, I love the beautiful pictures, and the sturdiness of the hard cover!
My Favorite Recipes
Bacon-Chard Turkey Skillet (page 197)
This is a great recipe to food prep, and have on hand for meals throughout the week. I found it freezes well, and is family friendly! I love to reheat in a skillet with coconut oil, and I love to add in some cinnamon too! This is a great option for AIP breakfasts.
Marjoram-Scented Chicken Patties (page 201)
My whole family loves this recipe! These flavorful chicken burgers are a breeze to make, and a much more exciting version of the quick chicken burgers I used to make. I love this recipe for busy nights with kids activities! This recipe also scores high for me because it feeds my family of four with leftovers for our family to have another meal or me to have for multiple meals. These reheat on a skillet very well!
Bison Shepherd’s Pie (page 233)
This is one of my husband’s favorite AIP recipes! I love it too! If you are not a fan of bison, you can swap out for ground beef. The recipe calls for making it in a skillet. I bake it in a 13×9 casserole dish. As yummy as this recipe is, this is one of those recipes that tastes even better the next day! Another great recipe to food prep, or to have leftovers.
The Nutrient Dense Kitchen is available to order on Amazon here.
The Healing Kitchen by Alaena Haber, MS, OTR and Sarah Ballantyne, PhD
This cookbook boasts over 175 recipes, and meal plans and tips for practically any situation! The first few chapters introduce us to the author’s inspiring stories, explain what healthy eating is, details healing through food, explains what and how to eat, and goes over kitchen basics. The appendix includes resources and a reference for quick meals, no cook meals, and more.
This is actually the first AIP cookbook I bought, without ever realizing it was AIP! Although my intentions when I bought the book were the best, I did not actually cook a recipe from it until well into my AIP journey. Looking for an AIP cookbook, I felt shocked to realize I already unknowingly owned one!
What I love about it
I love chapter 3 on what and how to eat, particularly the sections on getting back in the kitchen, eating on the go, multitasking in the kitchen, and batch cooking. Such great information for beginners to healthy cooking, and for busy moms!
My favorite recipes
While I do not often eat desserts, both of my favorite recipes from The Healing Kitchen are dessert recipes! These are my go-to favorite, easy to make, dessert recipes when I feel like a summertime treat!
Cinnamon Banana Ice Cream (page 302)
This recipe is so simple and easy to make, but really does hit the spot when I feel like ice cream! There is a serving suggestion to pair it with AIP roasted strawberries, or AIP Hot Fudge, but I have not yet tried either since I love the banana ice cream by itself!
Toasted Coconut Cream Pops (page 306)
I love this so much! In addition to the yumminess of this recipe, it’s hard to beat only spending 5 minutes of prep time to make 5-6 pops! Note: the recipe says “makes 4 pops,” but it usually makes 5-6 with the popsicle molds I have. Score!
Some other favorite Healing Kitchen recipes my AIP friends rave about: thin pizza crust (page 120), pizza recipes, hamburger stew (page 152), and even the more basic recipes!
The Healing Kitchen is available to order on Amazon here.
More Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Cookbooks Coming Soon!
I am so excited for these AIP cookbooks that will be coming out soon!
The Autoimmune Protocol Comfort Food Cookbook: 100+ Nourishing Allergen-Free Recipes by Michelle Hoover
Release date: September 10, 2019
This AIP cookbook will feature many of our favorite comfort foods, AIP compliant!
You can preorder The Autoimmune Protocol Comfort Food Cookbook here.
The Autoimmune Protocol Meal Prep Cookbook: Weekly Meal Plans and Nourishing Recipes That Make Eating Healthy Quick & Easy by Sophie Van Tiggelen
Release date: November 19, 2019
This AIP cookbook will feature 10 weekly AIP-compliant menus, shopping lists, and instructions for batch cooking!
You can preorder The Autoimmune Protocol Meal Prep Cookbook here.
Other blog posts you may enjoy:
What is the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)?
Do I REALLY Eat According to the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) ALL the time?
My Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Story
