My free cookbook companion app is called Shop the Book and it is a free download from the Apple app store, or the Google Play Android app store.

Fun fact – my husband Ryan built this app for all of you!! After years of hearing me tell him that it was a struggle to remember which recipes were in which book and what page number they were on, he came up with the concept. We also wanted a resource to help you really utilize the cookbooks – with meal planning and grocery list making tools. AND something lighter than taking an entire book to the grocery store.

Shop the Book App now has ALL SIX of my cookbooks loaded into it – including my newest release Make It Easy. This means you can create meal plans and access ALL of the book recipes digitally from your phone or device. This has been my dream for a long time, and I’d ultimately also love for cookbooks authored by others to be accessible on the app too.

HOW TO GET IT

The app is called Shop the Book and it is a free download from the Apple app store, or the Google Play Android app store. Just search for “Shop the Book” or “Danielle Walker”. However, it is important to note that the app is a companion to the cookbooks. Meaning, you still need the cookbooks in order to view the full recipes.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Have a specific ingredient you want to use up? Utilize the search bar to find recipes that contain it! For example, if you have lots of cilantro, use the search function (visible when you tap the BOOKS icon), and you’ll instantly see tons of recipes to use what you’ve got. Recipes like Thai Chicken Meatballs with Tamarind Chile Sauce, Carnitas on Tostones, and Green Chile Chicken Soup are just a few of the delicious recipes you’ll see! 
• When you find a recipe you want to make, simply tap it and you’ll be taken to the ingredient list. Scroll to the bottom and click the black “Add All to Shopping List” button to get started creating your weekly shopping list. If an ingredient is needed for more than one recipe, the app will do the math and tell you the total quantity you need.
• Once you add the items to your list, the recipe automatically lands in your MEAL PLANS area. When you tap this icon, you’re shown what recipes you have in your meal plan.
• Want to find a recipe to save for later (but not add to your meal plan)? Simply click the heart next to the title and that will add it to your saved list so you can easily find it later on.
• Want to add non-recipe items to your shopping list (like soap)? Easy!  Just type it into the “search and add ingredients” bar at the top of your grocery list and the app will ask if you want to add it.

HOW TO MEAL PLAN

You can add as many recipes as you’d like to this area, but I generally like to stick to 5-7 recipes at a time. Having more than that tends to distract me. But this system has been a game-changer for me!

Here’s my process:

I sit down for a few quiet minutes (where I can find them, haha) and I add 5-6 recipes to my meal plan for the week. I add all ingredients to my shopping cart with the tap of a button, and then give it a glance to see if I already have any of the items listed.

To remove an item from the list, simply tap the check mark. Once you’ve tapped the items you don’t need to buy, you can tap the menu button on the top right corner. This will ask you if you want to remove completed items. Click that and you’ll see those items you don’t need to purchase removed from your shopping list. This doesn’t remove the ingredient from the recipe, of course, just the shopping list.

Happy meal planning and enjoy!