You may have heard me shouting from the rooftops in the last few weeks because….drum roll, please…the Shop the Book App now has ALL FIVE of my cookbooks loaded into it! 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. But let me back up to how and why I created this app in the first place.

Although I preach about how effective it is (because it is!) meal planning wasn’t always so easy for me. I found myself forgetting ingredients I had meant to buy, or forgetting altogether a meal I’d wanted to make. I saw the need for a digital resource where all my recipes could be accessed, where I could also create shopping lists, and map out a whole chunk of dinners at a time. And that’s how the idea for the app was born!

In 2020, with all of us home and with some time on our hands, Ryan coded the app for me. We initially released the app at the end of last year with Celebrations and Healthy in a Hurry loaded up. But my vision has always been to have all my books available on the app. 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 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.

ASK US Q’S

It’s my hope that you find the app very user-friendly! If you have questions about it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to support@daniellewalker.com and we’ll try our very best to guide you. Oh, and if you love it and use it often, we love to have you give it a review inside the app store!

Happy meal planning and enjoy!