What's better than a meal that is easy to put together, visually pleasing, healthy and allows for a quick clean
 up?  Build-A-Bowl  Very nice!
 I have to admit as a home cook that loves cookbooks I was a bit sceptical about a digital e-book cookbook. I received an advance readers copy of the book and was not disappointed at all. It has all the best features of a cookbook, great photos and directions that are simple to follow...It is informative with photographs to help familiarize the reader with the many types of grains that are used. Creating a meal in a bowl with all the nutrients needed along with wonderful flavours and textures is a winner in my kitchen and I am sure it would be in many homes.
 I can certainly see myself coming back to this book again and again and I am already thinking of the different people in my circle who would enjoy a book like this. From the young ones who are just out on their own and learning to cook to the more seasoned, skilled cook looking for new ideas.

This is a beautifully designed cookbook with really inventive ideas. The concept an entire meal in a single bowl isn't revolutionary but the flavours and combinations are. The use of various grain types mixed with delightful sounding sauces makes me extremely excited for when I can get a hard copy of this book in my hands.

A great book, that proves that healthy deosn’t mean boring! Colourful and bright. Exciting new ways to have salad. With 77 filling and nutritious meals, what more could you want for lunch or dinner, for one person or the whole family!

This is very informative, it has information on grains and other ingredients and info and pictures on all the grains used in the book. The recipes look very delicious and the pictures are wonderful. 
The downside is the cooking and prep times. Without batch cooking the grains each recipe seems to take at least 30 minutes with some exceptions.

I loved this incredibly visual cookbook! The photos, fonts, and ways that the pages and recipes are displayed are so eye catching and make you WANT to try the recipes. I love that she gives exact measurements on each ingredient for the bowl, as well as tips on big batch prepping (on stove top AND rice cooker!), combining textures/colors, etc. I have been intrigued by the idea of "bowl" dinners for quite some time and really enjoyed reading this cookbook. I can't wait to try the recipes. The options within this book vary from breakfast to dinner, sweet to salty, and everywhere in between. There are sweet breakfast bowls, Mexican flavored bowls, Asian inspired ones, anything you can think of is in this book. Though I am not one to personally enjoy cooked grains for breakfast (oatmeal, etc.) there are tons of options in here for those of you who do enjoy those. From Italian to Moroccan, this book is packed full of flavorful and exciting bowl combinations. A few recipes that I specifically cannot wait to try: Huevos Rancheros, Green Beans and Grains, Grilled Pepper & Sweet Corn Salad, Greek Goodness Salad, Marinated Bean Salad, Buddha Bowls, Easiest-Ever White Bean Soup, Roasted Cauliflower and Squash with Black Beans and Avocado + Creamy Chipotle Sauce, Asian Meatballs with Sesame Broccoli + Sweet Spicy Glaze, Chipotle Marinated Hanger Steak, Lightened Up Chili Bowls, Roasted Shrimp with Snow Peas & Sweet Corn + Mint & Cilantro Sauce, Roasted Salmon and Asparagus, and so many more. I love the the recipes are very mix and match as well and that she gives ideas for alternate sauces, multiple ways to cook the eggs, etc. as you go. I think that this is an excellent resource for someone looking to try some exciting new recipes, and try out the concept of dinner bowls. I also loved her tip on serving the items in separate piles on a plate for picky kiddos. That way they can eat separately, or make their own bowls. I highly recommend this cookbook. I'll update once I have tried a few of the recipes!

I received a free e-copy of Build-a-bowl by Nicki Sizemore from NetGalley for my honest review.

First of all I am absolutely in love with this cookbook. Three weeks ago I hired a personal trainer and I train with her 3 days per week. I also am being very strict with what I am putting in my body. This is the perfect book for me and anyone who wants to eat healthy. The recipes are wonderful and easy for anyone to make. The book outlines how to create a healthy bowl with a grain, veggies, protein, sauce and a bit of crispy. I will be purchasing this book for my kitchen. My favorite recipe in the book was the Huevos Rancheros, hands down. Other likes were Vegetable & Quinoa Fry up with eggs, Greek Goodness Salad, Kale Cleanse Salad, Buddha Bowls and Chicken Burrito Bowls. Healthy, amazing, easy meals for anyone. Teaches you to use what you have.

This is simply one of the most beautiful cookbooks I have ever read through. Sizemore is down to earth and explains her use of various ingredients as well as things you could substitute them for. As a family with different food allergies, this is very helpful. Sizemore also avoided hard to find ingredients and explained where the lesser known could be found. The pictures of the bowls are stunning. I have already pre-ordered a physical copy for myself as well as a gift for a friend who I know will love it! I cannot wait to try these recipes out. Thank you Storey Publishing for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

Nicki Sizemore's Build a Bowl: 77 Satisfying & Nutritious Combos: Whole Grain + Vegetable + Protein + Sauce = Meal promises to give us a fuss-free customizable fun and healthy way to put good food on the table, and she delivers! Using Sizemore’s easy formula, we can create healthy, quick meals sure to satisfy the whole family. One of the best aspects of the recipes provided is that you can substitute ingredients in the recipes to fit your tastes or availability in your area. She’s taken the guesswork out of trying to figure out what’s for dinner. These recipes allow for easy meal planning and room to showcase your own creativity with the recipes. My favorites were the Sunshine Citrus and Coconut Cream, the Grilled Pepper and Sweet Corn Salad with Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing, the Asian Meatballs with Sesame Broccoli and a Sweet and Spicy Glaze, and the Chicken Burrito Bowls and Guacamole. I really enjoyed taking Sizemore’s culinary journey, and using these recipes as a base to create new ones. I loved this book so much, I plan on purchasing my own copy

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  From the publisher --- 														
Build-a-Bowl is a fun and healthy way to put good food on the table! Popular food blogger and teacher Nicki Sizemore’s fuss-free method starts with a grain base, whether it’s a popular favourite such as brown rice or an ancient grain like farro. Add a layer of fresh vegetables and herbs, follow that with a lean protein, then finish it off with a flavorful sauce for a delectable super-powered meal. 
Sizemore’s 77 creative combinations range from the Chicken Sausage Meatballs Bowl to the Crispy Fish Taco Bowl and the vegan-friendly Double Broccoli Power Bowl. Suitable for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, the beauty of the bowl is that every combination can be customized, making it a perfect solution for feeding everyone at the table with their favourites — happily and easily.

I love bowl meals: in fact, I like to buy bowls to make my bowls in.  So many great ideas are presented in this book and I like the "Whole Grain+Vegetable+ Protein+Sauce=Meal formula presented as it gives one the permission to go wild with ingredients that you have on hand.  Fabulous cookbook for bowl-lovers and newbies to the idea....yummy all around.

I’ve noticed that bowls have become very popular. When I page through almost any magazine,  I  can’t help but notice pictures of them. Unfortunately, a lot of the recipes don’t sound as appealing as the photos look, so itwas time for me to figure out how to make them my way. That’s what I like most about this cookbook. 

This book starts off with the quantity of each kind of ingredient  you want to pull together to make a bowl with  suggestions of what to use. Next, there are very helpful ideas  about how  to choose and  cook your choice of grain.  After that, the author has added some recipes to get started.

Here is a partial list of recipes included in the book: Banana bread bowl; apple crisp bowl, millet muesli; peaches and cream; superfood morning; triple-chocolate buckwheat;  asparagus and eggs; huevos rancheros; lentils, mushrooms and arugula; roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts; vegetable & quinoa fry-up with eggs; Greek goodness salad; quick and easy Thai-style curry;  roasted beets, carrots and cauliflower;  pan-fried falafel; black rice and white bean salad and Buddha bowls. 

With such an astonishing yummy set of recipes, I’m not so sure I want to invent my own. I’ll be happy eating these for some time to come.

"GRAINS + VEGETABLES + PROTEIN + SAUCE + GARNISH = SUPERPOWER MEAL!"

I absolutely love this healthy build-a-bowl concept! We have a new restaurant in town offering these exact types of meals, and since checking it out, I've recreated the idea at home by cooking bulk brown rice then adding whatever to it. However, in this cookbook, the author educates you on just about every edible whole grain on the planet and the options are literally endless! 

Nicki Sizemore's goal with the Build-a-Bowl cookbook is to provide families with easy ways to make homemade, healthy, and delicious meals from breakfast to dinner every day of the week. With eternal combinations and various flavors and textures, this cookbook's 77 recipes are sure to have some winning ideas for everyone out there. While these meals are not designed to be super-quick in their preparation, Ms. Sizemore educates how to make select components in advance so that each meal can be prepared in under an hour. Dietary restrictions are taken into account: every recipe is naturally gluten-free as long as the home cook chooses to use a gluten-free grain (which are all labeled for educational purposes), there are numerous plant-based dishes and noted variations for vegetarians, and if you are on a grain-free diet, Ms. Sizemore suggests to just leave out the grain component or use your preferred substitute. 

I am so happy to have been able to review this cookbook. I've been wanting to explore this meal concept more and now I have all the education and ideas I could possibly need. Thank you Nicki Sizemore!

Thank you to the following for permitting me access to an advance reader's copy (ARC) of Build-a-Bowl. This generosity did not impact my honesty when rating/reviewing.
Source: NetGalley
Author: Nicki Sizemore
Publisher: Storey Publishing
Genres: Cooking, Food & Wine
Pub Date: September 4, 2018

The good:  this book has a lot of awesome details, particularly a breakdown of the best way to prepare all kinds of different grains.  The portions in it are also very much like what one preparing for a weight loss surgery is meant to have pre-surgery (1/2 veggie, 1/4 protein, 1/4 grain), so a lot of the recipes can be fit into that diet nicely.  Awesome!  Also, every single recipe looked super tasty.  All of the meals were available with a gluten free adjustment (if it wasn't gluten free to begin with), and there were many that were vegetarian or vegan options that still had plenty of protein.

The bad:  there's no caloric breakdowns or any of the other nutrition details.  Sort of a big deal, particularly if you're promoting healthy eating in a cookbook.  Sadly, that's such a big deal to me that it means 2 stars need to go away.

I love a bowl, thank you Chipotle, and this book is full of yummy sounding combinations. It's always fun to come across new varieties that I haven't tried yet. I'll definitely be adding this one to my cookbook collection!

Cute, hands on, easy to follow guide to learning how to easily construct healthy, balanced bowls of food. Make ahead options are included, as well as a few variations. I liked many of the recipes, as well as the basic information provided that would enable the reader to start inventing custom, healthy dishes to their liking.

Thank you Netgalley  for the advance electronic copy of Build-a -bowl by Nicki Sizemore.  Firstly let me say this is a beautifully illustrated book, the photographs are vibrant and very well done.  I am vegan therefore not all the recipes are suitable however I found most of the sauces and the section on the vegetable and legumes really great.  I love this book as well as the recipes I also love the visuals - it is a beautiful book and I will definitely be purchasing the hard copy. thanks you.

Okay, this cookbook is right up my alley! I jumped on the chance to request this on NetGalley because I am a huge fan of Buddah Bowls, and things of the like. The first thing that i noticed about this book that was different about other  Bowl Recipes that I've come across is that it takes the time to make sure you truly know what your doing with your grains. They've given some unique suggestions for grains, which is amazing because we're all going to get sick of brown rice at some point. Filled with everything from breakfast meals, to lunch and dinner this book truly has it all. My favorite thing about these bowls is that they are perfect for meal prepping, as they can be made in bulk and placed in the fridge for a few days at a time. Now excuse me while  I ransack my kitchen to see what recipe I can make for tomorrow's lunch. 

I have received a much appreciated digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.