Former Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County star Kristin Cavallari comes out with her third cookbook today, Truly Simple, featuring 140 healthy recipes for weekday cooking, and in the reality star’s own words is a good reflection of where her life is now.

Living in Nashville with three kids, Cavallari is at peace with her current work/life balance, which she says is more life.

“In my other cookbooks, True Roots and True Comfort, I was super strict about ingredients. There was nothing white – no white flour, sugar or salt. That’s still very close to how I eat, but I’ve become a little more lax, which is reflective in Truly Simple. It’s still mostly gluten-free, there’s no cow’s milk other than butter in there and some white sugar in a few recipes.

Kristin Cavallari

“I was never super strict with my kids’ diets, because I think they end up going the opposite way,” says Cavallari, who penned this book solo without the help of a chef this time around. “I wasn’t buying cane sugar, but I’ve gotten a little more lax. A little of it is not going to kill you and I believe everything in moderation. Having food freedom is really nice. For so long I was just trying to control everything and now I’m just calmer and more peaceful in my life, which shows in my cooking.”

 

Not claiming to be a chef in any way shape or form, the recipes are easy, like an oatmeal cream pie inspired by son Jackson and blue blueberry muffins with spirulina. There’s also cheesy stuffed poblanos and a veggie rice bowl with sweet tahini sauce for lunch and a quick Tuscan spaghetti squash casserole for dinner.

“I think we’re all our own worst critics and most of the pressure of what to eat comes from ourselves,” says Cavallari. “Does it help that I’m not on TV as much? Probably. 

TV’s different. I got thrown into TV when I was so young. I never had a chance to take a moment and even realize if I liked it. I rode the wave and I had a lot of fun, but there’s definitely a level of stress that comes with that. Not that I don’t enjoy it; there’s a part of me that loves the glamorous part of it. But I’m a homebody and love being able to work from home and be a mom. That’s where I’m the happiest. This cookbook I got to work on from my house. For about four months, I would take my kids to school, go to the grocery store and then cook all day in my leggings with no makeup on. That’s absolute heaven for me and the perfect life.”

Kristin Cavallari

Blue Blueberry Muffins from TRULY SIMPLE (Aubrie Pick)

Here’s a Truly Simple recipe for Blue Blueberry Muffins from the mom of three:

I’m a huge fan of sneaking in vitamins and minerals for my kids whenever I can without them necessarily knowing — and definitely without sacrificing any flavor. These muffins are actually blue because of the spirulina. My kids think this is “cool,” but little do they know that spirulina is a superfood, offering a major health boost. You can’t taste the spirulina. It just makes for fun muffins, which is perfect when hosting a bunch of kids, as I often do.

Makes 16

2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons oat flour

3 teaspoons blue spirulina

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup pure maple syrup

½ cup nut milk of choice (I like Brazil Nut Milk; page 261)

3 large eggs

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ cup virgin coconut oil, melted

1 cup fresh blueberries

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a muffin tin with liners.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, spirulina, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, nut milk, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla and coconut oil until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the blueberries until just combined.
  4. Pour the batter into the muffin tin, filling each cup about two-thirds of the way. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. The muffins will keep well in an airtight container on the counter for about a week.

 

Recipe from TRULY SIMPLE. Copyright © 2023 by Kristin Cavallari

Photography copyright © 2023 by Aubrie Pick

Published by Rodale Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.
 Reprinted with permission.



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