Book Review: Supermarket Healthy by Melissa D'Arabian

I love Melissa D'Arabian!  She can take what looks like a complicated dish and simplify it until I really think I can make it, too!  I've really been trying to eat healthier recently, and since I've got a family, I'd like to cook healthier meals for them, since cooking multiple meals is no fun.  Also, have you noticed how much more expensive it is to buy healthy foods?  On top of that, I shop at Kroger.  If there are any health food stores nearby, I certainly don't know about them.  So I got this cookbook that claims it can help me cook healthy meals that my family will eat and that won't break the bank in the process. 

This cookbook uses Melissa's customary methods of using lighter, leaner cuts of meat, bulking up with veggies and combining expensive ingredients with cheaper ones to make great meals for not a lot of money.  All of these ingredients can be purchased at your supermarket! 

This book contains great recipes for every meal of the day from breakfast to snacks, to dinner and dessert and everything in between.  She provides the reader/cooker with plans to change up recipes and make them your own.  Her recipes also include a lot of spices to really increase flavor.  Some of the recipes I want to try are: Moroccan Slow Cooker Chicken Legs and Chickpeas, Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, Pine Nuts and Penne, Roasted Zucchini Lasagna and Roasted Whole Cauliflower with Brown Butter.  And that's only a few!  It remains to be seen if my husband will try these dishes or not, but I think they sound delicious.

So far I have tried one recipe, and it was so good I made it a second time, and it's on my menu again next week!  It's Creamy Brown Rice "Risotto" and it is creamy and rich and only 205 calories per serving!  It is very simple to make, but really tastes like it should be complicated.  I guarantee that this side dish is going to go in my repertoire to be pulled out often! 

Not all of these recipes will be to everyone's taste, but I think nearly everyone will be able to find at least a few that they like.  Supermarket Healthy really makes cooking at home and eating healthy, delicious food possible for those of us who don't even have a Whole Foods Market in our state, much less in our community!  While all of the ingredients may not be things that I typically have on hand, I didn't see one ingredient that I couldn't purchase at Kroger.  I love this cookbook and hope to make many recipes from it in the future!

Happy and Healthy Reading!

Lyndsie 

Book Review: Snack Girl to the Rescue by Lisa Cain

When it comes to diet books that are touted as "Weight Watchers friendly" I have read many.  I'm always on the lookout for new, tasty foods that won't make me feel guilty and gain a ton of weight.  Obviously the Weight Watchers cookbooks themselves would seem like a great option, but who has the time for all those steps and ingredients?  Not me.  Then there is the popular Hungry Girl series.  I like those books and have read and own several, but my problem with those comes with the odd ingredients.  I don't want to eat soy crumbles in place of hamburger or noodle substitutes instead of pasta.  While I have made multiple recipes from both of these sources, I'm always on the lookout for something better and different.

Enter Snack Girl.  The recipes in this book are beyond amazing.  Out of the whole book there may have been three or four recipes that I don't hope to try.  Every one looked tasty, healthy and, above all, easy to make!  The pasta dishes contained real pasta and the tacos had real hamburger meat!  No substitutes here!  The ingredient lists weren't long, and I didn't see a single one that I couldn't find at my local Kroger.  No complicated steps were involved, and there were even recipes for the slow cooker.  And every recipe has less than 400 calories per serving.  I entered a few into my PointsPlus calculator and the highest points I found was 8.  I love the entrees, but the snacks were great, too, and even cookies for dessert!

This book was so much more than just a cookbook.  Recently I've been more aware that there are bad things in the foods we eat, but Lisa really broke it down for me.  For instance, why is brown rice better than white rice?  I didn't know until I read this book.  Is there really any fruit in the toaster pastries you buy with fruit pictures on the box?  Why is it better to cook your food at home than to eat out?  This book has answers to these questions and many more.  Lisa tells the story of her life and how she went from eating what she wanted and being healthy, to being told by her doctor that she needed to lose weight.  She tried every diet out there (been there, done that!) and gives legitimate reasons why they don't work.  I felt like someone was telling my own story about realizing that if you want to be skinny and healthy, you're going to have to put forth extra effort. 

I had never heard of Lisa's Snack Girl blog before, but since reading this book I have become a subscriber.  This is also the first book that I have reviewed that I will actually buy as a hardcopy for myself.  This is the kind of book that I need within handy reach in my kitchen all the time.  It needs pages turned down, food stains on the pages and notes written in the margins.  This is the first cookbook I've read where I felt like the author really "gets" me.  Lisa Cain understands that grocery stores in small towns don't carry a lot of crazy health foods--and who wants to spend all that money on it anyways?  She made me realize that I don't  have to feel guilty for buying my fruit and vegetables at the grocery store rather than a farmer's market.  And she tells me it's okay if I lose control of myself sometimes at a party and eat more that I planned.  But she also helped me to realize that when I allow myself a treat in exchange for some exercise, it usually doesn't equal up.  It's better to say "no" to that doughnut than to promise myself I'll work it off later--when I probably won't anyways.  She understands, too, what it means to be a mom and just not have the time to take for herself. 

This is a book for everyone who wants to eat healthy, whether it be through calorie counting or Weight Watchers.  It's a book of real food and real recipes that are healthy and good for you.  I loved every page and can't wait to read it again...and again!

Happy Reading (and healthy eating!)

Lyndsie

I was given a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. 

       

Book Review: The Calories In Calories Out Cookbook

What if you could eat every meal with the confidence of knowing just how much exercise you would need to do to "work it off?"  With The Calories In Calories Out Cookbook you can!  This cookbook is unlike anything I've ever seen before.  In addition to the great recipes, it will tell you how many minutes of walking or jogging you need to do to burn off that meal.  What a great concept!  Every recipe also contains swaps for preparing it with less calories, and also other dishes that go well with it.

The book is broken down into sections by calorie count: "0 to 199," "200-299," and "300-399."  No single recipe has more than 399 calories as long as you don't add any extras.  Each section is also broken down by the type of meal:  Breakfast, Vegetarian Mains, Seafood, Salads, Desserts, Red Meat, White Meat, etc.  This makes it easier to find exactly what you need at a glance.

The book also has a forward explaining what calories are, how they got their name, where they came from, what they do and how to burn them off.  I found this to be an extremely boring part to read, so I actually skipped over most of it.  What I did find interesting was a equation that you can use to figure out exactly how many calories your body needs every day.  I've often wondered what my goal should be.  It was very eye-opening to me to see how long I'd have to walk or jog to burn off what I ate.  For instance, I loved the recipe for Banana Pecan Muffins.  They have 167 calories each.  I'd have to walk for 41 minutes or jog for 19 minutes to burn that off!  I will definitely be giving that number some consideration the next time I dig into a cheeseburger!

Overall, if you're committed to losing weight by maintain a low-calorie diet, this book would be  great choice for you.  The recipes aren't for beginning cooks, but they aren't difficult.  They don't require a lot of strange ingredients, but you'll probably see your grocery bill go up a little since generally healthier foods cost more.  I like the recipes and will try some of them.  Also, I plan to put some of that exercise advice into practice too! 

Happy Reading (and eating!)

Lyndsie

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my review. 

Cookbook Review: Kitchen Confidence by Kelsey Nixon

Before I begin this review, I have a confession to make.  I have a cookbook addiction.  I buy them far too often, and I very rarely cook from them.  However, I don't really see this as a waste of money, because I read them.  From cover to cover.  Every recipe.  I love to see how other people cook, even if I never try any of their recipes.  Many times, though, I don't use the recipes because they call for crazy ingredients that you just don't find in southern West Virginia.  Or they use techniques and equipment that the average home cook doesn't have. 

This is not the case in Kelsey Nixon's debut cookbook, Kitchen Confidence.  She has a wide variety of recipes, and gives genuine ideas for how to use substitutions to make them your own.  When she talks about a technique in a recipe, (i.e. braising, working with yeast dough, making stir-fries, etc.) she gives careful instructions about how to do it.  If she gives a recipe for pan-roasting chicken, she also tells you how to pan-roast other meats and vegetables, too.  She gives directions for making pan sauces, and explains how to substitute meats, vegetables, starches and liquids in recipes.  I already own nearly every tool that she mentions!

I love a cookbook with stories or descriptions before each recipe, and Kelsey doesn't disappoint.  Every recipe is prefaced with a story, example or tip for making it better.  Many of the recipes also have variations to change them to your tastes. 

I found at least a dozen recipes in this book that I want to try NOW.  A lot of times I struggle to find side dishes that my family will eat, that won't break the bank or take longer to cook than the main course.  Kelsey delivers with things like Butter-Braised Cabbage, Rapid Rolls and Toasted Vermicelli Pilaf.  (I've always wanted to know how to make a pilaf.) The desert chapter is also a favorite with things like Banana Spilt Icebox Cake and Skillet Blueberry and Peach Cobbler.  I can't even begin to list all of the great breakfast meals, salads, appetizers and main courses.  Suffice it to say, I loved nearly every recipe here.

Kitchen Confidence claims to have "essential recipes and tips that will help you cook anything."  That's a pretty tall order, and I honestly had my doubts at first, but I believe that Kelsey truly follows through on this claim.  There are a few pictures in the book, and they are gorgeous, but I wish there had been on of every recipe.  Although that would have only made my mouth water more!  I can't wait to try some of Kelsey Nixon's great recipes!

Happy Reading (and cooking!),

Lyndsie

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.