Yesterday I went on and on about Cat Cora’s awesomeness and then you got to hear in her own words how she and her family stay so darn active and healthy. I had the chance to review her latest cookbook, Cat Cora’s Classics with a Twist, and let me tell you, it rocks.

It’s not like most of the other healthy cookbooks that we review that list out calories and other nutritional facts about each dish, but it does feature fresh, healthy ingredients. And, like Cat said in her interview yesterday, she’s very health-conscious, so it’s no wonder that the recipes she creates are, too.

I tried her Spinach Paella and the Hungarian Goulash ( which I chose because how often do you sit and think, “Man, I sure could go for some goulash right now” and then actually make it?!) and it is sooo tasty! Neither dish was overly complicated to make, but they were show stoppers, as I felt like I was really cooking (Iron Chef Jenn!) and not just throwing ingredients together. Plus, I felt really good serving it to my family. Sure, some of the recipes take a lot of time (why does it take me forever to cook rice every time I make it?!), but on a lazy Sunday, it’s perf!

At this point, I bet you’re thinking, man, I really want a recipe from this book to make myself. Right? Well, we’ve got you covered. Cat offered up the opportunity for us to feature TWO recipes (one here and another on Fit Bottomed Babies for healthy salmon burgers!) and we jumped. Double the fun!

Spinach Paella

(Serves 4-6)

4 c store-bought low-sodium stock
½ tsp crushed saffron threads*
1 lb chicken tenders or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¼- by 3- inch strips
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ c extra-virgin olive oil
15-oz cooked turkey chorizo (or any sausage you like), sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 ¼ c)
2 tsp finely chopped fresh jalapeño pepper
2 c. brown rice
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 c canned tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 lb baby spinach leaves, well washed**
About ½ c of water
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

1. Heat the stock in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, reduce the heat to low, and keep at a simmer.

2. Place the saffron in a small bowl. Pour about ½ cup of the warm stock over the saffron and let it steep.

3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until it’s hot but is not smoking. Add sausage and the chicken to the pan. Cook, stirring, until golden brown on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes, and transfer the chicken and sausage to a plate. Add the bell pepper, jalapeño and tomatoes to the pan, and reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook until the peppers begin to caramelize, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the paprika and the cumin.

4. Pour the rice into the plan and stir just until coated. Pour in 2 cups of warm stock and add the saffron and its steeping liquid. Return the chicken and sausage to the pan along with any juices on the plate, stir to combine, and simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, until most of the stock has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, make the spinach puree. In a blender, puree half of the spinach with the water. Add more spinach, a little at a time. If the mixture can’t be pureed, add more water, 2 tablespoons at a time. The puree should be very thick. Set aside.

6. To finish the paella, taste the rice and add salt to taste. If the rice is still hard, add another ½ cup warm stock and stir. Simmer until the broth is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste the rice again and add another ½ cup broth if it is still too hard. Add more salt if necessary. The paella is done when the rice still has a hint of firmness.

7. Then, turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid or a large sheet of foil, letting it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir the spinach puree into the paella. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like. Transfer to a large platter, sprinkle with the scallions and cilantro, and serve family-style. Enjoy!

Want to try more of the recipes? One random U.S. reader will win the book next week. Just comment to enter! —Jenn

*Saffron ain’t cheap—in the least ($15 for a small bit!)—so if you’re cooking on a budget don’t be freaked when you find it in the spices aisle. Just remember—making it at home and having tons of leftovers is still waaay cheaper than eating it out!

**If you aren’t a big spinach fan, consider cutting the spinach and water in half. A little green goes a long way!

Although I’m never one to openly embrace the four-letter “diet” word (diet equals restriction and deprivation in my mind, even though the word really just means what you regularly eat), I have to say that I’m becoming quite the Flat Belly Diet! fan. I fell in love with the original cookbook from the franchise and these Roasted Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Walnut Butter make a regular appearance on my din-din table (they won a Noshie for best recipe!). The publisher recently sent me a copy of the Flat Belly Diet! Family Cookbook (ya know, ’cause the FBG family is growing!) and I really, really liked it.

Right now my family just includes my husband and my dog, but I can see how this book could be useful with kiddos at any age. With comfort-food faves like cinnamon rolls, chicken tenders and enough sweets to make anyone drool, the book is a total crowd pleaser.

I tried the Thai Butterfly Pasta Salad, which is THE perfect vegetarian lunch at work, as it keeps really well in an airtight container over a few days. And it’s super tasty with wheat farfalle pasta, peas, roasted red pepper and a tahini-soy sauce—not to mention that it only takes 15 minutes to make and clocks in at just over 300 calories for a 1-cup serving. I also tried the Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Walnuts and Apples, another quick recipe that was tasty and has a nice savory and sweet flavor flav. (Although it’s not as easy to take for lunch.)

But probably my favorite recipes I made for my down-home-cooking meal were Crunchy Crust Mac and Cheese and Creamy Sesame Greens. Can you say comfort-food heaven? The mac and cheese took about an hour to make and was chock full of  protein (from the milk and cheese), fiber, whole grains and good fats. You get a cup of the good stuff for 328 calories, and believe me, it’s rich, so a cup is really enough. Then there’s the Creamy Sesame Greens. Oh my. With a “cream” made of tahini, honey, salt and ground red pepper for a slight kick, these kale or collard leaves are doused in delicious. A half-cup serving is 252 calories, but in those cals you get protein, good fat and fiber. If you have kids, they may turn their noses up at the spinach-y looking appearance of it, but you should seriously try and try and try to get them to taste it. It’s tasty. And if you can’t get them to eat it, oh well. More for you!

Besides the yumtastic foods featured in the book, you also get some really good overall nutrition advice, including the importance of eating good fats or “MUFAs,” or monounsaturated fatty acids—a class of healthy fats found in foods like nuts and seeds, avocados, olives and certain vegetable oils. The Flat Belly Diet! touts these fats as being essential for a—what do you know—flat belly! Here are five other tips from the book!

5 Flat Belly Diet! Family Tips

1. We all need fat, but kids especially do. An incredible amount of brain development occurs in the first two years of life and good fats are essential for it!

2. Eat a MUFA at every meal. MUFAs aren’t just good for you and your brain, they help you feel full! The Flat Belly Diet! recommends eating one serving with each meal or snack.

3. Preggo? Make sure you’re eating plenty of nuts, avocados and dark chocolate for the bambino. And remember, pregnancy isn’t the time to diet!

4. Be a role model. Did you know that kids tend to like the same kinds of foods and take in roughly the same number of fruits and veggies as their parents? Someone is watching…and mimicking you…so take note!

5. Encourage slow eating at the dinner table. Some students only get 20 minutes to eat lunch at school (that was my public school experience unfortunately!), so your kids may be trained to scarf fast and furious. Eat together at the table as a family and remind them that at home, they have the time to slow down and enjoy.

Stay tuned for tomorrow when we share the Crunchy Mac and Cheese recipe with ya’ll! —Jenn

Wanna try this healthy cookbook yourself? Leave a comment about how you’ll use the book, and we’ll pick one random lucky U.S. reader to win! The winner will be contacted by email in about a week. Happy commenting!

The idea of eating “clean,” is pretty brilliant. It basically means eating foods that are minimally processed and natural (read: healthy), and, really, when you think about it, who wants to eat “dirty” food? Not I, said the Fit Bottomed Girl. That’s why today we’re following up yesterday’s interview with the lovely Tosca Reno with a review of The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged book.

First off, if you’re confused about nutrition or would like to learn more about food and how it can affect your health, weight and mood, read this book. It is a fantastic beginner’s guide to building a lifestyle eating plan that you can live with and feel good about. From fantastic info on metabolism to proper hydration to how to make the most of your workout time, it’s a sane approach to living well. Tosca is definitely all about moderation, and the book is chock-full of fun tidbits and tips that almost feels more like a fun magazine than a book.Which kind of makes sense since she has rocked the pages of Oxygen magazine. There’s even a FAQ section that is AWESOME.

The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged also includes a bunch of recipes that are pretty tasty. The hubs and I tried the Miso and Salmon Stew and it was delish. We also tried the Sweet Potato Oat Bars, which have become a breakfast staple at FBG HQ (more on that later). I will say that if you’re a newbie cook, the recipes may be a little challenging, as I found some of the cooking times to be off and some of the instructions to be confusing or misleading (the Salmon and Miso Stew we made was delicious but it looked nothing like the photo). But if you know your way around the kitchen and don’t mind having to improvise (or using your best judgment in a pinch), have at it. The results can be delicious.

With that said, I’m super happy to share the recipe for the Sweet Potato Oat Bars! This recipe is pretty foolproof, although I added a few notes below for clarification. An entire pan makes 24 2-inch-by-2-inch squares and the entire process takes a little more than an hour. Each serving has 189 calories, 6 grams of protein, 5 grams of healthy fat and 4 grams of fiber. Happy and healthy noshing!

They really do taste as good as they look, especially with a little honey. Yum...

Sweet Potato Oat Bars

4 small sweet potatoes (or 2 large)
1 tbsp olive oil
4 c instant oatmeal
¾ c skim milk soured with 1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ c finely ground flaxseed (I tried ground Salba and it rocked.)
½ c maple syrup (natural is best)
2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp coconut butter
½ c dried fruits like raisins, dates, cherries and/or blueberries, chopped (I loved dates!)
½ c raw unsalted nuts (almonds, walnuts and/or pecans), chopped
Pinch sea salt
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare a 9” x 13” baking dish by coating lightly with olive oil.

2. Prick sweet potatoes all over. Place in oven and bake until tender. (FBG tip: Depending on the size of potatoes this can take 30 minutes to an hour.) Remove from oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle, remove potato peels. Place flesh in a large mixing bowl. Set oven to 400º. (FBG tip: OR microwave the heck out of them and save some serious time. Also consider doing this the day before so that you don’t have to wait for them to cool.)

3. Add all remaining ingredients to sweet-potato mixture. Mix well.

4. Press into prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden on top. (FBG tip: For extra deliciousness and just a few more cals, sprinkle brown sugar on top to make it sweet instead of savory.)

5. Remove from heat and let cool. Cut into squares.

Talk about a good way to get your veggies in! What’s your favorite recipe to eat clean? —Jenn

Want to read the book yourself? Enter a comment in the next week, and we’ll select one lucky U.S. reader to win a copy! The winner will be notified by email. Happy commenting!

We all know that eating at home is one of the best ways to make sure that what you’re eating is healthy and low-calorie (’cause those restaurants are sneaky!). That’s why we’re reviewing not one but three cookbooks and food-related books today! All three will give you a bunch of delicious ways to make eating in and cooking a delicious endeavor in healthy living and FBG-ness!

Flat Belly Diet! Cookbook

This book had me at the cute little yellow cupcakes. From the editors of Prevention magazine, this cookbook puts the popular Flat Belly Diet! eating plan into tasty recipe form. It’s well stated that Erin and I aren’t a fan of diets that are based on deprivation or willpower (life is too short!), but this diet—and these recipes—are anything but that. Filled with good fats, protein and fiber, these recipes are delicious and keep you full. And they don’t taste like health-food.

I tried the Sassy Water (which I loved, but my husband wasn’t a huge fan of), Banana Pancakes with Walnut Honey (made a double batch and had them for dinner two nights in a row; Oh the brinner joy!), Peanut Butter No-Bake Bears (the name says it all) and Spanish Shrimp with Garlic Sauce and sauteed cucumbers. (Ever had cooked cucumbers? They’re weirdly delicious and more cucumber-y then when raw.) All fantastic. Plus the book is sprinkled with pretty color photos, practical cooking and shopping tips, and a refresher course on the diet. Need I say more?

101 Optimal Life Foods

When it comes to eating right, I always figure that if Mother Nature made it, and we didn’t spray it with too many chemicals or dilute it with additives, it’s probably good for you. Over time, this theory has proved to be a pretty good way of eating. (Remember when coconut and eggs were vilified? Now they’re health foods!) Author David Grotto, expert nutritionist and former spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, backs up my way of eating with this book and goes as far as to even recommend eating certain foods to improve your physical, mental, emotional and sexual well-being.

While the book is fascinating (it tells you exactly what foods will help you be happier, sleep more soundly, fight stress and more), it’s a bit like reading an encyclopedia. And after just a few pages, you get the point loud and clear that to be healthy, you have to eat what the good earth naturally grows. However, the book also includes some really tasty recipes that incorporate these healthy foods into your diet in a delicious way. I tried the Winter White Bean Chili in the Slow Cooker and Curried Chicken-Banana-Yam Soup. OMG. So yummy.

Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Cookbook

Tosca Reno has been on my radar for awhile now. She has an amazing back story of her own personal weight-loss, and she’s totally down to earth. Plus, she’s the mind behind the hugely popular “Eat Clean” mentality. Her recent cookbook promises delicious recipes that will burn fat and re-shape your body. I decided to put it to the test.

I tried the Banana Date Breakfast Bread and was blown away. So freaking tasty. So easy to make. And the book was filled with pretty pictures. Call me superficial, but I like that in a book so that I can compare what I cooked to “how it’s supposed to look.” Additionally, the book introduces you to some less common and healthier ingredients and flavors such as Sucanat and galangal. I love me some learnin’ in a book.

Be sure to check back in on Fridays for a new feature we’re doing here on FBG—recipes! Ya’ll wanted them, and we’re offering them. We’ll kick off this new post with that breakfast bread recipe I was just talking about from Tosca Reno’s book. And we’ll feature recipes from the other two books in weeks to come! Yumminess for you! —Jenn

Although The EatingWell Diet book has the word “diet” in the title, it’s really anything but a diet. It’s a real-life strategy book for healthy—and delicious—eating. Jenn has long been a fan of EatingWell magazine, so we were pumped to add this one to our FBG library.

The book introduces the VTrim weight-loss program, and while I hear “VTrim” and think “TrimSpa” and other similar hoaxy diets, the VTrim program is actually based on science and was developed at the University of Vermont. The 24-week program focuses on the behavioral approach to weight loss, teaching the basics of eating less and moving more, and emphasizes goal-setting and tracking progress through journaling. It’s not a quick-fix scam; it’s a whole-life approach to wellness, which is an idea the FBGs support whole-heartedly.

Instead of limiting yourself and making foods off limits, the book emphasizes portion control and strategies that you can incorporate into your lifestyle for the long term. With images of the correct portions, the book teaches you the appropriate serving size—and helps you realize how much you’ve actually been (over)eating. One excellent tip the book gave was to measure out the correct serving size first, and then make a mental note of what that looks like so that you actually learn the look of the correct portion and don’t have to measure it out for the rest of your life. (Especially helpful if you’re a chemist like my husband; measuring anything outside of work hours is strictly off limits.)

For people who are just starting out on the journey to healthy eating, the grocery store can be intimidating. This “diet” knows about that intimidation factor and gives an aisle-by-aisle breakdown on how to get through the grocery store safely, stocking your cart with the healthiest items. The book also has a helpful section on how to combat a diet relapse that gives helpful tips on how to get back on the wagon after you fall off. And you will fall off—the book is realistic, but gives concrete examples of how to stay on track, which would have been especially helpful to me on a recent road trip.

The book doesn’t just spout off the benefits of eating whole foods and preach portion control, though. It includes dozens of recipes to begin implementing the EatingWell philosophy. With both main dishes and sides, plus salad and dressing recipes, the book gives a busy gal easy-to-fix meals that you know are healthy and calorie-friendly.

I made the Mushroom, Sausage & Spinach Lasagna (pg. 181) to test out this new philosophy. The recipe took some time, but mostly because it bakes for an hour and 20 minutes. The ingredients were simple; none that I had to hit a specialty store to buy. And oh my yumminess. The dish had me and my hubby drooling, and I had to seriously restrain myself from going back for more. And honestly, going back for seconds isn’t the worst thing with this dish as it only had 327 calories per serving. That is lasagna—and a “diet” I can get behind! —Erin

If this sounds like the book for you, leave a comment by Nov. 27 to win a copy! We’ll randomly select one lucky reader. Winners will be notified by email. U.S. residents only, please.

Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher, but in no way is this post or our review of products sponsored, influenced or paid for by any company. We tell it like it is!

Hungry Girl and FBG go way back. Last October, Lisa Lillien (aka Hungry Girl) became our first FitStars interview. Getting that first interview with a celeb was a big step for FBG, and we’re totally grateful that she gave us the time of day (because it helped us talk to Bob!). Over the years, Hungry Girl has grown from a simple email newsletter with low-cal snacking tips and recipes to a full-out best-selling author with not one but two books. I’ve tried a number of HG’s recipes over the years, including her delish chocolate pumpkin muffins and her uber low-cal fettuccine alfredo (using those unique Tofu Shirataki Noodles), and once I heard that she had another book coming out, I had to try it.

Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories delivers just what it promises: 200 recipes, each with less than 200 calories. Many of the recipes are single-servings, while some of them easily feed two, four or even 12 (think desserts like cupcakes). The idea for all of the recipes is that instead of eating an energy bar or granola bar for a snack, you can eat one of these “mini-meals,” which range from wraps, mini pizzas, smoothies and even banana bread. In my opinion, the concept rocks. Below is a play-by-play of the recipes I tried. As you’ll see, I wasn’t crazy about them all, but there are definitely some standouts.

Gooey Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing—p. 36
For a “snack,” these weren’t exactly quick or easy to make, but they sure were delicious. HG ingeniously uses low-fat crescent roll dough to make these puppies, which are sweet, cinnamony and, as their name states, gooey.

Much to Chef Jenn’s dismay, I don’t love to cook. I don’t even really like to cook. But I do it because a girl’s gotta eat, and I can follow a recipe like nobody’s business. Because of those recipe-following skills, I somehow got suckered into reviewing a cookbook. A vegan cookbook.

Now, I didn’t read the original Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. But they do sum up their philosophy in the introduction of their second book, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. It basically talks about how horrible animal products are for “you bitches” and how humans are the only species to drink another animal’s milk. We’re also the only species to go to the moon, but I don’t want to start a fight. And what about cats? They love milk.

Don’t get me wrong, I am sooo not against people choosing to be vegan. Or vegetarian. I just don’t like being insulted for enjoying the occasional animal product. I actually frequently cook vegetarian meals and have sworn off meat for days at a time (my first stint with vegetarianism was after a state fair). But I find that it’s just not something I can swear off forever, and YES, I FEEL TERRIBLY GUILTY. Some people think the Skinny Bitches are hilarious, but I didn’t love being berated or called names.

I did put my hurt meat-lover’s feelings aside, though, and embraced veganism (almost) wholeheartedly when I jumped into the cookbook to make one appetizer, one main dish and one dessert. I was so dedicated, in fact, that I made four grocery store trips to buy everything I needed. I also went broke buying the goods, but that included purchasing whole bottles of oil and other multi-use items. The FBGs are nothing if not dedicated.

My main problem with the cookbook, believe it or not, wasn’t the attitude or the hard-to-find ingredients. It’s the fact that for using the word “skinny” in the title, there was not a single nutritional fact in the entire book. I had to break out my pencil and calculator to get the “skinny” on the calorie counts in the dishes. We’re not calorie counters, but it is nice to have a general idea of what you’re putting in your body.

Stuffed Mushrooms
The stuffed mushrooms called for basic ingredients like mushrooms, red peppers and shallots, along with herbs and spices. I did have a problem finding refined coconut oil, and mistakenly bought the unrefined version. I already had bread crumbs on hand, so I didn’t buy whole wheat bread crumbs for the occasion. I also gave up on finding vegan parmesan and went with what I had on hand.

The mushrooms did turn out to be pretty tasty and were easy to make. The hubby kept popping them into his mouth, so clearly he didn’t hate them.

The skinny: This total recipe had 701 calories in it. Split between four people, you could have five mushrooms for 175 calories.

Pad Thai
This Pad Thai opened my eyes to a whole new world of chefery: Cooking with tofu. I’d never cooked with it and actually had to call Jenn to find out where it is in the store (packaged section of produce, for the record). It is SIMPLE to cook with, and I’m now sold on it. The ease of finding the tofu was balanced out by hunting down other ingredients for the noodle dish: agave nectar, mirin and sriracha sauce.

While the Pad Thai wasn’t the Pad Thai of my dreams (I have insanely high standards for Pad Thai), it was a really tasty noodle dish. The tofu absorbed all of the delicious onion, garlic and sauciness, the noodles were a great texture, and the whole dish tasted light and clean.

The skinny: The recipe says it makes 3-4 servings. I had the above-pictured portion for dinner, my hubby had a large portion and went back for seconds, and then I had the leftovers for two days of lunch. In my opinion, it’s more of a 4-5 serving dish. If you split it into 3 servings, the calorie count comes to 688 calories per serving; if split into 4 servings it drops to 516 calories.

Chocolate Cake
The dessert endeavor had me all over the grocery store hunting down never-before-seen ingredients as well. Safflower oil was a stranger to me, as were vegan chocolate chips, evaporated sugar and soy creamer. While the cake was baking, I whipped up the frosting, which turned out to be delicious. When my taste-tester hubby took a scoop of gooey frosting from the stove top he said, “That’s what I imagine Willy Wonka’s chocolate river tastes like.” It really was that good.

I was a little nervous the cake would have that vegan-y health food taste, but it only tasted yummy.

The skinny: At 12 servings, the cake and the frosting weighed in at 533 calories per slice. However, at 16 servings, the cals drop to 400. I even think those portions are out of control, as the cake is super rich and made in a 9×13 pan. I think I was easily able to get more like 20 portions out of the cake, dropping the calorie count to a more reasonable 320 per serving. A splurge, but totally worth it.

I won’t be joining the Skinny Bitch fan club any time soon, but this book really did open my eyes to new grocery store aisles and ingredients that I had no experience with. Now that I have some of the basic ingredients listed throughout the book, I just may give some of the other recipes a try. After all, I need to use up some of these insanely pricey ingredients. —Erin

To find out more about Skinny Bitch in the Kitch or to purchase the book yourself, go here. Read more of the Fit Bottomed Girls’ lit picks here.

Despite Ellie Krieger’s down-to-earth personality and sensibility when it comes to having a healthy diet, I’ve always found her Food Network TV show, “Healthy Appetite,” to be a little— pardon the foodie irony here—bland. For this edition of FitLit, the Fit Bottomed Girls decided to review her cookbook, The Food You Crave, to see if it delivers more spice than the TV show.

To get a feel for the book, I made a recipe from each section of the book. I’ve been cooking for a number of years now and, unlike some people (cough, Erin), I really enjoy it, so although making eight recipes in about two weeks time seemed daunting, I was up to the challenge. (On occasion, I even pretended I was competing on Iron Chef and frantically sped about the kitchen pureeing and chopping feverishly. Although it’s loads of fun, turns out rushing isn’t the best way to cook. I almost ruined two recipes by forgetting crucial steps like, oh, turning off a burner. Oops.) Below are my notes from the recipes I tried.

Breakfast: The Southwestern Hash and Eggs (p.30) was easy to make and pretty tasty. It’s not overly interesting or different, just your basic potatoes, egg, black beans and red pepper hash. However, of all the recipes I tried, this was probably the best pick for cooking for the hungry man (or men, growl) in your life.

FBG Tip: To make this recipe less time consuming, you can sub a can of diced tomatoes for the fresh tomatoes.

Nibbles & Noshes: The Herbed Goat Cheese Dip (p.66) took me five minutes to make. It’s tasty, has few ingredients and pairs wonderfully with fresh veggies or baked pita chips.

FBG Tip: Many grocery stores don’t have a great selection of fresh herbs, so if you can’t find fresh parsley, mint and/or thyme, substitute 1/4 tsp. dried.

Soups & Sandwiches: The Sweet and Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (p. 95) took the grilled cheese sandwich to new heights. Cheesy, decadent and filling with just 350 calories, if you love caramelized onions, this is your sandwich.

FBG Tip: If you have a George Foreman Grill, forgo grilling the sandwiches in a pan and use the Foreman. It cuts the cooking time in half!

Main & Side Salads: The Savory Chinese Chicken Salad (p. 110) is perfect for summer. It’s light and refreshing, yet filling. If you’re a fan of Pei Wei, it’s very similar to their Asian Chopped Chicken Salad.

FBG Tip: If you’re vegetarian, grilled tofu works great in place of the chicken.

Pasta, Pizza & Grains: The Arugula, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza (p. 173) was the most “foodie” of any of the recipes I tried. Definitely “Top Chef”-esque. It’s tasty but probably not for everyone.

FBG Tip: Try subbing the arugula with spinach and the goat cheese with feta. It’s a variation worth trying.

The Main Course: The Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach and Couscous (p.205) was a hit. It had bold flavors, vibrant colors and a beautiful presentation. The recipe dirties a lot of bowls and pans, but I’d consider the extended cleaning time a small price to pay for this ta-da dish.

FBG Tip: Keep a box of frozen spinach on hand for this recipe. In a pinch, half of a box (thawed and squeezed dry) can be substituted for the fresh spinach, saving you time and money.

Sides: I made the Broccoli with Toasted Garlic (p. 249) along with the Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach and Couscous. It paired quite nicely. My only advice is to steam the broccoli in the microwave (loved the ease of that, by the way) for the recommended time. My broccoli seemed more crisp than tender after the recipe’s four minutes, so I microwaved them for a minute more, and they were way over done.

FBG Tip: If you love garlic, feel free to use more (even much, much more) than the recommended three cloves.

Desserts: I was the most excited about trying the Dark Chocolate Mousse (p. 301). As far as a mousse goes, it was fairly easy to make, and it had an unusual ingredient—tofu. The tofu blends to a smooth consistency, lending protein and a low-fat base to the mousse, and you can’t even taste it. Promise.

FBG Tip: This recipe is awesome and very awe-inspiring. Don’t change a thing.

Overall, I was really pleased with this book. She has great tips on grocery store shopping, there are quite a few pictures of the food, nutritional information is listed on all of the recipes, and there are great little tidbits of information sprinkled throughout the pages. There’s also good variety to the recipes, ranging from high-end culinary fare to good ole fashioned home cookin’. Although some of the recipes I tried seemed daunting, with fairly long ingredient lists that were sometimes pretty costly, nothing I made was hard, and nothing took more than 45 minutes. In fact, most took 30 minutes or less (take note, Rachael Ray).