3 Cookbooks We Love

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