Cook This, Not That! Easy & Awesome 350-Calorie Meals

I bought this book at Walmart (paid a lot more for it there) and it was completely worth it. So far, I have tried a half dozen of the recipes, and ALL of them have been a huge success. One reviewer rights about how it is only restraunt selections..... false. At the bottom of each ORIGINAL recipe in here, they show what a restaurant alternative is, and how much money and calories you save by cooking at home. Also helpful in this book is new cooking tips and techniques. For example, as a southerner I love fried foods. This book showed me how to "oven fry" foods to have that familiar taste and crispy outside without all the extra calories from submerging foods in hot grease. Other techniques in this book that have been helpful are how to braise meats and use the natural drippings to make your own sauces while cooking, increasing the natural flavor of dishes.

2 weeks in, 11 pounds down

5 Stars in my book!

I am shocked at how engrossed I am with this book. I want to cook every single recipe! The biggest surprise--aside from learning how many calories I could save by cooking for myself--was how motivating the recipes are. Beautiful pictures and simplified cooking tips turn complex dishes into super-easy recipes. Many of the recipes even come with variations in case you can't find a certain ingredient or just want more variety. Here are my four favorites so far:

*Red Pepper Alfredo AMAZING dish, and I saved 830 calories and $10 over the same meal at Olive Garden.

*Loaded Calzone Far easier than I ever imagined, and I saved 1,025 (!) calories and $4.50 over Pizza Hut's Meaty P'Zone Pizza

*French Toast Stuffed with Strawberries -Whole-wheat toast stuffed with ricotta cheese, strawberries, honey, and almonds. Yum. I will definitely be making this again! And I saved 810 calories and $11.40 over IHOP's version.

*Curry with Cauliflower & Butternut Squash I had no idea I was capable of making curry. Or that I could save 717 calories and $8.50 in the process.

My kitchen skills are improving, I'm motivated to cook, and I already feel healthier. And if I don't feel like cooking one night, I'll just dive into the chapter dedicated to 10-minute meals. That should be easy enough. Though, to be honest, nothing I've cooked so far has taken me much more than 20.

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With the calorie counts calculated from reliable sources, that lovely, fluffy, "340 calorie" burger on the front cover has 504 calories, and I suspect the rest of the math in this book is just as hopeful. (Come on, you knew that food looked too good to be *that* low-calorie.)

I used the USDA database (very reliable) for fresh meat/produce and the sides of packages for the prepackaged stuff. I tried to use the lowest calorie available options.

175 calories: Ground sirloin, 90%/10%, 1/4 lb raw weight pan-broiled (i.e., with the fat cooked out), USDA database

190 calories: Orowheat Country Potato buns (the lowest-calorie "potato bun" at my local Safeway), 1 bun, calories from package (keep in mind that just two small slices of white wonderbread would have 120 calories.)

60 calories: Sargento® Deli Style Sliced Reduced Fat Swiss Cheese, 1 slice, calories from package

33 calories: mushrooms, 1/2 cup (raw volume), USDA database

15 calories: A1 steak sauce, 1 tablespoon, calories from pacage

11 calories: onion, medium-size, 1/4 onion, USDA database

20 calories: oil, canola, 1/2 teaspoon (estimated), USDA database

The goofy calorie counts in this book are shame, because (for example) 504 calories isn't bad for a burger at all. But it's almost *50% more* than the calorie count they gave in the book. The massive difference in the *actual* vs the *listed* calories could seriously throw off a carefully calculated diet. Caveat Emptor.

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These recipes are fabulous. I mean, who wouldn't want to eat coconut shrimp and chocolate cake while on a diet? However, the front cover of the book prominently says "350-calorie meals" and that isn't exactly true. I thought a meal consists usually of an entree and side dishes. Most of this book's entrees clock in at 300-350 calories by themselves. The side dish recipes average about 100 calories each (more or less), so that ups the meal's calorie count.

Let's say you make their oven-fried chicken at 310 calories per serving; add their rosemary potatoes for 150 calories; and their pickled cucumber salad for 60 calories. Now you have a 520-calorie meal. Or are you supposed to eat the chicken by itself? And where do you fit in, say, fresh fruit or dairy products, which are part of a well-balanced, healthy diet?

Again, I'm not criticizing the recipes at all; they are delicious and I highly recommend them. The authors did a brilliant job. Just saying that since the book advertises itself as a weight loss solution, I would have found it much more helpful if they included a week's worth of sample menus, listing exactly what to include for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. That way I could see clearly how to put together my meal plans for best results, as well as create my shopping list.

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I've owned this book for about a eight weeks now and have cooked at least a half dozen of the recipes. All turned out very good. I'm an experienced cook and don't need a lot of direction to know how to follow a recipe, and I'm not sure if that affected the outcome. Regardless, the recipes are nicely thought out, and presented in a way that gets them on the table fairly quickly.

Despite liking the book, I do have a couple of concerns. I don't want to repeat what other reviewers have said, so please read those reviews if this strikes a chord with you: The calorie counts and comparisons with restaurant meals are not accurate comparisons. The book generally compares one serving from the book's recipes, which are usually four servings, with the entire restaurant entree, which is often as large as the book's entire recipe, and certainly more than the single serving size the book recommends. I get it---the authors want us to watch not only what we eat, but how much we eat. Good advice, but they shouldn't rig the comparisons in such a disingenuous way. Still though, the recipes are good, and I believe that people need to take personal responsibility for portion control. If some fuzzy math in the book causes people to make better decisions and feel good about it, I can live with that.

Even though this book looks slick, it feels like a self-published book in serious need of a good editor. Now that I've cooked recipes, AND LIKE THEM, I can't find a darn thing in the index. For example, there are two salmon recipes that I like. Is salmon a category in the index? Not a chance. Okay, let's go to fish, which does exist, but there's no sub-section for salmon. In order to find the recipes I'm looking for I need to remember that one was Chili-Glazed Salmon (found under "C" below fish) and the other Moroccan Salmon (found under "M" below fish). Virtually all of the recipes are indexed like this, so unless you remember the cute name they use, you're left to hunt and peck for what you're looking for. If there was an editor, he/she should take a look at some other cookbooks before they take another stab at editing one they hope is a success. When a cookbook is successful, people want to be able to find something that they have a vague recollection of liking. Cross-indexing in many ways makes a cookbook a pleasure to use and reach for time and again.

So, would I still buy this book? Sure, because it's not expensive and the recipes are good. But, I'll do my own math and dog-ear my favorite pages.

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The Day My Brain Exploded: A True Story

Everyone has bad days, but back in 2000, Ashok Rajamani, a young man just coming into his own in the world, had a really bad day. Just before his brother's wedding, he suffered from a brain aneurysm caused by an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM). The circulatory knot of arteries and veins, a congenital malformation, had ruptured; the literal ticking time bomb had gone off in spectacular fashion. The good news was that Ashok survived; the bad news was that the person that he had been had died. His account tells of his physical and mental struggles and how he came to an uneasy peace with the realization that he was now Ashok 2.0, a person who suffered from an odd form of blindness, epileptic seizures and visual hallucinations. Written in a conversational tone replete with healthy doses of gallows humor, especially when touching on doctors, and their advice or lack of it, his story is more than just an accounting of a recovery from a serious medical issue. He also examines what makes an individual unique through looking at his relationships and his experiences growing up as an South Indian American in the USA.

I received this book as part of Library Thing's Early Reviewer program.

From the second I started reading the first page, the author fully captivated my attention and I could not put the book down. Although the author's narration went from the present, past, and the future, the story was seamless and maintained total continuity throughout the book. The author had less than 1% chance of survival yet by God's grace he did survive to pen this remarkable memoir.

I was really touched by the story narrated by the author on page 243 where he encountered a boy who also had a brain surgery due to AVM . His mother told Ashok (Author) that, "The surgery made him paralyzed from the waist down. And he's been left completely retarded. But everyday I thank God that he survived...." Finally she said My baby is alive, alive, alive." His comforting words to the mother gave the readers a sense of Ashok's sensibility and the author's hope for every one affected by Brain Hemorrhage.

The best part of the book is the Author's mother's daily heart rendering letters to God and her son. It almost look like with the help of the almighty she singlehandedly brought life to her son.

This book is written extremely well and speaks to the heart of readers like me. I very strongly recommend this book and cannot wait to read his second book!!

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I simply cannot put this book down. Ashok leaves himself out there.from the truth of how it happened, to feelings of life afterwards, all emotions. Funny snippets. The truth of life before and after. This is more than a book about a brain injury. LOVE IT!!!!!

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You can't help but have an increased awareness of the inner workings of perhaps a tbi peron you pass by in your worldly path. Ashok's humor help to see the sensitivitiy of young man growing through a traumatic change in his life. He also shows how important the support from family and friends are in difficult times. Even in his impaired thinking he realized he must understand enough about his condition to make decision's regarding his treatment No profession, despite the arrogance of the professionals is worthy of blind faith.

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I received my copy of "The Day My Brain exploded yesterday and I can't put it down. I was immediately drawn into the drama of the tragedy this family had to endure and could relate to much of it.

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Fitness Weight Training - 2nd Edition (Fitness Spectrum Series)

I was looking for a book that would lead me step by step through a program for toning and weight loss. This book has it all. Instructions, starting points for weight on each exercise, suggestions of warm up and cool down, etc. There are three main programs outlined in the book, one for toning, one for strength training and one for body building. There is also a detailed section on how to set up your own weight training program.

I bought this book because I wanted a program to follow without paying for a personal trainer. It works! I was an absolute beginner and have been at it now for about 30 weeks the results are great.

This book is superb for anyone who is considering weight training for fitness. The different spectrum levels guide you through workouts geared to the level of YOUR athletic ability, from absolute beginner to seasoned athlete. The book offers clear instructions on how to perform the suggested exercises without becoming overly technical. It gives you what you need to know, and not too much more. The section on designing your own workout is worth the price of the book.

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This is the most helpful book I have found for advice on locating or constructing a weight lifting program to meet your goals. The authors are obviously experts because their advice is backed with reason and covers a wide spectrum of needs just what you expect from consultants who know both theory and practice of their field. Whether you are a beginner or advanced lifter, young or old, this book will put you on a progression of good programs for a very long time.

The book helps you assess your current readiness for weight lifting, and encourages you to think about your goals as being in one of three areas: muscle toning, body shaping, or strength building. Of course there is overlap between these since any program will accomplish some of these elements, but it is a matter of emphasis in the program you will follow. Then the book has nice color coded charts for 6 different zones which are basically your starting experience level for any one of the three goals. There are also alternate week and month ideas to really help you get the most time out of these plans. The recommended programs usually last one month and then encourage you to switch to another for continued progress. Most programs introduce slight variations at week 3 as well. There are 2, 3 and 4 day a week programs depending upon your goal and experience (color zone).

There are lots of charts and helpful calendars, etc. You can copy the charts to track your progress. By using these tools you can learn more about how to design your own programs and the authors talk you through that as well.

It is important to know what this book is not. It is not a detailed exercise manual showing lots of different exercises and their variations. There is an exercise appendix so if this were your only book, you could do the programs, but exercise details are not the emphasis of this book. Nor is nutrition, or detailed anatomy diagrams both are mentioned briefly.

This is a great book of sound weight lifting programs for most of us. I say most of us, because expert body builders will probably find most of this book too easy or obvious for their needs. But for most of us it represents a tremendously helpful set of programs and ideas to get us from wherever we are to being more advanced lifters.

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I was looking for a book to help me determine how much weight to start with and this does it perfectly!

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i got this book because I have some experience lifting weights, but I wanted a program to follow. this book is very good it has programs that you can use and you can start working out very quickly. If someone is very, very experienced, then this is not the book you are looking for. however, for most people out there who aren't semi-pros, this book will be fine.

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Outsmarting the Midlife Fat Cell: Winning Weight Control Strategies for Women Over 35 to Stay Fit Th

I read a lot. A whole lot, and it's not just limited to health and fitness books, either. However, the book that I recommend the most is this one, Outsmarting the Midlife Fat Cell by Debra Waterhouse. I have it on my wish list, but I've already taken it out of the library and read it four times, front to back. Why? Well, Dr. Waterhouse has written a clear, concise, sometimes humorous self help book that is actually HELPFUL! She explains what the changes are that a woman from around 35-55 might go through, why it is so easy to gain weight and so difficult to get it off, why we start gaining in our tummies, why all of the things we did in our twenties to lose suddenly don't work anymore, and why we need to make peace with these changes and respect what our bodies are trying to do for us. Her writing style is practical, upbeat, and motivating. Her recommendations for how to halt spare tire encroachment make sense and genuinely work. Her advice also provides the added benefit of halting osteoporosis, and maybe even reversing it. No gimmicks here. No magic bullets. But you also won't have to live on bean sprouts and tofu(unless you want to). The author gives you permission to weigh a few pounds above the recommended insurance charts, and the means to see that it looks good on you. I've read and recommended some other health and fitness books that are quite good, but none surpass this one. It needs to be on every woman's shelf. Period.

I'm 45 and exercise regularly and was dieting yet continued to gain weight. This book helped me to understand why my body was not co-operating with me. I started eating more often and increased my activity level and in two weeks I finally lost 4 pounds. The book has a very positive approach to the menopause experience.

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I'm a fat acceptance advocate who hates diet books on principle. Someone suggested I read this book anyway, and I'm glad I did. It confirmed the conclusions I've come to on my own after many unhappy years of struggling with an illusory "weight problem": diets make you fatter, skipping meals is bad for you, there are no "bad foods," you should listen to your body and eat when you're hungry, and the only way to stay in shape is to exercise. Her theoretical explanations made a lot of sense, and her attitude was reassuring: this is the way a woman's body WORKS, and if you gain some weight or change shape in midlife it's not because you're "doing something wrong." I don't agree with her completely: I think she's unnecessarily judgmental about "emotional eating" (if you're under stress and can't do anything else to alleviate it, is it better to overeat for a few weeks or to take up smoking?). Also, she seems to feel that the only way to build strength is to work out with free weights, but many other exercise programs can have the same effect -even yoga, if you select the right asanas to practice. Still, in general, hers is the ONLY sensible approach to managing one's weight that I've ever read (any diet book that lists the National Association for Fat Acceptance as a "support group" is all right with me!), and I'd like to recommend that every woman (fat or thin) read it as she enters midlife.

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One of the best books I've read in years. It's filled with facts, based on reality, and is easy to read. The author uses analogies, stories and humor to educate the reader. I highly recommend this book to all women over 35 AND their mates. You'll be glad to know you AREN'T imagining things, it's NOT in your head, and you aren't alone! When you finish, you'll know what's happening to you, why, and how to live with it postively. I laughed, I cried, and I've already loaned my copy out.

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I had high hopes that this book would help me reverse the steady increase in my weight that has been occurring over the past several years in spite of my healthy diet and exercise program. Unfortunately the author didn't provide me with any new information. The message I got was accept the fact that you're going to put on weight with menopause.

What did help me lose weight, as well as improve my sleep and alertness, was Barry Sears' Zone diet. Waterhouse laments that menopausal women can put on weight eating rice cakes. Sears explains why this happens. (Bottom line: don't eat rice cakes!) Waterhouse tells us that some women actually like their more rounded, apple-shaped figures. Sears explains why it is a look we should avoid.

I enjoyed the humor, but if you're serious about losing weight, trying reading some of Barry Sears' books. I've been losing half a pound a week consistently, feel more mentally alert, and sleep better.

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