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Rating: Summary: More than a cookbook Review: A good book, but... This was written by two Registered Dieticians. That's probably why the first three chapters (88 PAGES!) are filled with nutritional information and NOT recipes. There are a little more than 100 recipes, divided into Super Quick (15 minutes or less), Quick (35 minutes or less), Do Ahead (muffins and such), and Worth the Effort (more than 35 minutes prep). I don't know about you but, I do not define 35 minutes of preparation as a QUICK breakfast! Having said all that, the recipes are a good mix of grown-up stuff and kid-pleasers... everything from smoothies to casseroles. This would probably be a good book for someone who is stumped for breakfast ideas (beyond cold cereal, toast and coffee) AND wants some nutritional information.
Rating: Summary: An interesting set of ideas for breakfast. Review: About half of the book is nutritional and other information about breakfast that seems geared towards those trying to change their current diet -- Why Breakfast?, Breakfast for Kids, The Breakfast Formula, Shopping Guides, and Recipe Modifications. It may be of limited value for those who already eat healthy foods and are just looking for new recipes.
There are over 100 recipes, many of which I would classify more as ideas than "recipes", e.g., Pear Honey Butter consists of mashed canned pears mixed with honey. Most are indeed quite easy to prepare, although quite a few like Appleberry Sauce and Mandarin Orange Topping aren't meant to be served alone. By the time the pancakes, waffles, or french toast are made to serve with them, breakfast isn't really "Super Quick" anymore. The majority of the recipies are vegetarian. Most are suited for breakfast with the family rather than something you would want to serve to guests. Overall, the recipies provide a lot of interesting ideas of ways to spice up your usual breakfast -- something new to put on toast or mix with your oatmeal that you may not have thought of before. I've tried about 90% of the recipies and almost half of those I would make again.
Rating: Summary: Good approaches to nutritious fill-you-up breakfasts! Review: I enjoyed the meal plans and the nutrition section was very entertaining and informative. A must for anyone who wishes to eat breakfast in a healthful way.
Rating: Summary: A good starting place, but... Review: The best thing about this book is that it gets you thinking "out of the box" about breakfast. The authors use ingredients that you don't generally think of and that can widen the possibilities far beyond cereal or eggs. It has good ideas for kids and good ideas for gradually introducing a healthier way to eat.However, the front of the book, while not actually *wrong* (though there are some errors; I have a first edition so the typos may have been corrected), doesn't exactly tell the whole story. One quoted study had only nine subjects; others were similarly small, and I found at least one summary of a study that left me feeling like they had only used the information that bolstered their case (which of course, is that breakfast is important.) Very little is said about food allergies or vegetarianism, and nothing about diabetes and other diseases. It toes the party line on things like including milk in your diet. And although the text emphasizes using fats in moderation, many of the recipes and menus are fairly high in fat. They wave this away by saying that you can balance it out with later meals in the day, but those, if anything, are likely to be fattier than breakfast. I considered giving this as a primer on everyday nutrition to a friend who is having trouble with an overweight, pre-diabetic teen, but after studying the nutrition information I decided it was misleading and/or incomplete enough that I changed my mind. I do like the quick lists of menus, the quick ways to figure out how much protein, fats, etc. you should be eating, and the recipes look interesting. If you are looking for a recipe book and not a nutrition primer, this might be a good choice.
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