Rating: 
Summary: Delicious and Healthy
Review: "Quality nutrition can only come from quality food. Quality food is defined as less processed, more natural, more basic foods-like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. Easy stuff to get at the market. There are however, concerns that we are necessarily, having to deal with in this 21st century." ~Leanne ElyNeed a recipe for Pesto or want to learn to make healthier French Fries? How did mom make those mashed potatoes anyway? Well, Leanne Ely has the answers and had created a cute cookbook filled with over 100 family-approved recipes. If your kids are hungry for pizza and there isn't a frozen pizza in sight, you might enjoy making the Pizza Muffins. If you keep a bottle of spaghetti sauce around, some mozzarella cheese, various toppings and mixed grain English muffins in the kitchen, you will have an easy-to-prepare snack. The first thing I noticed in this cookbook was an ingredient called "sucanat." If you are wondering what this is, well, I was too. I found the answer on pg. 51, where the author also lists, kamut flour, carob and whole wheat pastry flour. I was then sent to the glossary for explanations. The glossary is not where you'd expect it to be, it is on page 59. Ok, so it is that natural cane sugar I've seen in health food stores! All the other ingredients seemed pretty normal to me, still, you might want to find a health food store in your area or most grocery stores seem to have an isle of natural foods. If you want to shop online, there is a resource section at the back of the book. The basic recipe sections: Breakfast in Bread and Other Comforts
Soup & Salad Bar
Life in the Fast Food Lane
The Main Thing
Dips, Snacks & Tricks
Just Desserts Some of the recipes include: Buttermilk Cornbread, Mega Manic Muffin Mix, Lentil Soup, Tabbouleh, Mama's Mashed Potatoes, Quinoa Pilaf, Shepherd's Pie, Roasted Garlic, Pizza, Hummus and Mexican Chicken Salad. Want to try something sweet? Try the Apple Cake or Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Some of the highlights of this cookbook include the short essays on food at the start of the book. Leanne Ely explains why writing this book became essential for the health of her family and how you can also change your food and change your life. Leanne believes we all know what works best for our bodies. She has been a victim of the experts who have given her ideal diets to follow. Finally, she decided to just follow the "guru" within. She explains the basics of protein, carbohydrates and fats. Then, she delves into the dangers lurking in our regular grocery store shelves. After reading chapter three, organic foods will start looking pretty darn good to you. Do you have a child who has allergies or want to teach "manners to the not so mannerly." I recently read that the top food allergies are nuts, shellfish/seafood, milk, wheat, eggs, a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese, yeast and soya protein. So even "healthy" foods might not be healthy for everyone. It is really tricky. Before she gets into the recipe section, she also explains basic tools and how to stock the pantry. Before you hand your very young child a peanut butter cookie, consider their age. Peanut butter should not be fed to children younger than 3 years old. It is almost as difficult to avoid peanut butter as it is to avoid cottonseed oil. It seems to be in everything. Even chocolate can have traces of peanuts as can soy protein bars, etc, etc. In fact, by avoiding cottonseed oil, palm kernel oils and peanut butter, you might notice your skin clearing up if you didn't realize you had an allergy to begin with. We all live and learn. If some of the health information intrigues you, you might also want to read: The Metabolic Plan by Stephen Cherniske. It takes health to new levels! A must-read! It has become more and more obvious to me that to live a long and healthy life, you need to read a lot of books! Choosing a healthy lifestyle seems to be key and it is really this huge puzzle you have to figure out on your own. You find some pieces in books and some pieces are the result of your own experience with food. Leanne Ely gives quite a few great suggestions on how to not only improve the health of your family, she also gives a basic overview of nutrition so you can feed your family well. There are a few puzzle pieces in this book, pieces I have never seen in any other cookbook. Leanne's "irreverent" style is cute and you will learn a ton about nutrition and I'm even thinking about using "sucanat" in some of my own recipes.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun and Useful
Review: After buying Ely's Saving Dinner, which gives menus for 32 weeks of healthy dinners, I wished that I had some recipes from her for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, too. This book provides all those things.
There are breads, muffins, cinnamon rolls, cereals, smoothies, pancakes and more for daily and special occasion breakfasts. There are delicious soups and salads for lunches, cookies and cakes and dips for snacks, and tasty dinner dishes, too.
There is also plenty of useful information about healthy eating and cooking. The whole book is fun to read.
Every recipe I have tried has been very good. Since they are very casually written, they might be a little confusing for the absolute tyro, or a little nerve-wracking for those who like precision in the kitchen, but most moms should have no trouble.
Rating:
Summary: Simple Recipes and Refined Tastebuds
Review: Before I bought this book, I didn't eat orgainc anything. I thought it was too expensive. But as Leanne points out, you'll pay one way or the other, in doctor bills. She doesn't give you absolutes, though. She has a "if it works for you then stick with it" additude. Most importantly, this is the only cookbook that has ever made me laugh! Who'da thunk a HEALTY cookbook could be entertaining! PS-pizza dough recipe is to die for, I've used that page so much it's sticking to the facing page.
Rating:
Summary: Simple Recipes and Refined Tastebuds
Review: Before I bought this book, I didn't eat orgainc anything. I thought it was too expensive. But as Leanne points out, you'll pay one way or the other, in doctor bills. She doesn't give you absolutes, though. She has a "if it works for you then stick with it" additude. Most importantly, this is the only cookbook that has ever made me laugh! Who'da thunk a HEALTY cookbook could be entertaining! PS-pizza dough recipe is to die for, I've used that page so much it's sticking to the facing page.
Rating:
Summary: A common-sense approach to healthy eating.
Review: Healthy Foods promotes a common-sense approach to healthy eating. Author Leanne Ely, frustrated with her doctors' responses to her daughter's recurring ear infections, went on a one-woman crusade to make her daughter well. In the process she discovered her daughter 's milk allergy, learned how diet affects the body, become a certified nutrition consultant, and improved the health of her entire family. Not just another book promoting the low-fat lifestyle, the latest high-protein fad, or the diet du jour, Healthy Foods shows how to control your family's health through responsible nutrition with little effort. Ely focuses on the fact that each person's body is unique, therefore, nutritional requirements are unique, too. She promotes balance and encourages us to learn to understand what is best for our own body. The nutritional section of the book begins with a discussion of protein, carbohydrates and fats and the roles each play in our bodies. A chapter on food quality shows how to avoid the chemicals and additives that plague our kitchens these days. The section on child obesity and allergies is very enlightening. The third section of the book, Making Mealtime Manageable, takes us into the dining room and kitchen with clever tips to get kids to eat (like the on-a-stick trick), dinner manners, kitchen tools and pantry staples. The rest of the book is comprised of family-friendly recipes. The Breakfast chapter offers muffins, pancakes and smoothies loaded with nutritional power. Life in the Fast Food Lane shares quick and easy alternatives to the drive-through window. The Main Thing takes classic favorites, such as meatloaf, and adds a healthy spin. Even the Desserts chapter includes goodies that pack a big nutritional bang for the caloric buck. Other chapters include Soups, Salads, Dips and Snacks. The entire book is peppered with interesting and informative sidebars, such as Lunch Box Tricks, Ode to Garlic, A Tidbit on Tofu, and Snack Attacks. Although a few of the ingredients may be unfamiliar to some readers (for example, sucanat, evaporated sugar cane juice; and quinoa, a whole grain), Ely provides a Glossary of New Terms to explain them, a Resources section to help you find them, and familiar recipes in which to use them. Healthy Foods promotes real food for real life and is a must-read for anyone concerned with the health of their family.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent resource!
Review: I bought this book, unsure if it would live up to my expectations or not. I was hoping for something to not only provide me with delicious recipes, but also an introduction to healthy eating that I could share with my 15-year-old daughter. I bought the companion Unit Study that goes with this book so my daughter could work through the study book while we worked together on preparing the recipes. Well, this book has lived up to all my healthy eating hopes and dreams! We've loved every recipe so far, my daughter is happily working through the Unit Study book, and I love the author's insight and humor. A+++++++ :-)
Rating:
Summary: Light-hearted, healthy, delicious fun!
Review: I have a tendency to collect cookbooks. I love to read 'em, look at 'em, touch 'em ... but I don't always USE them. But I've discovered that this new book, Healthy Foods, has actually become a well-used addition to my kitchen and not just another pretty face cluttering up my bookshelves. The book contains excellent (and often funny!) text on adjusting to healthier eating habits. And the recipes are fun as well as tasty! You'll find everything from Manic Meatloaf, Mama's PMS Cake, Not Your Mother's Tuna Casserole, and much more. The general contents of the book includes: Realistic healthy eating ideas, tips for introducing kids to healthier eating, making mealtime manageable, breakfast recipes, soups and salads, homemade fast foods, main dishes, dips and snacks, desserts, substitutions, hints and even a short chapter about the author's penchant for chocolate. ;-) This is healthy food for REAL people! You don't have to switch over to nothing but sawdust textured bread and bean sprouts. Another title for this book could've been "Healthy Foods Your Kids Will Love!" cuz I'll tell you, my kids have loved every recipe I've tried from this book so far! Highly recommended. Q
Rating:
Summary: The BEST healthy food ever!!
Review: I have several "healthy" cooking cookbooks, but this one is the best. Leanne explains the different types of healthy foods so well. The recipes are great and the narrative parts of the book are fun to read as well as very informative. If you want to eat healthier, but keep great taste, this is the book for you!
Rating:
Summary: Only cookbook you'll ever need!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I have to say, I am a cookbook freak. I love buying cookbooks but normally find one good keeper and feel the money I spent was a waste. Not so with this one. I have 3 boys ages 9, 7, and 3. For the past 3 weeks, we have eaten a new dinner *every night* from this cookbook alone. There's not one person in our family of five who has not liked these recipes. They are easy, fast, delicious, and frugal. I was on a quest for health but on a budget and this book fit the requirements. I will buy this book for every person I can and will buy every cookbook Leanne puts out there. Thank you Leanne!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Only cookbook you'll ever need!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I have to say, I am a cookbook freak. I love buying cookbooks but normally find one good keeper and feel the money I spent was a waste. Not so with this one. I have 3 boys ages 9, 7, and 3. For the past 3 weeks, we have eaten a new dinner *every night* from this cookbook alone. There's not one person in our family of five who has not liked these recipes. They are easy, fast, delicious, and frugal. I was on a quest for health but on a budget and this book fit the requirements. I will buy this book for every person I can and will buy every cookbook Leanne puts out there. Thank you Leanne!!!!!!!!
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