Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps the author should seek a new editor
Review: This book give great advice on how to provide healthy meals for your family without making yourself crazy at Whole Foods. Much of her advice were points I had read elsewhere, but for most people, I think its great to have it all in one easy-to-read book.My problem, and the reason this book didn't get 5 stars, is the recipes. They are great! If they work... I have found several of the recipes leave out steps or just simply don't turn out (the Peanut Butter Cookie recipe left out when to add the eggs and vanilla, and though I am an experienced baker who can figure out when to add these things, the cookies didn't end up as cookies. The PMS Cake leaves out the step of adding wet ingredients to dry, crucial for an unexperianced baker). The Pumpkin Munmpkins and the Mayberry Blueberry Muffins (which I have made with both blueberries, and other assorted berries) are fabulous and will forever be a constant in my house. The snacks and dips section also gets heavy useage. Hopefully, these problems are just with my printing, or will be resoved in future printings, because Ms. Ely's other books are spectacular.
Rating: 
Summary: Healthy Foods An Irreverent Guide to Understanding Nutrition
Review: This book is a must for every family trying to eat healthy! The recipes are great and easy to follow. She gently guides you to changing your eating habits! My children love this cookbook! They plan on cooking several recipes,also. I love Leannes writing style and plan on purchasing several copies as gifts!!
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Summary: FANTASTIC BOOK!!!!!
Review: This book is just fabulous! I rarely buy cookbooks because I usually only find one or two recipes that I'd like to make more than once. This book is stuffed with great recipes for real food that even my suspicious eater loves!! The writing is informative and entertaining at the same time and there's some great nutritional info in here. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Kudos from Texas
Review: This book is not only a good health book; it is also just a plain good read. It has helped put me back 'on track'. I am getting another copy for my daughter so she will feed my "marvelous" grandson healthy foods. Keep the good stuff coming!
Rating:
Summary: Best cookbook I own--changed my life!
Review: This is by far the best cookbook I own, and it has become my "cooking bible." Ever since getting married 3 years ago, and learning to cook, I have bought cookbook after cookbook trying to find a few that fit my healthy lifestyle, yet don't go overboard with the nutritional jargon. As a Registered Nurse with a bachelors of science degree, I have much knowledge in the area of nutrition and how important healthy eating is to one's energy levels, disease prevention, etc. I was constantly disappointed with cookbooks that only provided one or two interesting recipes. This cookbook has it all...from great-tasting food (REALLY tasty recipes) to excellent and interesting nutrition information that anyone can adapt to their lifestyle. This week I made the chocolate Mama's PMS cake, Apricot oatbran muffins, Enchilasagna, smoothies, broccoli soup and they were all fabulous. I literally went through my cookbook collection and donated almost all my other cookbooks to the library. I've also adapted Leanne's suggestion to use whole wheat pastry flour in place of white flour and Sucanat (evaporated cane juice) instead of white sugar, and of incorporating more protein into meals (in addition to complex carbs). This book has changed my life and given me more energy. By the way, my husband loves the food from this book, too (we don't have kids yet).
Rating:
Summary: Best cookbook I own--changed my life!
Review: This is by far the best cookbook I own, and it has become my "cooking bible." Ever since getting married 3 years ago, and learning to cook, I have bought cookbook after cookbook trying to find a few that fit my healthy lifestyle, yet don't go overboard with the nutritional jargon. As a Registered Nurse with a bachelors of science degree, I have much knowledge in the area of nutrition and how important healthy eating is to one's energy levels, disease prevention, etc. I was constantly disappointed with cookbooks that only provided one or two interesting recipes. This cookbook has it all...from great-tasting food (REALLY tasty recipes) to excellent and interesting nutrition information that anyone can adapt to their lifestyle. This week I made the chocolate Mama's PMS cake, Apricot oatbran muffins, Enchilasagna, smoothies, broccoli soup and they were all fabulous. I literally went through my cookbook collection and donated almost all my other cookbooks to the library. I've also adapted Leanne's suggestion to use whole wheat pastry flour in place of white flour and Sucanat (evaporated cane juice) instead of white sugar, and of incorporating more protein into meals (in addition to complex carbs). This book has changed my life and given me more energy. By the way, my husband loves the food from this book, too (we don't have kids yet).
Rating:
Summary: My Cooking Bible
Review: This is hands down THE best cookbook I've ever owned. I use it constantly and every recipe is wonderful. My entire family is enjoying this cookbook. A friend of mine asked to borrow it after tasting the mashed potato recipe. I said no. I couldn't be parted with it even for a day. I literally use it at least once a day. I have decided to start giving copies as gifts.
Rating:
Summary: Love the food, love the style
Review: This is really an encouraging book to read for moms who (at least pretend) to care about what's in their kids' plate. I just love the easy recipies : it is true family food but imaginative and fun (the names of the recipies are so full of humor)...ideal when you start being bored with the same old pasta-with-ham thing.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just for Kids!
Review: You want to serve your family a nutritious meal but the children only want burgers and fries. Your son drowns everything on his plate in ketchup and your daughter gets chronic stomachaches. They eat too much or absolutely nothing. What in the world do you do? Leanne Ely, C.N.C., nutritionist, had problems feeding her children and was determined to find out how to help them and herself. "Healthy Foods" is filled with easy to digest information on nutrition that suites the needs of children as well as adults. She doesn't try to sell you on a new diet or product that doesn't work. Instead, she provides clear facts along with her own opinions and observations, which are clearly labeled as such. She provides lots of useful links to websites with dietary information for further research. In her playful way, she also provides tips to get your kids to try new foods. How about cutting up food and letting your child pick up the pieces with toothpicks? Mrs. Ely has come up with over 100 family tested recipes to choose from. These recipes are designed to be un-intimidating and good for you. Everything from snacks to breakfast, lunch, and dinner are covered. Recipes are very simply and use easy to find ingredients, though you may need to go to a health or natural food store for some. Some may take offense to the occasional use of processed foods used here and there but they are kept to a minimum and they are the more health conscious varieties. I don't have children but I do want to eat right. I also have days were I don't want to cook anything too adventurous. I was impressed with the quality of the information she provided and in the way it was presented. Her guidelines are just that, "guide" lines. You need to make the necessary adjustments to suite your family's lifestyle and needs. It was fun picking out recipes to try, especially since many recipes had funny titles such as Not Your Mama's Tuna Casserole, Poor Tater Supper, and Pumpkin Mumkins. I found several recipes I was already familiar with and others with a new twist. Recipes are easily adaptable to what you have on hand and geared towards experimentation. "Fast and Furious Chicken and Rice" has been transformed numerous times depending on my refrigerator's contents. I've substituted cooked ground chicken for chicken breasts and put taco cheese on top. On one occasion I added frozen vegetables and a couple of shots of Tabasco. One of my favorite breakfasts, especially now that the weather's warming up, has become her "Smoothie Patrol". It beats a Slim-Fast shake any day, and I can make any flavor I want. If you have kids, here's one they'll never guess is good for them. I thoroughly enjoyed this cookbook and will refer to it many times. I have already suggested it to several friends at work who have small children that are problem eaters. If I had to force myself to find a problem it would be that occasionally there is a recipe that is too tame for my taste buds. Here and there I would add a dash of spice to punch it up a bit. I think that regardless of age, this cookbook would find a good home in anyone's kitchen. From college students to those more mature in age, this is a very useable cookbook indeed.
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