The Pregnancy Cookbook

Rating:
Summary: Not practical for working moms/dads.
Review: Great sounding recipes if you have the time (or someone else fixing them for you). Didn't find them practical enough for everyday use. Certainly not the kind of recipes my 3 year-old would find appealing. When I fix meals, I want something easy the whole family will enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Formerly pregnant...
Review: I definitely recommend this book for pregnant women. I tried a number of the recipes and hubby and I both liked them. I still use the cookbook after pregnancy. I did however dislike that the beginning few chapters prior to the recipes take the same paranoid tact that the What to Expect books do. They recommend no alcohol, indicating that studies don't show whether all of the alcohol cooks off when exposed to heat or not, and then include recipes which use alcohol! They also go into tirades about how you shouldn't have any sugar, caffeine, fat, etc. Even so, I would recommend the book for it's recipes because they are good and nutritious although I agree with a previous reviewer who said many of the recipes are too extensive for a tired pregnant woman to deal with. For those with a sweet tooth, the dessert recipes are pretty good even without sugar.

Rating:
Summary: Nice idea if your husband is a good cook
Review: I don't know how others felt during their pregnancy, but I had no desire to cook meals. I knew I had to eat well, but the recipes in this book took too long. Also, for someone like me who felt sick to my stomach for most of my pregnancy, many of the recipes (fish, etc.) did not sound appetizing.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Cookbook
Review: I highly recommend this book. It offers clear and informative chapters on what to eat while you are pregnant, plus it actually gives suggestions and recipes. The recipes are absolutely delicious. My husband loves them and he isn't pregnant. We will use this book long beyond the birth of our children.

Rating:
Summary: No All Foods Safe--but everything looks delish
Review: I looked through this book and while it has some very tasty looking recipies in it, they are no all safe. The goat cheese thing another reviewer brought up is debatable (if it is pasturised or used cooked it should be fine), as is the wine (alcohol does boil off), but the big fish (swordsfish, fresh tuna--or for that matter regular canned tuna more than once a week) that are featured in a number of these recipies are no nos for sure for pregnant women. Mercury poisoning is a VERY serious thing especially in the first trimester, and the big fish are full of it.

That said, if you buy it as an educated pregnant person who knew what to avoid, it looks like it would be great!

Rating:
Summary: Great cookbook!
Review: I love this cookbook and will use it beyond pregnancy. The recipes are more interesting than what you can find in other pregnancy cookbooks, and are pretty easy if you cook regularly anyway. The recipes are healthy but don't make you feel like you're eating birdfood, and helped me to get the proper nutrition without being paranoid about whether I was getting enough vitamins. I loved assigning recipes to my husband who would cook them for me when I wasn't feeling up to it! We particularly liked the Pregnancy Pancakes, Blueberry Corn Muffins, Seafood Risotto, and Brisket recipes.

Rating:
Summary: This book is making eating during pregnancy really enjoyable
Review: I really like this book and now that I have read through the first chapters which cover a good, common sense approach to nutrition during pregnancy, I feel much better informed that I was before. So many other books are harsh about what not to eat, this book gives some really good ideas about what to eat, when to eat it, and what you will gain from it. And what great recipes they have created!!! It takes ingredients that seem lackluster and turns them into really fabulous meals. Although some recipes are time-consuming, they are not more so than any other popular current cookbook, and the result is well worth the effort. Conversely, a large portion of the recipes use short ingredient lists, most of which are readily available in any kitchen. I am pretty sure that some of these recipes will still be in my repertoire even after our child is born. Thanks for a really great cookbook.

Rating:
Summary: A great mother's day gift
Review: I received this book as a mother's day gift during my second trimester. How I wish I had it when I was suffering from nasea and needed some simple recipes to quiet my queasy stomach (like the canteloupe banana shake." Now that I am feeling better, I am trying some exciting yet easy to prepare dishes such as linguine with clams, tomato, and spinach. I never expected healthy eating in pregnancy to be this exciting yet nutritious.

Rating:
Summary: This book was invaluable to me!
Review: I suffered extreme morning sickness through much of my pregnancy--this book helped my find foods to calm the queasies and to nurture my body and baby. Yes, some of the recipes are a little involved, but there are many quick foods and make-ahead suggestions that are very helpful--especially postpartum.

Rating:
Summary: Great food, but who has time?
Review: Lovely and interesting recipies, several of which I've successfully tried. But a rather ridiculous premise to think that the average expecting couple would have the time and energy to prepare most of these labor-intensive dishes unless, like the author, the woman is married to a gourmet chef.