HomeCookbooksMexican Cookbooks500 400-Calorie Recipes: Delicious and Satisfying Meals That Keep You to a Balanced 1200-Calorie Diet So You Can Lose Weight without Starving Yourself |
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19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
An EXCELLENT Low-Calorie Cookbook! May 01, 2011
By William D.
First, we were more than a little bit excited to order this book from Amazon in April as it is not scheduled for release until June 1, 2011. That being said, my wife and I absolutely love this cookbook! We've been searching for low-calorie cookbooks to help us succeed while implementing the "400 Calorie Fix" diet by Liz Vaccariello (also available on Amazon) and this book is the perfect compliment to meet the 3-4 400-calorie meals requirement per day.
This cookbook includes simple, down-to-Earth hearty recipes. It doesn't require a lot of fancy items or ingredients that one would be forced to shop for in a specialty grocery store in order to prepare. It does what it exactly what it says in that it offers readers recipes for meals which are both satisfying and filling but still safely remain within the 400-calorie intake range. This book does NOT include color photos and/or sketches of the actual meals or dishes. Some readers may be disappointed by that, but for us it wasn't a drawback.
Each recipe includes the total number of calories, protein, fat, carbs, fiber, sugar as well as the vitamin intake, which was a surprising addition and a welcomed convenience.
The exact content of the book is as follows:
Introduction: Why 400-Calorie Recipes?
Chapter 1: Changing the Way You Think about What You Eat
Chapter 2: A Few Basic Building Blocks
Chapter 3: Traditional Breakfasts
Chapter 4: New Ways to Think about Breakfast
Chapter 5: Lunches and Light Meals
Chapter 6: Dinners: Chicken and Turkey
Chapter 7: Dinners: Beef
Chapter 8: Dinner: Pork
Chapter 9: Dinners: Fish and Seafood
Chapter 10: Dinners: Vegetarian
Chapter 11: Dinners: Soups, Stews, and Chilis
Chapter 12: Mix and Match Meals
Chapter 13: Mix and Match: Main Dishes
Chapter 14: Mix and Match: Starters and Side Dishes
Chapter 15: Mix and Match: Desserts
Chapter 16: Mix and Match: Bread
Chapter 17: Cooking Terms, Weights and Measurements, and Gadgets
Here's one of our favorite recipes thus far taken directly from the book, found on page 360:
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts
These chicken breasts, stuffed with a spinach dressing, make a great start to just about any meal. They are naturally low in fat and calories and high in nutrient density.
8 slices low sodium bacon
1 cup (160 g) onion, finely chopped
1/2 pound (225 g) fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) egg substitute
1/2 cup (15 g) croutons, lightly crushed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Black Pepper to taste
Fry bacon; drain and crumble. Reserve 2 tablespoons (28 ml) drippings. Saute onion in bacon drippings until soft. Remove from heat and stir in spinach, egg substitute, croutons, garlic, and crumbled bacon. Cut pocket in thick side of each chicken breast. Stuff with spinach mixture and close with wooden pick. Sprinkle with black pepper. Place breasts in 9 x 12-inch (23 x 30 cm) baking dish and cook in preheated 350 degree (180 degree Celsius or gas mark 4) oven until done, about 1/2 hour. Remove wooden picks before serving.
8 Servings
Each with: 151 Calories (29% from Fat, 58% from Protein, 13% from Carb); 22 g Protein; 5 g Total Fat; 1 g Unsaturated Fat; 2 g Monounsaturated Fat; 1 g Polyunsaturated Fat; 5 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 1 g Sugar; 213 mg Phosphorus; 47 mg Calcium; 179 mg Sodium; 443 mg Potassium; 2704 IU Vitamin A; 5 mg ATE Vitamin E; 10 mg Vitamin C; 50 mg Cholesterol
TIP: These are great on a grill. Try them on medium for about 20 minutes.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Yummy! Nov 12, 2011
By DoodlesMommy
Love the 400 calorie cook books. I highly recommend them. I even gave one to my mother in law for her birthday because she loved mine so much. I have lost weight quite effortlessly and without feeling hungry. Not to mention even both my kids love the foods in the book. Which is AMAZING because my 13 year old son is the pickiest eater I have ever seen.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Diet meals without the pain Feb 12, 2012
By LittleRobinRed
I've made three or four of these recipes so far. They have all been tasty and fillilng. They do not seem like diet recipes at all. Most are quick and easy and use common ingredients.
 Utilitarian format Mar 30, 2012
By Rudy Fan
This book's recipes use a common sense approach to losing weight, just eat less calories, but make those calories dense in nutrition (and minimally processed). There is also a focus on low sodium, low saturated fat, and high fiber. It is not about combining the right carbs or proteins, or even eating fruit at the right time during the day (thankfully). This way of eating is based on research of many different sources; it's not just one person coming up with a 'diet plan'. I like that.
The book is unfortunately, kinda ugly though. The paper is rough and cheap looking, but fairly thick. The spine does not allow the book to stay open easily. With time though, the spine will probably crease or loosen and this won't be much of a factor. There are NO pictures at all. Some people may like this, keeps it simple, but I really like to see what the recipe looks like made up. This gets me more excited about making the meal and it lets me know at a glance if I have the materials or even if it looks appetizing. I like that there is a short intro to all of the chapters giving a bit more info on that particular grouping. The font is a decent size and even the nutritional information is easily readable even without my reading glasses. There are a few lame tips scattered throughout such as: You can substitute other vegetables like onions and zucchini OR Serve over noodles or rice. Sorta silly stuff. The recipes do not give a prep time or total time to make which is always helpful, but not mandatory. And most of these recipes are indeed short and do not look like gourmet, lengthy ordeals. :-)
A very nice addition to helping Americans lose some weight!
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