Review: The Carb Lovers Diet Cookbook (Recipe: Oatmeal-Cranberry Muffins)

I have read tons of books on various types of diets and how to lose weight.  When I initially received an email asking if I'd like more information on the Carb Lovers Diet Cookbook, I did hesitate because I just didn't know if I need to add to my already huge collection of cookbooks and diets.  Once I did a little checking, I could see that it wasn't going to be a free-for-all-eat-all-the-carbs-you-want-diet.  I was also intrigued because I saw that this wasn't one of those diets that suggests you completely eliminate an entire food group.  I just can't get my head around those diets because they work for awhile and then you go back to the "old ways" because you crave the foods you gave up.

I am not going to review the merits of the diet or the meal plans that are provided in this book, since I have not followed them myself.  If you are interested in following the plan, the book does provide a Kick-Start meal plan (1200 calories per day) that lasts for 1 week, which is then followed by a 21 day meal plan (1600 calories per day) to help you continue losing. 

My review is really about the recipes and this cookbook has 150 healthy, balanced recipes to choose from as you work towards improving your diet.  I'm very interested in any book that promotes whole grains, fresh produce and lean proteins.  From everything I have seen over the years, these are the elements necessary to embarking on healthy eating.  Portion control is also key, and necessary even with these recipes.

 The Carb Lovers Diet Cookbook is filled with fabulous photos that will make your mouth water.  The theory behind this cookbook is not that you can go crazy filling up on carbohydrates, but rather that if you choose your carbs wisely you can still enjoy them as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Eat. Live. Be. (Routines are Good)

I never would have thought I'd be a morning person.  And, I am still not a jump-out-of-bed-with-a-smile-on-my-face morning person. 

But, I have noticed in the few weeks I've been getting up super early to hit the treadmill with a vengence, that I am now waking up before my alarm goes off.  Something to be said about training yourself to wake up.

That's not to say that I don't have a moment or two where I actually have to think about why I am awake and whether the nice warm bed is the place I should stay.  My motivation has been much higher this time around... and when I saw this statement, it totally fits with my current approach to starting off the day on a healthy/fit note:

Hearty Vegetable Soup

I'm a pretty lucky woman because My Husband not only enjoys looking for new recipes for us to try, but also enjoys cooking up some really good food for us, too!

Last week, he found a few recipes for soup that sounded good.  Since I had to take the boys out to do a few things, he went to the grocery store and picked up everything needed to make the soup.  The soup started out as a recipe for pasta fagioli, but ended up morphing into more of a really thick and hearty vegetable soup. 

Eat. Live. Be. Reboot. (Feeling Good & Recipe for Roasted Carrots & Parsips)

Eat. Live. Be. Reboot. day is here again.  This week though is already a much different story than last week was... you know the one where I was so stuffy and miserable I couldn't get a single workout in last week.

 

This week, I am going to be celebrating each little success because I found this cute little reminder over on Pinterest!

 

Whether that success is getting up at 5:15 in the morning to do 40 minutes on the treadmill... or that I made it to the gym for a 2nd workout (for weights and strength) on my lunch break, or that I walked away from the candy machine... even though chocolate was REALLY calling my name, I am going to celebrate it and keep my positive momentum going!   And so, far this week I can say the workouts are happening (and I am really happy about that) and I'm working on resisting those sweet cravings.

  

Total Comfort Food: Red-Wine Braised Short Ribs

There are times when I get something in my head that I want to make and I keep thinking about it until I actually make it.  This was one of those times.

When we went to Las Vegas in 2010 with our friends and ate dinner at Fleur de Lys, my friend ordered the most amazing wine braised short ribs ever.  I had a taste and it simply melted in my mouth.  I have been thinking about them ever since.  She has since made them a few times and each time she has mentioned it, my mouth waters at the thought.

Eat. Live. Be. - Sidelined...

After my last Eat. Live. Be. post, I was feeling pretty good about how things were going.  Then, Saturday arrived and I had a ridiculously early hair appointment which caused me to skip the AM workout.  I went along my merry way, doing a few errands and finding some time to do some reading.  But, by that afternoon, I began to notice a slight sore throat.

Fast forward to Monday, my throat was continuing to give me grief but I went to the gym and did a light workout.  I didn't want to start my week off without getting it in after the previous week.  Needless to say, by that night I wasn't sleeping well and woke up with a stuffy nose and all the fun that comes with that.

Now, it's Thursday and I can only say I've worked out once this week.  My body has been so worn out that I just can't stay awake past 9:30 each night... so, I'm listening and obeying.  This afternoon, I started to feel the energy coming back.  My fingers are crossed that I can manage my gym workout tomorrow and perhaps get my longer treadmill workouts back on the weekend.  Please let this cold leave me as I'm really tired of it at this point!

Chinese New Year and Sun-Bird Seasonings Giveaway (now closed &winner announced)

The giveaway has closed.  The winner is....


Moonsword who writes the blog Moonswords Chamber!  Please contact me as soon as you can with your mailing information so that we can get your Sun-Bird Seasonings and gift card prize pack sent out to you!  pkfamilyfriendsandfood (at) gmail (dot) com
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Were you really ready for the New Year to arrive?  If not, you've got another chance at it... Chinese New Year is January 23rd and you can celebrate it with a Sun-Bird Seasonings Giveaway!

My family enjoys Chinese food all year long, and with the Chinese New Year just a short time away we can enjoy another holiday and wonderful food.  It's really simple and fun to create your own celebration at home.  You could go all out and invite some friends over to enjoy the party as well!

Don't forget that Sun-Bird Seasonings are a great way to make Chinese food with ease at home.  I have a perfect example of a meal that I made just last week.

After what seemed like the longest day of work ever... I got home and still needed to make dinner.  Luckily, I had picked up some pre-cut stir-fry beef strips when I did the shopping last weekend, and some pre-cut broccoli.  All I needed was the Beef and Broccoli seasoning packet from Sun-Bird. 

Brown Banana Love (Recipe: Blueberry Banana Bread)

It's been pretty chilly outside the last week or so, and I guess I should just accept it because it IS January and we do live in New Jersey where winter does come every year.  Of course, the forecasters say it's going to hit 50 tomorrow, so I'll take it and won't complain too loudly when the next cold front comes through and I have to add an extra few blankets to the bed at night.

 

One of the nice things about the weather being cold is that I get the itch to bake.  My Oldest is thrilled when this happens because he loves banana bread in all its various forms.  I've made so many different versions, but I still keep playing around with recipes because... well, I have to see if there is another one out there that is better than the last one. 

 

Eat. Live. Be. Reboot: Extra Veggies, Please!

This has been a very good week.  Yes, it has... I filled up our fridge with tons of produce when I went food shopping and I've managed to make a ton of healthy choices when hunger would strike.

I found this on Pinterest when I was searching for some motivating healthy quotes to keep on my healthy living board.  This simple statement is how I am approaching Eat. Live. Be. Reboot.  A friend on Facebook updated her status recently to say that she was going on a diet, but it was more of a change in focus.  What she can have to be healthy in all ways, not what she can't have... forget thinking about depriving yourself!

This week, Cate, Sarah, Joanne and I are sharing something that inspired or motivated us from a magazine (and I added some on-line tidbits as well!) to stick to our goals.  I had plenty of material to work with since just several of my favorite magazines arrived just before the start of the New Year.

Happy 2012! (Baked Spaghetti Squash)

Well, we are 2 days into 2012 and hopefully, everyone is off to a great New Year!  We had a really nice weekend with family and friends... and of course, food! 

 

I hope to share many more recipes in the coming year, and will likely add some different kinds of reviews as well.  Now that I have rediscovered my love of reading, I will be adding some book reviews as I plow my way through some best sellers and some older books that I missed during the years when I didn't have time to read. 

 

I also hope to get back to challenging myself with new cooking techniques, but the twist will be to make sure we are eating a healthy balance of foods that include wonderful produce and lean meats.  This speaks to the Eat. Live. Be. Reboot. challenge I've been participating in, which I will continue to share each week on Wednesdays (as long as Blogger doesn't give me grief with getting my post done!).

 

So, let's start the year off with a simple way to prepare spaghetti squash!

 

 

What's For Breakfast? Mini Ham and Cheese Stratas!

Once all the celebrating is done on New Year's Eve, everyone will head off to bed to get some sleep.  The next morning, breakfast can sometimes be a situation of scrounge for whatever you can find and go for it.  That's all going to change once you see what I made today!

These sweet little ramekins are filled with the perfect way to start your day!  Eggs, cheese, ham... even some diced up bread cubes... kind of hard to say that this won't taste good with these ingredients.

Eat. Live. Be. Reboot. (Recipe: Wheatberry Salad with Cranberries)

Don't forget to enter the fabulous giveaway that Grumpy's Honeybunch is hosting!  Check out my Brie Bites post for more information on how you could win!

Nothing like getting past one holiday feast only to look forward to another weekend of indulging, right?  New Year's is coming and it's likely to be brought in with lots of food to nibble on... and we'll, be enjoying some football food come Sunday night.

This week, we are sharing something from television, and I imagine we'll all interpret that in different ways... that's what I like about how we are doing it this time.  I may look at the topics as they rotate and find something different each time that speaks to me.   Cate, Sarah and Joanne may interpret each topic in a completely different way... which, will often make me look at something in a whole new light. 

I don't watch a ton of television these days.  I was lucky enough to receive a new Kindle Touch, so I am much more into reading right now.  But this morning, I was able to sleep in a bit since I have some time off from work to be with My Boys while they are on break from school... so, I watched a bit of television.  I enjoy watching the Today Show and today was a segment about People Magazine's feature sharing weight-loss stories. 

I find these stories to be so inspiring because they had so much more to lose than I do, and they didn't let that stop them.  Once they hit their "moment of truth", they had the motivation and focus to make the weight-loss a reality. 

Inspired by what I saw in each of the people featured today, I decided to make a wheatberry salad.  Wheatberries are a grain (not actually a fruit!) and full of good stuff for you... and what's more, they are pretty tasty and filling.

Happy Blogiversary to Grumpy's Honeybunch! (And, a Giveaway!)

A few weeks ago, I received an email from a dear blogging friend who was gearing up for her 4 year blogging anniversary.  She asked a number of her on-line blogging friends to join her in this celebration because over the years we have gotten to know each other on-line and become friends.  Shelby, who is also known as Grumpy's Honeybunch, shares fabulous recipes and bits of her life in each post.  She is one of those people I would love to meet in real life sometime because I know we'd have so much fun cooking together!

Shelby and I have participated in a few fun on-line things over the last few years - the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club and a giveaway or two together. 

She began her blog as a way to keep a journal of her life for her kids and to keep family recipes in a safe place.  It has certainly grown for her over the years!  You can read more about her inspiration for starting her blog at her current post, which is for some really tasty little bites - Brie Popover Bites.  When I saw her post I had to laugh a bit... because my recipe contribution is also a little bite of brie inside puff pastry! 

Homemade Gifts: Peanut Butter Truffles

Have you entered my current Shabby Apple Apron Giveaway yet?  No?  What are you waiting for, take a moment and see how to enter on THIS post then, come on back here to see what I have to share today. 

I only have one more treat package to deliver!  That is a good thing because there have been years when I've delivered the last one a day after Christmas or after Hanukkah... always hate when that happens.  But, I try to look at it as just allowing the holiday spirit to last a bit longer.  That's me... looking on the bright side!

 

Before I share my final treat of the week, I thought it would be fun to share some photos from the last couple of days.  For anyone who was looking for my Eat. Live. Be. post, I'm going to double up next week... I had a really good week, but with Hanukkah in full force I didn't have the time to put toward a thoughtful post for this week's topic.

 

What is Hanukkah without Latkes? 

 

Then, I had to fry up some panko breaded chicken strips... mine went on a salad, so I could keep the fried foods somewhat limited...

 

 

Happy Hanukkah! (Homemade Gifts: Rainbow Cookies)

Happy Hanukkah to everyone celebrating the 1st night tonight!  We had a wonderful evening of gifts and latkes! 

As promised on the Family, Friends and Food Facebook page, tonight I am sharing my new favorite cookie!  Rainbow Cookies!!! 

There is something special about these cookies that I simply cannot resist.  I've never attempted making them before because I thought they would be much too complicated.