Healthy Calendar Diabetic Cooking Cookbook
by Pam on January 25, 2013
Beginning on the New Year, our family made a commitment to get back on track with healthy meals. We had all gained weight and Bryan needed to make adjustments for his health concerns, prediabetes and high blood pressure. Since both of my in-laws and my father have diabetes, I am always looking for recipes that I can prepare when they eat dinner with us. I also wanted healthy food ideas that tasted good for our family meals. After all I can prepare healthy meals but if no one likes the dishes, they will pick at their dinner and then find unhealthy snacks to eat later. I can’t even fuss at the kids for doing this because I catch Bryan doing the same thing. Then I discovered Healthy Calendar: Diabetic Cooking, Second Edition by Lara Rondinelli Hamilton and Chef Jennifer Bucko Lamplough.
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| Hearty Lentil Soup |
What’s so great about this cookbook? It’s organized around weekly menus. Each week includes seven recipes, arranged to include one to two new recipes for five days. That’s 352 recipe ideas for me to try, meaning the kids can’t complain they have to eat the “same thing all the time.” My problem with eating healthy is not planning ahead. Sometimes when I go to cook the meal I discover I don’t have an ingredient and have to make a quick trip to the store. Sometimes I am in a hurry and don’t have time to prepare a time consuming meal and sometimes I am just not inspired to cook. The Healthy Calendar cookbook includes a weekly shopping list with all the ingredients I need. No more wondering what I will cook at the last minute! Once I have a menu and ingredients I am inspired to stick to a schedule. The dishes are ones the kids will like too, including Sweet and Sour Pour, Creamy Macaroni and Cheese or Stuffed Peppers.
The authors devote a section to stocking a healthy kitchen, healthy breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack ideas and needed kitchen utensils. They’ve also included how to change many of the recipes to make them gluten free, another idea I appreciate. The author, having been diagnosed with celiac disease, realized the importance of including gluten free recipes and tips throughout the book. Each recipe in the book has an added dietian’s tip at the bottom of the page with suggestions for substitutions and more. The only thing I would have added to the book was more full color photographs. While there are several sprinkled throughout the book, I like to see pictures for all of the recipes. It’s just a small personal preference so I can see if my dish looks the way it should when prepared.
Do you have a favorite healthy recipe? If not, you are sure to find one in this book. If you do, you’ll probably find several more.
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Pam is a former teacher turned work from home mom. When she's not caring for her kids or cats, she can be found whipping up tasty recipes, trying her hand at the newest techie gadgets or reading. She loves to travel whenever she has a chance and spends way too much time on the computer sharing her experiences.
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{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Vegetarian lasagna.
homemade chicken and vegetables
I like baked lemon chicken(no skin) and a salad.
I love grilled chicken.
I love baked Cod!
grilled chicken and rice debbie jackson
djackson1958 at hotmail dot com
Stuffed peppers
Thanks so much for reviewing our book! I’m so glad you liked it. You can like my page on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/fitfoodiechef and look for more recipes from me and Lara on the ADA’s website under Recipes for Healthy Living (we do the quick and foodie recipes and coming soon, budget friendly dinners that are under $10 for 4 people): http://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes/recipes/. Thanks again for such a great review of our book…we’re so glad you like it! Chef Jen
Grilled Salmon
Spinache Salad with: pistacios, diced apples, diced tangerine, diced pears, sliced bannana’s,
sliced avacado, sliced kiwi and topped with RASBERRY VINEGARETTE OIL. Good, hot or cold !
deneenk@aol.com
i love salads
Beef barley soup.
ighmeg at yahoo dot com
Chicken stir fry is my favorite.
Susan Chester
grilled chicken and vegetables are the only healthy meals i can seem to get my family to eat this cookbook would be great new ideas also my husband and son in law are diabetic and it would be nice to cook healthier for them thanks
marinated grilled chicken
I love baked chicken and fish…my favorite way to do chicken is skinless with some melted provolone and onions…fish is great with a little lemon and pepper
Rainbow Salad!
theyyyguy@yahoo.com
I make a rockin grilled Salmon with fresh peppers
My corn chowder recipe is really healthy and delicious.
misusedinnocence@aol.com
I have a recipe for a healthy chili which I found after being diagnosed with Diabetes.
lauraemerson17 at yahoo dot com
I am not good at cooking, especially healthy so anything healthy would be a salad.
A boneless skinless chicken thigh recipe that I make in a curry sauce
chicken
Fresh tomato soup is a family fave
i love to make a healthy minestrone soup
susansmoaks at gmail dot com
tony l smoaks on rafflecopter
baked chicken and quinoa
Roasted chicken and veggies
salad with grilled chicken is my fave thanks crystal allen
Baked Chicken with carrots, onions and mushrooms
vikki.billings@yahoo.com
lean pot roast
Grilled salmon!