[.ca] Healthy Foods: An Irreverent Guide to Understanding ... (ISBN 1891400207)

Simple Recipes and Refined Tastebuds:
Before I bought this book, I didn't eat orgainc anything. I thought it was too expensive. But as Leanne points out, you'll pay one way or the other, in doctor bills. She doesn't give you absolutes, though. She has a "if it works for you then stick with it" additude. Most importantly, this is the only cookbook that has ever made me laugh! Who'da thunk a HEALTY cookbook could be entertaining! PS-pizza dough recipe is to die for, I've used that page so much it's sticking to the facing page.

Perhaps the author should seek a new editor:
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.

Kudos (not the processed kind):
Kudos to the author for writing this book. Avoiding "bad" foods does not always result in a nutritious diet. In this book, basic nutrition is followed by nutritious - and mainstream - recipes. What would have been useful is a section describing how to increase the nutritional content of existing recipes without changing their essense. But there is good content in this book. One surprise - the author also takes a hardline with firm tofu: forget it. It was truly liberating. Instead of obsessing with incorporating tofu into our diet, I decided to have more fun with other nutritious foods that we like better. And this book is intended to be fun and is targeted to parents. There are few better gifts to give children than a nutritious diet and an understanding of nutrition.

Healthy food the family will actually eat:
I've really enjoyed this cookbook for trying to cook healthier foods for my family. I love the "Not Your Mother's Tuna Casserole" (My mother never actually did make tuna casserole, so I never even knew I'd LIKE tuna casserole.) The Mayberry Blueberry muffins are delicious too. Lots of great real people food here!

Fun and Useful:
After buying Ely's Saving Dinner, which gives menus for 32 weeks of healthy dinners, I wished that I had some recipes from her for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, too. This book provides all those things. There are breads, muffins, cinnamon rolls, cereals, smoothies, pancakes and more for daily and special occasion breakfasts. There are delicious soups and salads for lunches, cookies and cakes and dips for snacks, and tasty dinner dishes, too. There is also plenty of useful information about healthy eating and cooking. The whole book is fun to read. Every recipe I have tried has been very good. Since they are very casually written, they might be a little confusing for the absolute tyro, or a little nerve-wracking for those who like precision in the kitchen, but most moms should have no trouble.