Book Review: Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook

I am a little torn about the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison. I think the layout is very orderly, great pictures, and easy to follow step by step directions. However, there are lots of ingredients, and many of them I normally don't keep on hand. 

However, I do like that they include protein shakes using cottage cheese!  There is even a recipe to make skinny chocolate using cocoa powder, coconut oil, and a small amount of a "sweet blend". I would definitely use some of these ideas and substitutes in future cookie. I would also recommend reading the book if you choose to use the cookbook.

Book Review: The Bump Book of Lists For Pregnancy and Baby

I got The Bump's Book of Lists For Pregnancy and Baby after already having reviewed The Bump's Pregnancy Planner and Journal. I felt like the Book of Lists was very redundant from what was already available in the Planner and Journal. I personally liked the Planner and Journal better. For the super Type A personality, the Book of Lists might be good, but the Planner and Journal have just as many check lists. I would recommend Planner and Journal over the Book of Lists because the Planner and Journal is more of a keepsake for the baby.

A new mom may find the Book of Lists helpful... however, I'm glad I did not buy it for myself. Instead, I received it for review from Blogging For Books.

Book Review: The Amazing Make-Ahead Baby Food Book

The Amazing Make-Ahead Baby Food Book by Lisa Barrangou is a MUST HAVE for all new moms and dads interested in making their own baby food for their little ones! This book covers all of your basics, from when to start solids, to making and storing baby food. She even meal plans for 3 months for you! I absolutely love the flavor compatibility guide, which tells you which vegetables and fruits to mix. I could even apply this to even for smoothies for the kiddos and the adults!

If you are wondering when to start solids, or have concerns about feeding your baby solid food, I would definitely recommend taking a look at this book. You can plan ahead and have 3 months of baby food ready by the time your baby is 6 months old and ready to start solids! I really wish I had introduced the variety of flavors and textures that are presented in this book for my little one sooner.  

Good luck! 

Book Review: The Bump Pregancy Planner and Journal

I was really excited to get The Bump's Pregancy Planner and Journal in the mail yesterday!! It's absolutely adorable and a wonderful keepsake for your child. I really wish I had had this with my first child. It is well organized by month/week of the pregnancy. A few things I find extra helpful are the sections with questions we should be asking the OB, our HR regarding maternity leave, and the Questions for the Hospital. Many times as a mom-to-be, you don't know what you should be asking. This book does a great job laying out the questions you need to be able to answer.

For each month, it lays out "What I did this month", "What I'm Feeling", and a couple other questions to help journal thoughts during pregnancy. I also like the spots available for baby bump pictures each trimester has a folder for keepsakes.

I definitely plan to use this with my next pregnancy! I highly recommend this book for all moms-to-be. What a great gift to your child and to yourself!

Book Review: Salsas and Moles

I am totally addicted to hot sauce... I literally put hot sauce on EVERYTHING... including eggs, soups, chili, pasta, pizza, rice, meats! I am obsessed. I couldn't wait to receive the Salsas and Moles by Deborah Schneider in the mail! My mouth literally watered as I flipped through this book! 

I've never really cooked with chilies or made authentic Mexican food from scratch, so this cook feels slightly overwhelming. However, "The Essential Guide to Chiles" section is comprehensive, including the types of fresh chilies and dried chilies (including pictures), and how to work with the chilies (choosing, cleaning, toasting, soaking, pureeing, and frying). This cookbook ranges from really easy recipes to very complex salsas and sauces. I don't think I'll be working with the hotter chilies to create hot sauces, but, I definitely plan to use the recipes for the classic table salsas! Yum!!!

I would definitely recommend this cookbook to anyone who loves cooking Mexican food, or those friends who enjoy making their own hot sauces!!

Book Review: The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon

I selected The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl+Spoon by Sara Forte because my family absolutely loves BOWL food. Unfortunately, the bowl foods in this recipe book wasn't exactly what I was thinking of in terms of BOWL food. For example, roasted carrots are not something we would eat using a spoon or eat from a bowl.

I love the size of the book, the hard cover, the beautiful pictures of all of the dishes! The recipes seem fairly easy to make. However, the recipes use lots of ingredients and I should have known the type of cooking based on "whole foods" written on the cover. I do like that the recipes incorporates a lots of vegetables, but I would have preferred more recipes for soups/stews/etc. This would be a great cookbook for vegetarians.

Book Reivew: Bread and Butter

A little less than two years ago, my sister was diagnosed with Celiac disease. Even though I've been fortunate enough not to have any signs of it, I figured I would check out the Bread and Butter cookbook by Erin Mckenna to see what gluten-free baking was like. Let me first start off by stating that this cookbook is very well made! With the hard cover, full colorful pages, and glossy paper (because we know it's impossible NOT to spill ingredients while baking), the book itself is great! 

I think the most important part of the book is actually in the introduction. Erin goes over the basics about the ingredients used in gluten-free/vegan baking. Many of the ingredients are not my go-to's, so I needed all the help I could get. There is also a section, The Help Desk, that covers frequently asked questions, which is very helpful. For example, the recipes were developed using active dry yeast, so NO, you should not use rapid-rise yeast. 

All-in-all, the recipes are easy to follow, and if you are on a gluten-free or vegan diet, I would recommend checking this cookbook out. However, if you aren't, I'm not sure this is the right book for you. Personally, I am not on a gluten-free or vegan diet. It seems like a lot of work to make homemade gluten-free/vegan English muffins when I can easily go buy a pack at the store. I will be giving this book to my sister, since she's been craving carbs and loves to bake!