10 February 2018

Weekend Cooking: Cooking That Counts by Cooking Light

Review: Cooking That Counts by Cooking LightOne of my go-to sources for good recipes and sane tips for healthful eating is Cooking Light magazine. In all the years I've been cooking from their pages and website, I don't think I've had a miss. Thus I was pretty happy when this Cooking That Counts by the magazine's editors (Oxmoor House, 2017) showed up on my doorstep last year.

I'm a little sorry I didn't write about this cookbook in the fall or in January, because it's great for helping people who made New Year's resolutions to lose weight, take charge of their diet, and generally improve their health.

Neither my husband nor I have any real weight to lose. On the other hand, we've noticed that as we age, we don't rebound as quickly from holiday eating or those occasional indulgences. That's when I really appreciate a cookbook like this, which lets me know at glance the nutritional and caloric breakdown of each recipe.

Review: Cooking That Counts by Cooking LightAs you can see on the cover, Cooking That Counts contains meal plans as well as recipes. As with all these kinds of cookbooks, you can follow the 30-day schedule or you can pick and choose the meals that appeal to you (which is my style).

Cooking That Counts is specifically geared to people who need help losing weight, but the focus is on what you can eat instead of what you can't. The idea is that if you shop and plan ahead and have delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes at hand, you'll be less likely to turn to empty calories at mealtimes.

Review: Cooking That Counts by Cooking LightEach recipe is marked with codes so you can see at a glance whether it's dairy free, gluten free, low carb, and/or vegetarian. The calorie counts are also predominantly displayed, as shown on the cover. The recipes and meal plan assume 1,200 calories a day, but Cooking That Counts gives easy adjustments for adding more calories, if you need to eat more.

Many recipes are accompanied by full-page photographs (see the scans for examples), and all list exact serving sizes and cooking times. Throughout the book are weight-loss success stories from the magazine's readers, cooking tips, and shopping tips.

The recipes cover breakfast to dessert, alcohol, and snacks. Shown here are avocado sandwiches (339 calories), pork with an herb sauce (375 calories), lasagna bowl (398 calories), and maple-pecan bars (149 calories). The cookies, lasagna, and pork are gluten free.

Review: Cooking That Counts by Cooking LightThe target audience for Cooking That Counts: I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for inspiration for weight loss and/or more healthful eating. In addition, Cooking Light's recipes are always easy to follow and use everyday ingredients, which would be appealing to new cooks and less confident cooks. People who are looking for heart-healthy and diabetic-friendly recipes will also find a lot to love in this cookbook. Busy cooks will appreciate the fact that almost all the recipes can be made in under hour, and a number can be on the table in under 30 minutes (like that pork dish).

Review: Cooking That Counts by Cooking LightEven if you're not in the target audience for Cooking That Counts, you might want to borrow it from the library, because you'll likely find some recipes that will catch your eye (stomach?). If you're new to gluten free or are looking for some low-cal vegetarian entrees, you too might want to at least take a look.

I have number of recipes marked to try, including lemon chicken skillet, slow-cooker flank steak, lemon ricotta muffins, orzo salad, salmon salad, and tamale chicken pot pies.

NOTE: Thanks to the publicist for providing me with a copy of Cooking That Counts for review. All thoughts are my honest opinion. All scans come from the book and are used here in the context of a review. All rights remain with the original copyright holders.

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Weekend Cooking hosted by www.BethFishReads.comWeekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

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13 comments:

rhapsodyinbooks 2/10/18, 6:06 AM  

This is totally my problem, about focusing on what I can't eat instead of what I can. That, and of course, portion control! Sounds like I should look this one over.

Mae Travels 2/10/18, 6:20 AM  

As always your reviews of cookbooks from which you haven't tried the recipes make me really curious about how you would like it if you actually DID try the recipes! Maybe you tried some of those same ones when you saw them in Cooking Light Magazine? The focus on what you _can_ eat does seem very sensible, as does your suggestion to check out a library copy before buying.

best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

jama 2/10/18, 6:59 AM  

Nice review -- will look for this one at the library as you suggested. :)

Molly 2/10/18, 7:41 AM  

Every recipe you want to try sounds delicious! I will take your suggestion and reserve a copy from the local library. While I don't want to label my New Year's Resolution as "dieting" ... I do indeed want to focus on clean, healthy eating.

bermudaonion 2/10/18, 7:57 AM  

We don't really need to lose weight either but are always up for new, healthy recipes so enjoy cookbooks like this.

Tina 2/10/18, 7:59 AM  

I’m on that library bandwagon too. I like to preview a cookbook before spending money. Many of the recipes you mentioned sound great,
Lots of codes for dairy and vegetarian too.....sounds like a winner.

gluten Free A_Z Blog 2/10/18, 9:16 AM  

This looks like the perfect cookbook for me . I want to lose weight and want to eat healthy-

Claudia 2/10/18, 9:55 AM  

New healthy recipes, yes! And I'll have some of those maple pecan bars right now.

Deb in Hawaii 2/10/18, 11:29 AM  

Like you, I have had success with all of the Cooking Light recipes I have tried. I find they do a great job with making lighter and healthier food taste great, so I have no doubt that this cookbook will have the same results. I will look for it at the library and take a closer look--thanks for sharing. ;-)

Carole 2/10/18, 3:45 PM  

Have ordered from the library now - thanks

Mae Travels 2/10/18, 4:49 PM  

Hi Beth, I just wanted to comment that this week's collection of linked blog posts are really superb. The history of the bagel was great. The review of a children's book on what famous people ate are just fantastic -- I immediately ordered a copy. The idea of using a sous-vide device to make infused alcohol is amazing. Plus there's now one more cook who loves Marcella Hazan's famous simple tomato sauce. Also, the number of people who second your view of Cooking Light Magazine is more and more intriguing.

best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Margot 2/10/18, 7:55 PM  

I'm so glad you featured this new cookbook. It looks terrific and just what I need. Thanks for the review as well as your continued sponsorship of Weekend Cooking. I always enjoy the various posts.

Esme 2/13/18, 1:30 AM  

This looks lovely ka a good cookbook. The photos all look good

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