A Good Read!

My New Obsession

Over the holidays my sister introduced me to a new cookbook.  I have a cabinetful of cookbooks right now that I rarely reference, so I wasn't too interested in having my own copy of this book…until I got it for her.  I skimmed through it and was sucked in immediately!   The pictures were beautiful (I definitely eat with my eyes first), the recipes were healthy and well balanced.  There are also healthy lifestyle tips throughout the book with images and make you say "Oh, yes!  I must do that immediately!".  The book is Giada's Feel Good Food:

I often find myself taking things to a level of extreme.  I consider myself to be a pretty laid back person (right?) but can be a little intense I have my mind/heart set on something.  So, what I love about this book is that it's very well balanced.  It offers plenty of nutrient dense recipes (and includes the macronutrient breakdown for you people who track), but the recipes include such a great variety that nothing is completely OFF LIMITS.  There are meals, snack and even plenty of desserts.  I found the images and the lifestyle tips to be calming.  Giada seems nurturing and thoughtful in the book, not preachy or lecturey.

I was such a fan of the book that I ended up getting a copy for another friend for her birthday and recommending it to several other friends and clients.  I've made a few recipes from the book so far, but I intend to make every one of them Julia & Julia style :)

My favorite so far was the Chia Seed pudding:

(image from the book)

The recipe reminded me a lot of my favorite Overnight Oats recipe (sans the oats) from this post.  I didn't have strawberries or almonds, but I did have some really great fresh blackberries and some walnuts to top mine with, so mine looked like this:

(and now you know why I'm not a food photographer)

This is a great breakfast with plenty of protein, healthy fat, nutrients and antioxidants.  It makes about 4 servings, and keeps well for a few days, so it can save you some time in the morning (because you'll need to make it the night before.

The ingredients for the pudding are as follows:

1 cup vanilla-flavored unsweetened almond milk1 cup plain low-fat (2 percent) Greek yogurt2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (preferably grade B), plus 4 teaspoons for serving1 teaspoon pure vanilla extractKosher salt1/4 cup chia seeds

Just mix it all together and refrigerate overnight (or for a few hours).  You can top it with berries, nuts or whatever you like (or nothing).  I did not use the extra maple syrup for serving because I thought it was plenty sweet enough, especially when topped with fruit.  Enjoy!

What is your most used cookbook?

Do you have a favorite recipe from it?