When you are trying to lose weight or be more mindful of what you are doing, one of the biggest hurdles is meal planning. Not everyone can eat the same foods five times a week and stay committed. I found that having these healthy cookbooks on hand is a great way to keep your grocery lists rotating and your weight decreasing. These are five of my favorite cookbooks:
F-Factor by Tanya Zuckerbrot
When I started Made Over Meal in 2012, I was using Weight Watchers. It was very effective for 6 months but then I lost interest and found it difficult to keep up with my schedule. Last year, I came across F-Factor and it was the first time that I felt like I had the tools to be in control of what I was eating. Tanya Zuckerbrot’s method isn’t a diet it is a lifestyle. By adhering to her philosophy that “Fiber and protein at every meal makes losing weight no big deal” I was able to lose twenty pounds in two months and keep it off for over a year. I’m no longer tracking what I eat, but I am embracing the practices in this book 80% of the time. Healthy cookbooks should offer a balance of recipes and ways to reinforce healthy eating and this one leans more heavily into the reinforce camp. My Favorite F-Factor Recipes Include: Cauliflower Crust Pizza, Chinese Chicken Salad, and High Fiber Pancakes.
Eat A Little Better by Sam Kass
The former White House Chef to the Obama’s wrote Eat A Little Better to share recipes that are better not only for you but the environment. I love when healthy cookbooks arm with tips and tricks and Sam does this really well . His tips start at the grocery store followed by how to set up your kitchen to make it easy to grab healthy items. The 90 recipes in this healthy cookbook are all simple and flavorful. My favorites include: Canned Salad, Cauliflower Steaks, and Roasted Chicken Stir Fry.
Dining In by Alison Roman
Given that Alison Roman gained notoriety from her Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, this might seem like a surprising addition to a list of healthy cookbooks. However, her recipes are vegetable-forward focusing on high quality ingredients. I’m a big fan of anyone who can trick me into loving veggies (bonus points for the high fiber ones) and Alison does just that. My favorites include: Steak Salad, Grain Salad, and Sheet Pan Chicken.
SkinnyTaste, One and Done by Gina Homolka
There’s not a chance that you stumble upon this site and don’t already know all about SkinnyTaste. Gina’s recipes top my go-to list each week. She’s written three healthy cookbooks and I’m big fan of all of them. When you work 10 hours each day, you need S-I-M-P-L-E recipes at your fingertips. Her latest healthy cookbook includes 140 recipes that require one pot or one pan. Sign me up. My favorites include: Summer Veggie Zucchini Noodles with Burrata and Ginger Lime Chicken. This aren’t available online so you’ll need to buy the book.
Cravings and Cravings 2, Chrissy Teigen
I’m a huge Chrissy Teigen fan and I love her approach to Healthy-ish recipes. Both cookbooks have recipes that are calorie farms but there are a lot of healthy gems in each book. Chrissy given a lot of thought to how to make healthy dishes not suck. My favorites include: Dump and Done Ramen Salad, Charred Fish Tacos, and Shake and Bake Chicken with Hot Honey. The last one is heavily on the healthy-ish camp but oh so good.
Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash
