Now Eat This- a Cook Book Review

You might just be thinking- Carey, why on Earth would you do a book review on this blog? The answer is pretty easy- see, I remember what it was like when I first got married. Recipes were pretty limited, and I won't lie, as our backyard then was connected with my mother-in-laws, we ate dinner with her a lot (and my husband worked nights a few days a week).  The Food Network had not yet exploded over the internet and cable, so I was stuck making what dishes I'd grown up with.  So if you're going to be a newlywed soon, you might not be as experienced in the kitchen, and this book will help save your recipe doldrums and it's good for your waistline as well!

I'm sure many of you have heard of Rocco DiSpirito- the chef who cleans up fattening dishes on the Biggest Loser, has been on numerous talk shows.  Well, this cook book takes your favorites- Onion Rings, Fettucini Alfredo, Beef Wellington, General Tso's Chicken, and 145 other typically fattening recipes and shrinks a typical serving size to under 400 calories. It was with some intrepidation that we made the Shepard's Pie not with mashed potatoes, but mashed "cauliflower" and the results were surprisingly good! The Onion Rings are delish- the only bad about what we've tried is the General Tso's chicken- following the recipe it was soooooo stinkin' spicy, it was nearly inedible.  Honestly, we probably only ate it so that the chicken didn't go to waste.The next day it was better, but when I make it again, I'd use 1/2 of the spice called for, maybe even less. I haven't tried all of the recipes yet- but so far, so good!

So, if you're looking for something to "spice" up your kitchen and save your waistline from the newly-married 15 (kind of like the Freshman 15), you can't go wrong with this book. Just be warned, the recipes do take a bit of time and preparation, but you'll enjoy the fruits of your labor together, promise!