Customer Reviews

30-Minute Get Real Meals: Eat Healthy Without Going to Extremes

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

Well, low carb has been all the rage for sometime now although the fad seems to be slowing down somewhat. But not before TV's spunkiest cook can put her stamp on low carb as Rachael Ray does in her latest book. At 256 pages this is Rachael's largest book yet. I've never quite been able to get meals done in 30 minutes. i guess it probably helps having good editors and a staff but even at 45 minutes or so I've enjoyed every one of Rachael's books. It's good food where taste is first, not fancy presntation and ingredients that have you haunting exotic food stores to find.

The recipes here are not all that low-carb so don't be put off by thinking it's a diet cook book. It's just another great one from Rachael where carbs are used in moderation, but not at the sacrifice of taste. Call them good-sense carb recipes as opposed to low-carb. There's plenty of bread and pasta to be found inside. With all her books the emphasis is on good food and good food done fast and this one, like the previous ones, is right on the mark. Wonderful Italian and Mexican dishes, burgers, even desserts. And it all comes to you in Rachael's endearing, homey way of writing that comes across so well on TV. With her new publisher now being a part of Random House, the book is much more well-presented than her previous ones. Bolder colors that stand out and just plain look better.

Another winner from Rachael!

We have one Atkins fanatic in our family and several other people, including kids, who want their rice and bread and starches. I've found that the vast majority of recipes in this book can be adapted to suit both tastes.

If you buy any of Rachel Ray's books, you should be prepared to "tweak" them a bit to your personal taste, something she actually encourages. She tells readers to "eyeball" 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil or notes that she puts on a "large piece" of salmon. Clearly, precise measurements aren't her strong suit but I actually like this. It encourages cooks to use her recipes as starting points for their own variations.

Don't worry about going wrong if you put in a bit too much of one ingredient or another. There is plenty of room for experimentation while still allowing the recipes to come out wonderfully.

If you're looking for something that follows ATkins to the smallest detail, this book does not. But if you are familiar with the basics of low-carb cooking and know how to adapt recipes to fit the plan, this book should be just fine. Expect to fine her usual standbys such as EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) but she goes beyond the norm by making reasonable and healthy substitutes for pasta and other high-carb foods.

Don't get me wrong... I love Rachael Ray. But this is not "healthy" cooking, nor should it be marketed as recipes for "minding your waistline." Some examples: A cheddar soup that has one cup heavy cream and four cups cheddar cheese in four servings, pepper steaks in a "creamy pan sauce" that includes 1/2 cup olive oil and 3/4 cup heavy cream, and an appetizer called Draggers that includes a 6" round of Boursin cheese, 1/4 cup olive oil pesto, and 6 additional tablespoons of olive oil tampenade. WHOA. There is NO nutritional information listed for those of us counting calories, fat grams, or carbs. And if I read the words "extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)(eyeball it)" in a row one more time, I am going to puke (it's written in almost every recipe... we get it, Rachael). For a book with a hefty $18.95 paperback price, there are a measly 8 pages of photos. I was very, very disappointed. I guess Rachael's recipes will have to be saved for when I'm not counting calories... this book included.

I've used all her books and this one is the best in my opinion. I didn't realize when I bought it that it was a "low carb" cookbook, and frankly, one couldn't tell from the recipes. That's what the "real" means... you are eating a better balance of carbs but you wouldn't know it by the taste. I love that 95% of the ingredients are things you would have in your fridge or pantry already, though I was inspired to plant a few herbs because her abundant use of the basic ones is part of what makes these recipes so tasty, healthy and, well, special. I am a stay-at-home mom of 3 small children and my kids liked ALL the recipes I tried (over 10 of them which is a "WOW" for any cookbook!) Dinner becomes so monotonous with kids and this really spiced up our dinnertime. And, the best part, every evening that we use one of her recipes, I wake the next morning weighing LESS than the day before! Oh yea, the recipes CAN be done in 30 minutes IF you have things chopped and cleaned beforehand and not the first time around when one is constantly re-reading the directions. I agree with the other reviewer about too many fish recipes since few people have the time and means to purchase all that fresh seafood and kids rarely like it. If you can afford fish and have kids that will eat it, you don't need a cookbook. I highly recommend this book and cannot wait till she comes out with another like it!

I love Rachael Ray's books but was so disappointed when I read these recipes. I was mislead by the "Healthy" in the title. These recipes are very extreme and Atkins like. They avoid carbs, but most often include a cup of heavy cream, or lots of oil and butter. They also require a lot of non-pantry ingredients that you would have to seek out and probably use once. This is the only cookbook I've ever returned.

"30 Minute Get Real Meals" is one of many Rachael Ray publication's brought to you by the immensely likeable lady from the cable channel known as the Food Network. This cookbook is like many of Ray's books in the sense that it stresses meal making that doesn't consume much time. I love to eat but I was never very interested in cooking, mainly because of the time factor. With my busy working schedule, I always believed that I didn't have time to make fancy food dishes. But with this cookbook by Rachael Ray, most any person, regardless of talent, can be transformed quickly into an amateur gourmet chef. The recipes Rachael Ray presents often require a large number of ingredients, but the preparation is simple and they take little time to complete.

Some cook books are written for more advanced chefs but 30- Minute Get Real Meals takes the opposite approach. It assumes that you know only a few basics about food prep and simple measurements. Rachael Ray walks you through the process for each recipe; holding your hand and explaining exactly what to do. She only makes a few assumptions about what you know and don't know. She does use words like "sear", "saute", "broil", and a few others but she doesn't explain what they mean so if you don't know, you will need to consult a cooking resource. But most people know these basic terms and they should have no trouble understanding how to prepare each recipe.

One thing that makes this cook book a little different from others is its "no frills" approach. Not only are the recipes simple to follow, Rachael Ray doesn't spend much time at all making small talk or discussing the recipes or food in general. At the beginning of the book, there is only a page or two of introductory material before launching directly into the recipes themselves. The book then ends as suddenly as it begins, going directly to an index with nothing between it and the last recipe. I'm not so sure I like this approach. Even though I rarely cook food myself, I would still prefer a cookbook with more written material to read. This cookbook is more like a reference guide. The only reading material comes in the miscellaneous notes (Options, Confessions, etc.) that pop up from time to time.

As far as the recipes go, the food items presented in this book are quite good and there is something to please most anyone. Ray covers eight different food categories which aren't many but they are sufficient for a good starter cookbook and the food dishes are sure to please. Some personal favorites of mine include Green and White Lightning Chunky Chicken Chili, Pork Loin Chops with Sweet and Hot Peppers, and Swedish Meatballs on Noodles. There is even one full chapter dedicated to different ways to make hamburgers or to incorporate them into other meals.

This book is subtitled "Eat Healthy Without Going to Extremes". Ray talks about this briefly at the beginning of the book. She points out that she doesn't like extremes of any sort and she is particularly dismayed at the trend toward elimination of carbohydrates from daily eating. Rachael Ray agrees that getting carbohydrates under control can be an important step toward a trimmer waistline and healthier eating. But she rejects the idea that all carbs or even a large percentage of carbs should be eliminated from everything we eat. This is why she includes, in this cookbook, recipes that include fewer carbs but not necessarily free from all carbs. With many foods, there is almost no way to make them taste good without at least some carbohydrates. Lowering carbs is fine, but one shouldn't go to extremes by eliminating all carbs from their diet. To which I say, amen Racheal Ray! Like Ray, I also get annoyed by the zero carbohydrate crowd. I can understand the desire to improve one's physical condition but there are other, healthier, more enjoyable ways to work on weight control than complete elimination of carbohydrates. An individual doesn't have to eliminate every last microgram of carbs from every meal and snack every day in order to lose weight and be healthy.

Some of the things lacking in this book include photos of the prepared meals and nutritional data. There are only a handful of pages of pictures featuring color photos of different foods from the recipes in the book. I would like to see more pictures because visual appeal is one of the primary motivators when it comes to making new foods. Also, there is no nutritional data- something that I find ironic after listening to Rachael Ray talk about the impracticality of going no carb. You would think that Ray would want readers to know the nutritional content (at least the protein, fat, and carb content) so that they could see that the low carb recipes are plenty low enough in carbohydrates to maintain a healthy diet without going to extremes.

Overall, this is a good cookbook that could have been better with a few enhancements (like those mentioned above) and a little more talk from Rachael Ray herself. We all know from watching Rachael on television that she has the gift of gab but she doesn't share that gift very much in this cookbook. A little more talk, nutritional contents, and some more photos would make this cookbook a notch above its competitors and make it more rounded and complete. But I still like it, and I still recommend it to amateur cooks, regular cooks, and fans of Rachael Ray and her television programs.

Another winner from Rachael Ray! I have all her books, and I must say that I like this one the best. I am a fan of her 'diet' philosophy-that is she doesn't have one. I am not a big fan of restrictive diets. I can't see depriving my body of a certain group of foods in the belief that it is going to be good for my body. That is why I was so excited for Ray's new book.

There are so many delicious and sensible meals in here where do you even begin: The Swedish Meatballs and noodles were a huge hit with my boys! They love meatballs and hey who doesn't, and we all love pasta, so this was a nice way to eat the two together, as opposed to just spaghetti and meatballs. My favorite is probably the Cream of Cheddar Soup and Lime Chicken Avocado salad. And for the first time, Ray includes a dessert chapter. We have only made one recipe-Mascarpone Parfait with Citrus Fruit- but it was delicious.

I just can't say enough about this book. It is her longest book yet, coming in at just over 240 pages and it is jam packed with yummy and simple recipes that use lots of fresh foods as well as convenience foods when time is a factor (and let's face it...when is time NOT a factor!) Great book-highly recommend adding it to your collection.

So far I have been very pleansantly surpirsed. I buy cookbooks but usually give up on them - this one has kept me cooking for weeks now. We've loved everything we've tried so far. Her food is very tasty with plenty of spices. YUM !

Although most people love Rachael and her recipes, I occasionally hear one of three gripes:

1. You'll gain 40 pounds a year on those menus.
2. I can open cans and stir them together while throwing in a few seasonings and an occasional onion and tomato. What do I need Rachael's recipes for?
3. I chop slowly and carefully. These are not 30-minute recipes.

For those who have concerns in these three areas, I found that many of the recipes in Rachael Ray: 30-Minute GET REAL Meals are reasonably low in harmful fats and high glycemic carbs, don't mostly come from cans, and have reasonable amounts of chopping involved. Although the South Beach Diet people wouldn't approve of many recipes in this book, Rachael has made a big bow towards good food that won't put unnecessary pounds on you.

In many cases, it's pretty simple: Instead of coming in bread or a tortilla or combined with pasta, you are encouraged to wrap a lettuce leaf around the food and still enjoy the zesty tastes of Mexico and Europe. You also dip with veggies rather than crackers. Burgers show up in salads or on Portobello mushrooms. Kebobs are featured with lean meats and fish combined with veggies. Many dishes simply take meat or fish and add a sauce.

Unlike some of her later books, this one is mostly recipes rather than menus. But you'll have no trouble matching things together.

For those of you who want to eat the Atkins diet, there are plenty of carbless dishes. But many of those dishes feature lots of oils, butter, and other fats that aren't healthy in too big quantities. So watch yourself!

Rachael deliberately backslides a little for those who don't want to go carbless all the time and has some dishes that include a few carbs (pasta especially while replacing most of the carbs with veggies. I thought that many of those items looked especially appealing. Rachael dedicates the book to her Gran'pa Emmanuel who struggled with diabetes while he was alive and always kept his carbs down. You can see his influence especially in this lower-carb section.

If you only are going to buy one of Rachael's books, I wouldn't recommend this one. But if you are going to buy six, this one's a keeper!

Love Rachael on tv. Bought this book for my son who is a single father. After he opened it Christmas a.m. I was disappointed to see that each meal would take a trip to the store for expensive, specialized ingredients. I think the title is misleading altho I am sure the meals would be delicious.