Customer Reviews

Healthy Exchanges Cookbook

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have lost 82 pounds with Joanna Lund's recipes. I have five of her cookbooks and this is my favorite. There are some excellent, real food recipes in this book that my whole family loves. She makes it easy too; the ingredients are easy to find in your store and the meals are made in minutes. Try it, you won't be disappointed!!

Finally -- a low-fat, healthy cookbook for real people that uses real ingredients! No swordfish or sundried tomatoes here! Just about every recipie I've tried has been a winner. The dessert section is especially wonderful. I can still satisfy my chocaholic tendencies with these recipies. Even my 8-year old son loves the Blueberry Mountain Cheesecake. The recipies are simple, not requiring a large number of ingredients. Almost all of them can be completed in less than one hour. Joanna gives lots of helpful hints at the beginning of the book, even listing her favorite brands of many ingredients and what utensils you'll need. She gives lots of shortcuts for those of us who find it hard to fit in cooking at the end of a long work day. I'm sure I'll be adding more of her books to my kitchen. The very best part is I've lost about 7 pounds using her recipies and hints for healthy eating

I bought this book a few years ago after seeing Joanna demonstrate some of the recipes on a shopping network. I was impressed with the simplicity of the recipes and the author's promise that every ingredient could be found in her small town supermarket. To say that I haven't been disappointed is an understatement. This is the book I reach for when I need something quick to prepare but tasty nevertheless. I have grown my collection of Joanna Lund books to eight, and my experience with this first volume is the primary reason for the expansion.

Give this book a try. Your family will be pleased and so will you.

Being overweight, I hate to even hear the word "diet." I have tried diets of all kinds and I just can't stay with them because the foods are not satisfying to me. JoAnna Lund's "Healthy Exchanges Cookbook: It's Not a Diet, It's a Way of Life" is a good book for tips on life and has recipes that satisfy even a big guy like me. I have noticed that since I have been using her recipes, I am shedding a few pounds and without doing the diet word. If you need to get a few pounds off then join me in using this book as a guide.

I purchased this book years and years ago (1997?) after watching her cooking show on PBS. Back then, I didn't have internet, so I couldn't research things the way I do now. It came as a two-book set along with HELP: Healthy Exchanges Lifestyle Plan. That book is more informational, and although it is a good read, I won't review it here. I remember using this cookbook quite a bit when I first got it (I was single and cooking for one back then), but I eventually shelved it. I actually thought I had donated it long ago. I recently began to search for some low calorie recipes and remembered enjoying this. I even remembered Joanna's name her story from watching that PBS episode. Well, a thorough search of my cookbook cabinet revealed that I still had this one, so I've renewed my interest.

The recipes in this book are very easy. They require common ingredients and none of them take too long to make. I particularly like the dessert section. With recipes like "Truck Stop Biscuits and Gravy" and "Mexican Swiss Steak", these dishes appeal most to the meat and potatoes lovers. There are also lots of variations of casseroles. Many of the recipes can be frozen, and she indicates this with a little snowflake icon at the top of the page. All the nutrition information is included, including exchange information for diabetics.

Now that I'm older, married, and have kids, it is a little harder to fully adopt any particular style of eating. Many of her recipes contain lots of processed "low-fat", "fat free", or "sugar free" foods (she could have been a spokesperson for Jell-O). My husband and I generally prefer organic over processed, ethnic over meat-n-potatoes, and stir fried over casseroles. However, there are some nights when we just need EASY. Besides, even the processed stuff is fine in moderation.

If you are going to use a lot of these recipes, simply add a salad (one of her recipes or your own) and lots of fresh fruits and veggies. If you do, I think you will find many recipes to enjoy in this book. Besides, the price is really low right now, which makes it even better. Just an FYI, this book contains no pictures.

I will buy again from this vendor. Books arrived in a timely manner and in good condition.

A penny! You can get this book for a penny and there will be enough recipes here to keep you cooking for months! I recommend this book, as well as the "Healthy Exchanges Lifetime Plan", to anyone! Especially if you have kids or a reluctant spouse. They are not going to know that you are cooking healthy food, only that they love it!

I bought this book a few years ago after seeing Joanna demonstrate some of the recipes on a shopping network. I was impressed with the simplicity of the recipes and the author's promise that every ingredient could be found in her small town supermarket. To say that I haven't been disappointed is an understatement. This is the book I reach for when I need something quick to prepare but tasty nevertheless. I have grown my collection of Joanna Lund books to eight, and my experience with this first volume is the primary reason for the expansion.

Give this book a try. Your family will be pleased and so will you.

I'm using this cookbook to help me learn how to "low-fat-ize" my cooking. I like that Lund uses everyday ingredients and tells you up front what you need to keep on hand to cook from her book on short notice. The recipes are pretty easy to make and, while they'll never be four-star fare, are adequate for Tuesday night meals for the family.

I do have one quibble: Most of the recipes that use ground beef call for only 8 ounces. This usually requires that I saw a pound block of hamburger in half, which I find really annoying. It's enough to make me make double batches and freeze the rest.

This is a great book. Over the years, these dishes always made a great hit, especially the pies!! In 2005 I had to go in for gallbladder surgery and was put on a low-fat diet prior to surgery. Initially I dreaded the diet because it meant depriving myself of my favorite foods. But then I remembered I had this book. Pulled it out and let me say, that week long pre-surgery diet was not bad at all--I got to have my cheesecake and eat it too LOL.