Customer Reviews

The Pregnancy Cookbook

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE PREGNANCY COOKBOOK is a good book, but not a great cookbook. It consists of two main sections, the first on nutrition and the second on recipes, plus appendices that list which recipes are particularly rich in each of four key nutrients (iron, folic acid, fiber and calcium). The Nutrition section contains good, readable information on nutrition. Even if you already have a good command of nutritional basics, as I did, this is good material.

The Recipes section is what I bought THE PREGNANCY COOKBOOK for, and what I give mixed reviews to. On the plus side, there are some very good, very nutritious recipes in here, including a number of dishes my husband gives an enthusiastic thumbs-up to. Issues I have with the recipes:
- Some of these recipes took me 1 1/2 - 2 hours to prepare, at least the first time. The time estimate given was nowhere close to that.
- The author's short time estimates for prep time either assume that you already have everything peeled and chopped/sliced or that you prep foods much faster than I do. Perhaps they are based on your having a food processor?
- Many recipes contain ingredients that I cannot easily find in a mainstream grocery store.
- Uncommon ingredients are not always glossed with an explanation, and no substitution is offered. For example, a recipe using pappardelle looked appealing. I had a vague idea that pappardelle was a type of pasta. Googling it confirmed that for me, and also let me know that fettuccine is a workable substitute. Checking at my grocery store, I found that indeed we do not have pappardelle, and I will be trying that recipe with fettuccine.
- Not all recipes are as well written a set of instructions as they could be. For example, starting the water for pasta was listed as step 7 of 8 on one recipe I tried last week. Fortunately, I preread the recipe and realized that needed to be step 1. Another recipe had me scrambling when it told me to do something with "the vegetables," except that it turned out that "the vegetables" did not include the red peppers, which were being reserved for another step.
- Serving sizes seem to be overly generous. Recipes described as providing "four main course servings" offer more like six at my house. I don't mind this a lot, but I have learned to plan for lots of leftovers when using these recipes.
- Sections could have been more clearly labeled visually. Finding the first trimester recipes was easy enough, but the only way to find the low calorie first trimester recipes is to find the end of the section and then flip forwards to look for the page that states that the low cal recipes start there.
- The introduction says that this revised version contains simpler recipes. For me, many of these still seem fairly complex. I use this for a couple of special dishes a week, rather than a source of everyday help. At my house, the pregnant woman is also the cook, so simpler is more of interest to me!

There are some recipes in here that I think are very, very good. If you get THE PREGNANCY COOKBOOK, I recommend trying: potatoes stuffed with spinach and broccoli (p. 195); spaghetti with turkey sausage, red bell peppers, onions and tomatoes (p. 207; my husband loves this); chilled sesame noodles with vegetables (p. 241, another winner with my husband, though we like a less sweet sauce); rigatoni with wild mushroom ragu (p. 244); chicken, broccoli and mushroom stroganoff (p. 247); turkey sausage with white beans, tomatoes and basil (p. 278; we didn't find lean turkey Italian sausage so we use lean turkey sausage and throw in some Italian spices).

As you may be able to guess from that list of recipes, my other comment would be that THE PREGNANCY COOKBOOK has a definite Italian-American slant. There is nothing wrong with that, but you do want to know!

I really like this book and now that I have read through the first chapters which cover a good, common sense approach to nutrition during pregnancy, I feel much better informed that I was before. So many other books are harsh about what not to eat, this book gives some really good ideas about what to eat, when to eat it, and what you will gain from it. And what great recipes they have created!!! It takes ingredients that seem lackluster and turns them into really fabulous meals. Although some recipes are time-consuming, they are not more so than any other popular current cookbook, and the result is well worth the effort. Conversely, a large portion of the recipes use short ingredient lists, most of which are readily available in any kitchen. I am pretty sure that some of these recipes will still be in my repertoire even after our child is born. Thanks for a really great cookbook.

What a great book! Combines clear and detailed nutritional information for those considering pregnancy, pregnant and post-partum. Suggestions on snacking, eating out etc.

The recipes are incredible and broken out into trimesters. You can tell that a gourmet chef created them. Takes the foods you are "supposed" to eat and makes them into clever and delicious meals.

Also has a recipe index of those dishes which provides larges portions of needed iron, folic acid etc.

A really great book!

I suffered extreme morning sickness through much of my pregnancy--this book helped my find foods to calm the queasies and to nurture my body and baby. Yes, some of the recipes are a little involved, but there are many quick foods and make-ahead suggestions that are very helpful--especially postpartum.

The recipes in this book are wonderful. The ingredients list is written in the order that they are used- most recipes have easy to find ingredients (nothing too exotic)- most are quick and relatively simple to prepare- it's very well organized and full of delicious recipes. Directions are easy to follow and consist of fresh ingredients (a big plus for me). The beginning is full of useful nutritional information and the chapters are divided into recipes for preconception, the trimesters plus a postpartum section. Much attention is paid to what nutrients are needed at each particular time. You can tell that a doctor-chef couple wrote the book- there is a logical balance between flavor and fact. I definetly reccomend this as a cookbook whether or not you are pregnant!

This is a great cookbook! Even though some of the recipes are a little involved, the ingredients have inspired me to tackle them anyway. And there are plenty of quick, easy recipes for those days when I don't have a lot of time. These recipes are an excellent way to incorporate more vegetables (especially leafy greens) and whole grains into a pregnant woman's diet. The main drawback is that many of the recipes do not contain enough protein for the average pregnant woman. That's easily solved by either adding more protein (chicken, beef, etc.) to the recipe itself or by serving these dishes as accompaniments to a main course. The only other difficulty is that the recipes all serve 4-6 people, sometimes more, making it difficult to cook a portion for 1-2 people. Overall, though, this is a cookbook that is useful not only during pregnancy but one that I will continue to use often postpartum.

This book is schizophrenic! She (the doctor) wrote the first half, a solid nutritional guide for pregnant women. He (the cook) wrote the recipes -- many of which include wine and goat cheese, items she tells you to avoid! Page 51 warns against feta and goat cheese -- so why do they appear in the recipes at all? And page 52 tells you to be sure to simmer red wine before cooking with it, to remove alcohol, but that warning doesn't show up in the recipes themselves. There are tasty recipes in here that are simple to make, including some good vegetarian ones (spinach fettucine with wild mushroom sauce; penne with swiss chard and pine nuts). But I hope no pregnant women skip the dietary warnings in the beginning, or rely on this book as their sole source of information.

This book answers the need for simple and practical eating duing pregnancy. There are answers to problems such as nausea, heartburn, an constipation. You do not have to eat rabbit food to stay healthy in pregancy! There is even room for things like the recipe "Sinful chocolate chip cookies." My cravng for salt was satisfied deliciously with "Orvieto Chicken," a crispy Tuscan-style dish. Lots of delicious dishes with greens, such as Pasta with Swiss Chard and Pine Nuts.

I received this book as a mother's day gift during my second trimester. How I wish I had it when I was suffering from nasea and needed some simple recipes to quiet my queasy stomach (like the canteloupe banana shake." Now that I am feeling better, I am trying some exciting yet easy to prepare dishes such as linguine with clams, tomato, and spinach. I never expected healthy eating in pregnancy to be this exciting yet nutritious.

I love this cookbook and will use it beyond pregnancy. The recipes are more interesting than what you can find in other pregnancy cookbooks, and are pretty easy if you cook regularly anyway. The recipes are healthy but don't make you feel like you're eating birdfood, and helped me to get the proper nutrition without being paranoid about whether I was getting enough vitamins. I loved assigning recipes to my husband who would cook them for me when I wasn't feeling up to it! We particularly liked the Pregnancy Pancakes, Blueberry Corn Muffins, Seafood Risotto, and Brisket recipes.