2 Responses to “Betty Crocker The 300 Calorie Cookbook: 300 tasty meals for eating healthy every day”

1. Jessica Hankle on January 28th, 2010 8:33 pm

   My husband and I are eating 6 meals a day at 300 calories each meal and we were very impressed with this book. I am not a good cook by any means (I’ve been known to burn water) but this book is extremely simplistic. The pages are large print and the recipies are extremely dummyproof. The negative about this book is that every recipe does not have a picture.. There are a few grouped picture page sets that label the recipe page but they are not side by side. Every recipie that I tried in this book so far has become my favorite. Def a good purchase!
   Rating: 5 / 5

2. A. Chandler on January 28th, 2010 8:35 pm

   Everytime I swear I won’t cram another cookbook onto my bookshelf I leaf through something that seems to stand out among the other cookbooks I have, or is complete enough that it allows me to give away several cookbooks so that one can take its place.

   This is one such cookbook.

   Very extensive cookbook with around 300 recipes, it’s divided into the following categories:

   Center of the Plate
   
   Savory Skillet Meals
   
   Casseroles and Pot Pies
   
   Meatless Main Dishes
   
   Sandwiches, Salads, and Pizzas
   
   Soups, Stews, and Chilies
   
   Slow Cooker Suppers
   
   Grilling Good and Easy
   
   30 Min or Less
   
   Cooking for Two

   Which is why I say it’s like having several cookbooks…if I’m in the mood to grill, I can pull this out and do it with fewer calories, if I have limited time, it still has recipes for me, if I don’t want leftovers I use the cooking for two section, and I love the slow cooker suppers for those days when I want to throw some things into a pot in the morning and come home to a hot cooked meal, making me feel like my private chef slaved all day to have dinner ready and waiting! 🙂

   Here are a few examples of some of the recipes. I’ve found them to include easy-to-locate ingredients and be family pleasers so that the rest of the house doesn’t even have to know it’s “diet” food since they tend to be good comfort foods:

   Honey Glazed chicken breasts
   
   Baked Oregano Chicken (this is a great one at only 180 calories)
   
   Smothered Cajun Pork Chops
   
   Beef and Peppers with Biscuits
   
   Cheese Enchiladas
   
   Philly Steak Casserole
   
   Cheese Filled Tortellini Soup
   
   Black Bean Taco Salad
   
   Baked Chicken and Rice with Autumn Veggies
   
   Country French Beef Stew
   
   Chicken and Dumplings
   
   Creamy Crabmeat Au Gratin
   
   Tex Mex Scrambled Eggs
   
   Cajun Oven Fried Trout
   
   Grilled Pizza
   
   Tex Mex Meat Loaf

   There are also lots of ethnic dishes thrown in if you, for example, are in the mood for Chinese food, Indian food, etc. And the meatless maindishes will make even a hearty carnivore forget what’s missing.

   This book, unlike most of my diet cookbooks, contains FULL nutritionals, even the protein, sodium etc. If you are following Weight Watchers you’ll know the fat and fiber of every dish going in.

   The instructions are super simple. I cook all the time but even if you have only made Kraft mac and cheese up til now, you’ll not skip a beat.

   NEGATIVES: I try to leave negatives on any review even if I love something since nothing is perfect but this book is jam packed with recipes, many with calories even in the one hundreds and they are easy to prepare, healthy, and tasty and have full nutritionals. That’s an A+ cookbook for me. I’f I had to say something others might not like, I might say it doesn’t contain photos for all recipes (it does have several photos, just not for all) but bear in mind the book is already at almost 400 pages with its tips and recipes so you might not fit it into your cookbook holder if got any bigger. 🙂

   I love this one. It’s both rare and well-done.

   p.s. My calorie goal when I am dieting is 1250 calories per day. (This was scientifically figured out for me with a bodybugg. I’m a weight loss coach.) I burn 1950 calories per day usually in just normal activities so this deficit enables me to lose well ( a little over 2 lbs per week) since a deficit of 3,500 calories equals a loss of one pound. (Your body uses fat stores for energy when it has a deficit.) Your calorie needs will vary of course based upon your height and weight and activity but there are several places online that you can get an estimate of what your body uses in order to figure out the deficit needed for weight loss even without a bodybugg. (All weight loss is, afterall, is taking in less calories than you burn.) This is great if you want to eat fresh food yet measure exactly what you are taking in as well.

   But I’m not always on a diet. And to be honest, I use this book even when I am not on a diet. I like the recipes. I just get to eat more!

   This keeps me satisfied and it’s more of a food change than a diet.
   Rating: 5 / 5

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