Just Jennifer

Cravings: Recipes for What You Want to Eat by Chrissy Teigen

Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Chrissy Teigen does everything in unapologetically---including eating and cooking.  She began posting pictures of her food on social media, her tastes running to big flavors, something she attributes (in part) to her Thai mother, Pepper, and the spicy, sometimes exotic, home cooking she grew up knowing.  Lest you worry that this is a cookbook full of recipes to give you a swimsuit perfect body, fear not: some of these dishes are full of wholesome ingredients (Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Grapes and Almonds or Cheeseless Scambled Eggs with Burst Cherry Tomatoes); some more indulgent (Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Parsley or Pull-Apart Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy).  Dishes with nods to Tiegen’s Thai heritage include Jok Moo (Thai Pork Rice Porridge) or Pork-Stuffed Cucumber Soup; recipes with an Italian flair such as Caprese Salad with Crispy Prosciutto celebrate hers and her husband’s love for all things Italian.  These recipes, full of flavor and hearty, sometimes provide twists on traditional dishes (Pot Pie Soup with Crusts Crackers or Siracha Caesar Salad).  Teigen’s slightly in-your-face, sometimes opinionated, sometimes chatty, commentary on the ingredients and life make this a book of full of savory recipes and love.  

Eating in the Middle: a Mostly Wholesome Cookbook by Andie Mitchell 

Andie Mitchell, whose weight loss of over 100 pounds was chronicled in the New York Times bestseller It Was All Me shares her favorite recipes that have helped her achieve and maintain her goal weight while still being able to enjoy all her favorite flavors and foods, sometimes in different forms and sometimes just in smaller portions.  An addiction to a sausage, egg and cheese bagel sandwich led Mitchell to create healthier Turkey Breakfast Patties using zucchini as a binder, upping the nutritional value; steeping oats overnight creates a creamy, no-cook healthy, full-of-fiber grab and go breakfast.  Soups, salads, and quick sandwiches full of protein provide energy to get you through the day without sugar-filled treats and vegetable sides and low-fat, full flavor main courses leave room for slimmed down or well-portioned desserts.  Some of the recipes (Meat Loaf Burgers with Bacon, Pepper Jack and Frizzled Onions or Cheddar Biscuit Topped Barbecue Chicken Pie) are decidedly not low-cal or low-fat, but meant for sharing with a crowd and part of Andie’s new lifestyle that focuses on moderation.  Andie’s recipes, her life growing up, her dad dying young, her mother remarrying and her fight to maintain a healthy lifestyle and healthy relationship with food without feeling she is giving anything up will provide inspiration along with some really good recipes. 

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