Nourishing Meals

This is a wonderful book for anyone with food sensitivities or developing a whole foods diet. There is a lot more information included in this book than I thought- why we eat, what tools to use, etc. I feel like a lot of the recipes are easy and the ingredients affordable. I am feeding three young kids and know this will be a great resource for our family. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review. 

Shaken

I didn't know a lot about Tim Tebow prior to reading "Shaken". This book chronicles his highs and lows during his time in the NFL, which are mostly lows. The thing I liked most about this book is how he says that none of these things define him- he is defined by God and what He thinks of him. Tebow may have struggled in the NFL, but he is a talented writer.  

I received this book from Blogging for Books in return for a honest review, but all opinions are my own. 

Whatever Is Lovely

I love coloring and use any excuse to color with my kids. However, it really is lovely to have my own space for coloring that won't be colored over (as long as I hide the book). Whatever Is Lovely is a wonderful coloring book with repeating patterns and inspiration for the day.  

I received this book in exchange for my review on Blogging for Books, but the opinions are my own. 

Happy Cooking

I should start out my review by saying I have all of Giada DeLaurentiis' books and have watched every single one of her shows- most of them more than once. I even met her in person at a cookbook signing. I was so excited to receive her newest cookbook, Happy Cooking, but I would say that I felt a little underwhelmed by it. I read it over the course of a few days, which is a bad sign, because I could put it down. I also have since put it on my bookshelf and not looked at it again. 
The Pros: The recipes are easy to make an generally require few ingredients and are easy to find. The pasta section has quite a few good looking recipes and the eating clean chapter is comprehensive. 
The Cons: This book is all over the place. It even includes a recipe for peanut butter dog treats. The book is filled with anecdotes that I didn't really care to read, as many included nothing personal about Giada, and the recipes seemed squished onto the page. There are also some recipes with odd combinations, like Braised Swiss Chard with Curried Bread Crumbs and grapes. 
Overall, this book is enjoyable to flip through, but not necessarily own. I would own it because I want to have the whole collection of Giada books, but I doubt I would make anything from it. 

Camino



This is Camino is more a book about a restaurant than a book of recipes. I haven't visited Camino, so I wasn't sure what kind of food they prepare or what the recipes would be. I honestly could not find one recipe that I would prepare at home. The premise of Camino is that they head to the farmers' market, find seasonal, local foods, and prepare new and exciting menus everyday. I don't know what prompted them to write a cookbook when it is clear that there are no recipes used in the restaurant and things change every day. There were many cooking styles and ingredients that are not readily available, such as summer savory, fresh turmeric, or anise hyssop. I love reading cookbooks and watch a lot of cooking shows, but there were so many ingredients in this book that I had never heard of. If you like the restaurant Camino, you would probably like this book. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books, but the opinions are my own. 

Tacos- If You Don't Mind Pretension or Provocations

I chose to review Tacos: Recipes and Provocations by Alex Stupak because my husband and I love tacos and he is always impressed by food that seems a little more authentic. When I looked at the cover, the word "provocations" made me pause- it sounds pretentious and I wasn't quite sure how it fit with tacos.  The good: the recipes and photos are interesting enough without being too difficult for the most part. The bad: the book is pretentious.

Tortillas: If you are interested in making your own tacos from absolute scratch (including grinding your own masa), this is the book for you. Although he scorns flour tortillas as an "American" distortion of Mexican food, he also has a recipe for them. 
Salsa: There is a salsa for every occasion in this book, including tomato based and salsa verde. 
Tacos: Chicken Tacos with Kale and Salsa Verde sounds delicious. Chicken Tacos with Chilmole sounds interesting. Pineapple Tacos with a thin slice of lardo (where would you find that?) and Beer-Braised Tongue Tacos are not ones I would even be interested in trying. 

I had never heard of Alex Stupak prior to this book, but within a couple of paragraphs, I could tell that he had spent some time with notable chefs. His tone is a bit arrogant and he is (what I would consider) a food snob. He wasted no space referencing his time as a notable pastry chef at Alinea or wd-50. This all wouldn't be so hard to read without that word: "provocations." I believe he used the word to describe" food for thought", but for me the word was described as in the dictionary "action or speech that makes someone annoyed or angry, especially deliberately" for this is how I felt when I was reading it. Throughout the book Stupak continued to tell readers how Americans view Mexican culture and Mexican food.

p. 14 "Our proximity to Mexico means that, over time, its cuisine has become familiar; we've taken a kind of ownership of it." 
p. 15 "... about the way we value- or undervalue- ethnic cuisines." 
p. 88 "When you get into the more involved preparations here, you really start to see how Americans are still limited in the way we understand and characterize certain Mexican foods." 
p. 112 "Of the holy trinity of American proteins- beef, chicken and pork- beef is the least consumed in Mexico. And yet here in the United States, our revisionist version of that country's cuisine casts it in a starring role." 

At this point I was sick of hearing how "Americans" think. Stereotyping Americans is the same as stereotyping Mexican food. Stupak's arrogance really turned me off from this book. Also, Mexicans are Americans too. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books, but obviously the opinions are my own. 

Menu Planning and Flexibliity

I don't know about you, but I begin the week with the best intentions, but so many things can sideline the best of intentions. This week I caught a bug which kept me on the couch relaxing as best as I could with two young children. Not an easy task! This is a real-life comparison between planning and what actually happened. 

Meal Plan for October 4-10

• Sunday- No plan as usual (help!) but Kevin made Grilled Cheese sandwiches and Tomato Soup
• Monday- Stuffed Shells
• Tuesday- Fish Tacos
• Wednesday- Dinner at my Mom and Dad's
• Thursday- Salmon Caesar Salad
• Friday- Barefoot Contessa White Pizza
• Saturday- No plan yet ;)

The actual meals for October 4-10

• Sunday- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup
• Monday- Fish Tacos (Kevin made these when he got home from work because I decided I would make my own sauce for the stuffed shells and was way too tired to take this on.)
• Tuesday- Blueberry Muffins and Scrambled Eggs (Kevin in the kitchen again!)
• Wednesday- Stuffed Shells
• Thursday- Planning to go to my parents' for dinner
• Friday- Planning on pizza...

It is so easy for the "plan" to become derailed, but a plan is better than not. I try to keep staples in the house so we can still eat something that we like and a bit healthy so we aren't always tempted to order pizza!