Valentine’s Day is another holiday that we tend to associate with decadent foods. Are you thinking of chocolates or cheesecakes? Maybe a big steak dinner or lobster tails dipped in lemon and butter? Sorry, but we are not going there! Instead, let’s use this day to try out another cookbook.
There are at least three different editions of The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook: Eating Well for Better Health. Don’t make the same mistake that I did and buy all three thinking that they are different books! The “Concise Edition” is smaller in dimensions and doesn’t include all of the recipes, but the first and second editions seem identical. Winner of the James Beard Foundation Book Award in 2005, these books still have a lot to offer us.
At the time of writing, used copies of these books start at just $6 on Amazon, so it’s not much of an investment.
The books start off with a guide to healthy eating, but quickly launch into the delicious recipes. Most of the recipes include beautiful photography as well as clear instructions and the following nutrition facts: pyramid (food group) servings, calories, protein, carbohydrates, total fat, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and fiber. Unfortunately, there is no information on sugars specifically.
These cookbooks include the following chapters: vegetables, fruits, salads, soups, pasta & grains, beans & legumes, fish & shellfish, poultry & meat, and desserts & drinks. There are creative choices for each section and these books are at a good caloric level for those in both the diet and maintenance phases. For example, in the meat & poultry chapter, most main dishes are about 300 calories, with just one over 400 calories, and several around 200 calories. It would be easy to add a couple of sides for a total under 500 calories.
I chose two recipes to try, one dessert and one main dish. Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Pearl Onions is not found in the concise version of the cookbook, so if you’d like to try this one, be sure to get the first or second edition of The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook. Note that since I didn’t have pearl onions, I substituted chopped onions. I also used chicken breasts – omitting the dark meat described in the recipe. This is a very tasty dish, and with only 300 calories and 34 grams of protein, it’s a good option for both weight loss and maintenance.
The Almond and Apricot Biscotti are amazing! These twice baked cookies have only 79 calories each, and the size pictured was made exactly as directed in the recipe. Really an excellent biscotti for the calorie level.
I’d recommend the first or second edition of The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook for anyone who is watching their weight but is not concerned that the grams of sugar data isn’t included. Skip the Concise Edition as quite a few recipes are missing, though it is a small and attractive book.
Maintain Weight Loss 