Last October, I had the opportunity to meet Lisa Cain, aka, Snack Girl. She and I exchanged books to review.
Snack Girl to the Rescue is a book that provides 100 recipes under 400 calories. For middle aged women, such as myself, a 400 calorie/meal goal is a reasonable one. Considering that you may have a snack or two each day, sticking to 400 calories per meal will keep you in the healthy calorie range of 1400-1800 calories per day (about what most women over 45 need).
Book Review
Lisa shares her journey in the Intro, and it’s very relatable to any busy career woman with children. Her eating tips in the first few chapters are also very reasonable and her diet advice is sound.
The recipes are great. They range from totally basic to a few fancier recipes. I love that she includes simple recipes like Easy Baked Brown Rice, because these are the kinds of dishes that you can realistically get onto the table on a weeknight. Nothing fancy, just simple and healthy! You’ll find great snacks to incorporate into your weekly diet or to bring to the next party. She’ll teach you how to roast vegetables – which is my favorite prep method to deliver the tastiest veggies. You’ll also find some go-to snack ideas, as well as slow cooker recipes and comfort foods.
I love the way she describes some foods as “entertainment” as opposed to nourishment. While she encourages you to reduce your intake of these types of more processed “entertaining” treats, she doesn’t scold you for enjoying them once in a while. I like that.
Organization
The chapter on food marketing makes some good points, and others that I could argue with, but Cain’s general message is to read labels and make the best choice. She refers to corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial colors as ingredients she tends to avoid – but these are all safe ingredients (corn syrup is glucose, high fructose corn syrup is about half glucose, half fructose – like table sugar and honey are).
All in all Cain gives some reasonable advice and encouragement in her book, and the recipes are very doable for even the less-experienced cook. She does a great job at outlining some no-cook meals and snacks to use daily, as well as delicious “makeover” dishes.
Check it out!
