Mom’s Sugar Solution Cookbook: A Dietitian Mom’s Review

 

It’s not every day that a friend of mine publishes a cookbook so when Mom’s Sugar Solution, written by my good friend and mentor, Laura Hoover, MPH, RDN, hit the shelves early this year, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

Since it arrived in January, Mom’s Sugar Solution has easily become my go-to guide for new recipe inspiration for my kids and for our entire family. That’s no easy feat considering that during this time I was feeling my worst (getting through the first trimester of pregnancy) and the last thing I wanted to do was spend time in the kitchen.

 

Here are my top five reasons to add Mom’s Sugar Solution to your cookbook library:

1. The recipes are created by a food, nutrition and mom expert! Not only can you feel good knowing that a food and nutrition expert – Laura’s a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and hold’s a Master’s in Public Health – created these recipes to nourish your family, she’s also a foodie and a mom so she knows that taste is supreme!
2. There are hundreds of low-sugar recipes including kids’ favorites (think sweet tasting beverages and chicken nuggets) plus desserts and so much more. What’s the importance with low-sugar? When it comes to sugar, less is better, but a lot of our favorite foods and condiments – from breads and cereals to dressings and sauces – have added sugar that we wouldn’t otherwise know is there. This makes it easy for sugar to quickly add up in our meals and snacks throughout the day. Mom’s Sugar Solution gives simple ways to make your own favorite dishes without all the sugar you’d find in a version found in the store. No sugar-substitutes here though. Think creative use of wholesome, flavorful and nutrition-packed ingredients.
3. Most of the recipes take 10 minutes or less to prep. Can I get an amen! Most days, getting dinner prepped and on the table is like a crazed version of Iron Chef. I’m not the best meal planner, so the day-of I’ll take inventory of what’s on hand and Google search recipes with those ingredients. Often times the recipes I find require much more time and attention that I can reasonably invest. Enter Mom’s Sugar Solution. I now have an entire cookbook with ideas that are also within my very limited prep and cooking timeframe. Most recipes have five steps or less!

 

4. Creative ingredient ideas and uses. Have you ever used freeze dried fruit in a recipe before? Hibiscus tea in a homemade soda? Laura’s recipes infuse clever ways to include different forms of fruits, like freeze dried fruit, and other ingredients to add both flavor and nutrition. I also love that her ingredient lists aren’t stuffy and if there is an ingredient you might not have on hand in the kitchen all the time, you can easily find it in your local grocery aisle.

5. Trying new recipes is fun (again!) If you’re like me, there are times of the year when I get in a cooking rut. I don’t have the will or desire to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. With little kids to feed and palettes to nurture, the mom and dietitian guilt kicks in (when does it not!?). Mom’s Sugar Solution helped me get out of my first trimester cooking haze and I actually began to enjoy and look forward to our family mealtime again.

Some of our family favorites include Laura’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets (so delish warm out of the oven or eaten as left overs over a salad, pictured above), Watermelon and Feta Salad, Pepperoni Panzanella and Lemon Cornmeal Cookies (Teddy’s favorite!).

Please stay tuned on my Facebook page for a giveaway of Mom’s Sugar Solution and an exclusive preview of my personal favorite recipe, Pepperoni Panzanella.

XOXO,

Emily