Books I Cook On is an event I’m doing for January where I review one of my top 5 favorite cookbooks each week and post my favorite recipe from that book. Learn to cook, eat healthier – it’s fun!
Before I started this blog, I wrote a food blog where I took a picture of everything I ate and occasionally posted recipes. I hated it. It took a lot of convincing from my sister to give blogging another shot because I didn’t like blogging on my food blog AT ALL. Turns out, I have more of a passion for reading and it makes this blog a joy to write on. However, I do like cooking, so I wanted to do a feature this month of some cookbooks that I cook from over and over again. And hey, cookbooks are books, right?
This week’s cookbook is The WOW Diet: Words of Wisdom, Dietary Enlightenment from Leading World Religions, and Scientific Study by Michelle Snow
I picked up this book for two reasons: 1. Michelle Snow is a good friend of mine and 2. She wrote an entire book about how she dealt with her IBS, which I also have!
The W.O.W. Diet starts off as an entertaining memoir through her journey to better health. It was funny, honest, practical and to the point. It was very relatable to me as a fellow IBS sufferer. I enjoyed following her on her journey of discovering different religions and how they helped her change her diet. I especially liked the insights that Buddhism provided about thinking where your food came from and all the plants and animals that sacrificed their lives so I can eat. I was worried that since this was non-fiction, she would go on and on about this and that research, but instead I was pleasantly surprised by a very honest and funny journey to find relief to her constipation. I laughed out loud when she talks about going on a vegan diet and after a while felt like the lion on Madagascar and just wanted to chew on a zebra’s butt. Half of the book is recipes. All of the recipes from this book that I have tried have been delicious and healthy. The end of the book sums up her findings into certain rules of the diet with a daily diary of her husband’s experience on the diet. It made the diet super easy to understand and follow.
I read this book in August of 2011 and have been living by this diet ever since. I know I’ve lost weight because my pants are a little looser now, but I don’t know exactly how much since I didn’t go on this diet to lose weight. I went on this diet to feel better. For the first time in my life I can consistently keep my IBS symptoms away (I won’t got into details – they aren’t pleasant). Honestly, I don’t think of this book as a diet but more as a lifestyle change. If you want to make permanent changes in your life to be healthier, you’ve got to read this book!
Luckily, Michelle has offered to give away her book to one of my readers. Be sure to check out the giveaway at the bottom of this post!
My favorite thing about this diet is that she encourages you to eat homemade stuff for breakfast, like muffins. And her muffin recipes are oh so delicious. I make a whole bunch of them and freeze them. Then, I just nuke one every morning and I get to eat hot muffins for breakfast everyday. Here’s my favorite muffin recipe:
Chocolate Chip Muffins
Vegetable shortening
3/4 cup rice flour (you can replace this with whole grain wheat or spelt if you don’t need it to be gluten free)
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease muffin pan cups with vegetable shortening. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients, leaving a well in the center. Stir in water, metled butter, and vanilla until moist. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comse out clean. cool muffins 5 minutes before removing from cups.
GIVEAWAY!
Big thanks to Michelle for doing this giveaway! Places you can find the author.
My name is Jessica. I love to read Young Adult and classic literature. I’ve been a book blogger for six years and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet. I’m a very curious reader. Writing about all the questions and thoughts I had while reading a book is the best hobby ever.
I like your books I cook on posts–I like to read cookbooks too! This year I’m hoping to figure out the diet that makes me feel the healthiest. I’ve done food elimination and lots of tests. Here’s hoping 2012 is the year that I solve it! :)
Thanks Coleen! I was starting to worry that no one liked them, but I had to write them because I love to cook! Hope you solve your diet dilemma, too. I know it took me a long time. And now that I’ve got it figured out, it’s even harder to stick to it! :)
just trying to eat healthier!
Thanks for the giveaway !
i Just trying to read more, writre more and love more ;)
Thanks for the giveaway. I am trying to eat a better diet. I too, struggle with IBS and have flare ups all the time. I am running and trying to eat better this year, while also becoming more mindful of my body and slowing down my life pace.
This year i really want to eat at least 2 fruits and veggies a day! And lose some weight :( my doc told me I need to start shedding bc one side of my family has diebates.
Eat healthier
I am not eating so many sweets. Jerri Davis
to eat more organic foods
Going to try to keep less chocolate & ice cream around the house, haha. If it’s there I will eat! I want to try to find more gluten free and dairy free meals to fix for my husband and daughter (due to allergies). Great Giveaway!
I’m trying to exercise more