A revelatory new healthy eating book of two halves from bestselling author Gizzi Erskine, Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts will leave you amazed at what you can eat, rather than being disappointed by what you can't! Part One, Skinny Weeks, gives you a delicious, easy-to-stick-to recipe plan for 6 days of the week, perfect for a 1 - 2lb weight loss per week. Mouthwatering dishes such as Blackened Mackerel with Roast Tomatoes and Kaffir Lime Leaves, Korean Beef and Glass Noodles and Pancetta and Chilli Baked Beans on Sourdough demonstrate that healthy food needn't be boring or mean sacrificing bold, exciting flavours. In Weekend Feasts, Gizzi shows you how to let your hair down and treat yourself to the food you love to eat. Choose from a Friday night feast, a long leisurely brunch, a proper Sunday lunch or an indulgent afternoon tea and enjoy some truly decadent food, safe in the knowledge that you've earned it. Throughout, Gizzi reveals the secrets of eating the right way day in, day out - demonstrating how a bit of forethought and preparation can go a long way towards eating healthily and enjoying astonishingly satisfying, flavoursome food with just a fraction of the expected calories. Sensible, achievable and utterly delicious, Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts will show you how to have your cake and eat it ...
I have enjoyed watching Gizzi Erskine on my television screen for sometime and watched her gain confidence and recognition for her fantastic recipes, which often are perfect for those of us who are wanting to loose a few pounds. This book is an extension to this and is full of lots of recipes that can be eaten while trying to loose some!
The book is split into two halves: Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts. This is a great idea because I know that if I am trying to watch what I am eating, I am ok during the week but let myself go at the weekend and then feel disheartened and give up, but this in this book Gizzi suggests that six days per week readers should be aiming to limit calorie intake to 1500 calories per day and then on the seventh day of the week (as decided by the reader), forget the calorie counting and enjoy a good meal and indulge. I must admit, I am unsure if this is right for everyone, as one day of indulgence could undo all the good work throughout the rest of the week, however the recipes within this book look like some new ideas to try.
The Skinny Weeks section of the book works by splitting the daily allowance of 1500 calories into meals: 300 calories for breakfast; 400 calories for lunch; and 600 calories for an evening meal; leaving 200 calories for snacks or pudding.
There is a useful section at the start of the book entitled 'Eating the skinny weeks and weekend feasts way' which gives hints and tips and theory behind the plan. It mentions the idea of low-GI food which are included within the plan, something which I had heard of but never looked into and gives 5 survival tips fr the skinny weeks! One of the hints within the section is to prepare to use a little elbow grease throughout the plan, to prepare the recipes is going to take time and effort but as in most things - the more you put in, the more you get out of it!
The recipes within the Skinny Weeks sections are split into Breakfast; Working Lunch; Skinny Dipping; Simple Suppers; and Puds. The Weekend Feasts sections are split into: Friday Night Feasts; Lazy Brunches; Sunday Lunch and Sweet Treats. There are lots of full page photographs of some of the recipes but not all recipes are accompanied by a photograph. The recipes do sound nice, however there are lots of ingredients which would not be found in a average store cupboard and therefore lots of forward planning would need to be done for this plan to work.
The recipes are clearly set out, with a 'chatty' introduction to each recipe,, giving info on unusual ingredients or ideas on recipe extension. There is a comprehensive and full ingredients list, which includes preparation of ingredients (i.e. finely chopped, rinsed and drained etc). Number of servings made, calorie content, preparation time and cooking time are also given. The recipe instructions are clearly written and are easy to follow - for people who don't do much cooking, like me, they are clearly and logically written. The Weekend Feasts recipes also have a wicked rating allowing readers to gauge their sins because calorie content is not given for these recipes.
I do like this book, it is quirky, bright and fun and I like the concept of skinny weeks and weekend feasts however I am not sure that the recipes in this book are for me. I am not a really fussy eater but I think I would struggle to keep to this plan for even a week with the recipes in this book. I think I would use this book as one to dip into when looking for something low calorie but would need to use it alongside other books to keep to a skinny eating plan.
I received this book through the Amazon Vine Programme.
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