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cookbook-related stories

Gwyneth Paltrow Plans a GOOP Cookbook

Celebs & Entertainment

Gwyneth PaltrowGwyneth Paltrow has been dishing out her healthy living habits in the form of GOOP for a few months now. And, honestly, the thing that's gotten the most press regarding the website and newsletter is the fact that it seems to really bug people. I mean, shoot, even her husband hates it. And, most recently, health writer Mary Kate Hearon publicly slammed Gwynnie's GOOP, saying the A-lister stole the idea from her.

But Gwyneth doesn't care. And she's not only going ahead with GOOP, she's coming out with a GOOP cookbook (a GOOPbook?). It will be titled My Father's Daughter and will focus on cooking for the family as an expression of love.

All the recipes have been designed with the entire family in mind, but also, of course with health playing a vital role. Gwyneth mentioned her late father's pancake recipe in particular, saying she was working on making it a bit healthier.

The book is slated for publication in fall 2009, but here's what I want to know -- will you be lining up for your copy?

Are you excited to cook Gwyneth's GOOP?

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Kids Cooking is Stepping it Up a Notch

Nutrition & Supplements

What comes to mind when you think of kid recipes? Growing up, I know I was relegated to making cookies and cupcakes -- Mom just didn't trust me with much else. But the definition of what kids can and can't cook is changing, according to the New York Times. Now kid-targeted cookbooks offer up recipes like roast chicken, brisket and other main dishes.

It's not just a move that will benefit lazy parents -- it's a healthy one too. After all, kids who only know how to make cookies could end up eating a lot of cookies. And teaching kids how to cook healthy foods for themselves at an early age is a way to get them interested in fresh food and taking part in preparing it.

What do you think? Would you want your little one cooking up a chicken?

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What good can a week of raw food do?

Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements


Bethany recently told us about a woman who lost an incredible amount of weight by adhering to a raw diet, and Jacki has gone over some of the pros and cons concerning this way of eating. I have to say that a raw diet (where foods are eaten in their natural state and not heated over 115 degrees) has never really appealed to me, but a recent article piqued my interest a bit.

Stefania at Tonic News writes a column called Normal Green, where she talks about ways everybody can live a little greener. And, as we know, green often applies to diets and overall health. This week's article was about how, every once in a while, she follows a raw diet for just a week and it really makes her feel great. And come on -- I can follow just about any diet for a week!

She recommends this cookbook for newbies, which I think would be a great way to ease into this way of eating. The diet, at least done in moderation, certainly provides good things for your body and can help you lose weight. Would you give it a try? I'm starting to think that I just might!

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Free healthy recipe books for 11-year-olds

Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

Young minds are easy to mold, so teaching our kids healthy habits early on is vital -- learning to eat a well-balanced diet and getting regular exercise will no doubt benefit them well into adulthood.

The British Government obviously recognizes this -- they've put together a healthy cookbook designed with 11-year-olds in mind -- and they're giving it to them for free. The idea here is to get kids cooking by teaching them safe kitchen practices, as well as providing them with healthy meal ideas that are fresh, delicious, and rich in healthy ingredients like fruit and veg. Hunger-inspiring recipes include vegetable curry, chili con carne, spaghetti bolognese and custard.

Not 11 or British? No need to fret -- you can download the cookbook for free here.

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To deceive or not to deceive? Teaching kids to eat healthfully

Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

real food for healthy kids coverThere have been a couple of cookbooks on the market recently that show how to "hide" vegetables and other healthy ingredients in food. I'm not opposed to that, per se. I just made a zucchini bread where I increased the amount of zucchini and replaced most of the oil the recipe called for with no-sugar-added applesauce. I don't think it's an inherently bad thing to do. However, there was something about the idea that grated on me a bit, but I couldn't pinpoint it.

Then I read an article about yet a third cookbook, Real Food for Healthy Kids, and they pinpointed the issue for me. The author states that by serving foods like brownies with spinach puree hidden inside "we are lying to our kids and signaling, either implicitly or explicitly, that vegetables, in particular, are so yucky, they have to be hidden."

While I don't think there's anything wrong with serving up a spinach-laced brownie, it's important for parents to repeatedly introduce their kids to, well... spinach! How can we teach our kids to eat healthfully and enjoy good nutrition if the only way they get it is in disguise?

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We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs Weekly Round-up: July 11, 2008

We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs Weekly Roundup, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements

Jessica Biel is known for her sexy, athletic body, and as you can probably guess, she didn't get it by sitting around playing video games. Growing up, her family didn't play video games or watch movies -- instead, they played soccer, basketball, and gymnastics outside. And her mom always made her feel great about her body, which has helped Jessica remain confident as a Hollywood starlet. I'd be pretty confident with those rock hard abs, too.

Hilary Duff is looking healthy and gorgeous these days, and she owes part of that to her fitness routine, which includes Pilates. She's feeling good about her body and her health, and therefore, so am I -- her smile can cheer just about anybody up!

Country crooner Trisha Yearwood does more than just sing -- she's the author of a cookbook, and she recently shared some kitchen secrets with Health.com. Wonder how she gets her stepdaughters to eat fresh fruit? Find out here!


Trisha Yearwood and her Oklahoma kitchen

Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements

Trisha Yearwood isn't just a country music star and the wife of country-music performer Garth Brooks. Nope. She's also a cookbook author who shares some of her kitchen secrets with Health.com. Check out what the author of Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen has to say right here. Here's a sneak peek.

  • Yearwood calls her kitchen the social center of her home.
  • Don't cook a sleepy meal when you're trying to be romantic, says Yearwood. The first meal she cooked for Garth -- fettucine Alfredo -- gave him a glazed appearance -- he looked like he was going to pass out.
  • Make fruit a priority. About her step-daughters, Yearwood says: "With young girls, it's a challenge (to get them to eat healthy). I keep a stocked fruit bowl on the counter, so they'll choose something from it."

Trisha Yearwood(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Trisha YearwoodTrisha YearwoodTrisha YearwoodTrisha YearwoodTrisha Yearwood & Garth Brooks

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Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi dishes on food

Celebrities and Entertainment, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements

Padma Lakshmi is an Indian-American supermodel, actress, chef, cookbook author, ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women, and host of Bravo TVs Top Chef. She can also add "blogger" to her resume because this accomplished one has been recapping snippets from her reality show via her video blog.

Lakshmi, a culinary goddess who features in her cookbooks recipes for a delicious low fat diet, reveals more than critiques of Top Chef contestants on her blog. She also shares tidbits about her own approach to food and drink. Through my own tour of her blog, I learned that she's a big lover of breakfast -- it is the most important meal of the day, you know -- and while she doesn't consider herself a big drinker, she does enjoy white wine, red wine, and single malt Scotch. She also loves green markets and enjoys cooking with items grown by local farmers. Lakshmi likes to take classic recipes, like macaroni and cheese, and add one or two ingredients to add a twist. And she's all for basic cooking. The better the chef, the more simple the cooking gets, she says.

There's quite a lot to learn Lakshmi, whose cookbook Easy Exotic was awarded Best First Book at the 1999 World Cookbook Awards at Versailles. See for yourself what this top chef has to offer by visiting her blog.

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A cookbook for food allergy sufferers

Nutrition & Supplements

Food allergy sufferers of the world, unite. It's hard enough t have to check the ingredients and menus of everything we eat to make sure it's safe, but we miss out on some truly delicious food tastes, right?

Well, have you ever looked for a cookbook that details delicious meals made for those with various food allergies? These are hard to find in many respects, although millions suffer from food allergies and must watch what they eat very intently.

Peanuts got you down? No eggs in the morning to get you going? If so, realize that there are plenty of alternatives, even if it does take more effort. Check out more info here.

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Weight loss secrets from the 'Biggest Loser' chef

Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment

I don't watch much TV so I'll admit that I've never seen any of the Biggest Loser episodes, but I came across this article on the show's chef, Devin Alexander, who lost a whopping 55 lbs and has become a celebrity chef known for creating sumptuous meals that are healthy too. Her secret to her weight loss? She stopped dieting. She stopped depriving herself. And she stopped beating herself up.

According to her, the keys to losing weight are making small changes to your diet (she suggests holding the mayo) and watching portion sizes. That's good advice if you ask me, and something that most people could manage to do.

She has a few cookbooks out, which I am considering checking out. And if you scroll down in the article, there are a couple of recipes, including one for a Boston Cream Peanut Butter Banana Split! Which only has 294 cal and 8 g or fat! Too good to be true? What do you think?

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