The South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook: Healthy Recipes for Entertaining Family and Friends [Paperback]

I got this right before Thanksgiving, which I would be hosting for the first time, and the few recipes that I've tried turned out great! I served the stuffing, the green beans amadine, and the butternut squash, and they all went over quite well. My mom (who is really hard to please) enjoyed them all and commended me on serving such a healthy Thanksgiving meal. What I also like about this book are the many dessert recipes. I tried the ranger cookies today and MAN, are they good! Can't wait to try the cheesecake, and the pumpkin pie. Highly Recommended.

The South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook is an excellent addition to your cookbook collection whether you are following the program or not.

The oversized soft cover book features 150 healthy recipes. It begins with a chapter on preparing for your special time. This chapter explains simple techniques to make your occasion go smoothly. The book is divided into 2 sections. The first section covers festive parties. 10 parties ranging from a Super Bowl Bash to a Baby Shower to a Tuscan Feast.

The second section includes Holidays throughout the year Mother's Day, Christmas Eve, and Valentine's Day for example. Each occasion includes a complete menu. The Family Buffet party menu includes such fare as dogs n' dips, asparagus and ham spears, baked chicken with artichokes, south beach waldorf salad, penne with homemade sauce and banana orange pops.

Each menu includes when to start preparing. For the Family Buffet, it is suggested you make and freeze your pasta sauce up to a month ahead, make and freeze the pops up to 5 days in advance etc.

The 242 page book also includes a conversion chart at the back and mouth watering photos of the different recipes. Each recipe gives prep time, ingredients, tips, and nutrition information calories, fat, saturated fat, protein, carbs and fiber. Make ahead info is also given which is a handy feature.

The recipes in the book can also be used as regular meal fare and if you are on the program, phase 1, 2 or 3 is listed for each recipe. They are easy to prepare with easy of find ingredients. Lot's of great recipes here! Delicious and nutritious!

Lee Mellott

Holidays. What a frightening moment for anyone who is livin' la vida low-carb! These special occasions are the one time that most people let their low-carb plan flail in the wind like a freshly plucked feather. Casting all your cares about your weight aside, you stuff your face with all the wrong kinds of food and then later regret that decision when you attempt to get back on track again.

Sound familiar anybody?

Well, enough already with the games we play around parties and holidays when we should be celebrating. How about an all-in-one low-carb resource guide to offer up some healthy low-carb recipes that are oh-so-yummy and delicious while packing a powerful nutritional punch as well? I think I've found it for you with "The South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook: Healthy Recipes for Entertaining Family and Friends."

Don't let the bright red color of this sixth book in The South Beach Diet series fool you into thinking it's just for Christmas! While it certainly provides recipes that are perfect for Christmas Day, including a unique Wake-Up Breakfast menu as well as Christmas Dinner, all of the other major holidays feature low-carb recipes as well, including New Year's Day, Valentines Day Dinner For 2, Passover Seder, Easter Gathering, Cinco de Mayo Celebration, Mother's Day Luncheon, Fourth of July Revel, Thanksgiving, Hannukkah, and Christmas Eve Dinner.

As for parties, "The South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook" has so many recipes for virtually every party you can think of, such as a South Beach Phase 1 Kickoff Party (good to think about come January when people make New Year's resolutions), a Family Buffet, Baby Shower, Weekend Brunch, Super Bowl Bash, Tuscan Feast, French Bistro Party, Backyard Grill Fest, Hors d'Oeuvres for a Crowd, and a Rite of Passage Party.

Above everything, South Beach diet creator Dr. Arthur Agatson encourages low-carbers to get back on their weight loss plan if they do decide to indulge at parties. Resist the urge to stay off the diet and get yourself back on track. He gives some very practical advice to help you combat the urge to splurge during the holiday season that every low-carber won't want to miss.

If you are the host or hostess for your party or special dining event, then Dr. Agatston helps you think about the ambiance you want to convey. How many guests and what do they like? What style of serving do you want? Will this be format or informal? Do you want to present a theme? Additionally, don't forget to take care of yourself despite the stress these events can place on you. You'll want to use the convenient "Checklist For Success" provided to help you plan many weeks ahead of the party to make it as perfect as it can possibly be.

In fact, each holiday and party featured in this book includes a full menu listing with a "Party Game Plan" about how to best prepare for the big day, including pre-planned preparation to make sure the special attention you have given pays dividends on the day of the event. As for the recipes themselves, you get all the "Nutrition At A Glance" as usual for The South Beach Diet books as well as pertinent tips from Dr. Agatston.

As we have come to expect from The South Beach Diet books, there are some absolutely stunning pictures of many of the recipes in "The South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook" that will make your mouth water and get you in the kitchen to whip up any of these 150 recipes right away! Who needs a holiday or party to start eating healthy right now?! Cooking low-carb recipes that will keep you and your guests happy is all you can ask for and this book delivers on that in the most delightful way!

Party anyone?

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