BOOK REVIEWS

by Marilyn Helton

Greetings and welcome to my favorite season of the year! The frost is definitely on the pumpkin, and our thoughts turn homeward toward the inviting aromas of freshly baked grains and soup pots bubbling with the bouquets of autumn. Sharpen your pencils, relax with your favorite hot beverage, and pull out your Christmas list—We have some exceptional cookbooks to recommend for your diabetic friends and family members.

For those on your list who love to can and preserve foods, "The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest," a new release from Storey Communications, is a real treat. Author Carol Costenbader has written an easy-to-understand book, perfect for anyone just starting out in food preservation, or looking to perfect their craft. The step-by-step illustrations help beginners to take the plunge and the experts to expand their repertoire of techniques and recipes. Best of all, each of these healthy recipes (and their are lots of them) has a complete nutritional analysis by serving size. Even though the Food Exchanges are not included, the calories, fat and carbohydrates are listed. If you're working on tight control you'll be able to count carbs or, at the very least, get advice from a member of your health care team about the analysis and how it fits into your eating plan. "The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest" is available in paperback for $18.95 US/$26.95 Canada or in hardcover for $27.95 US/$39.95 Canada. To order directly, call Storey Publishing, 1-800-441-5700, or visit http://www.storeybooks.com.

"Sweet Inspirations," "Gourmet Inspirations" and "Kids Stuffin's" are three cookbooks for every diabetic's bookshelf. Author Patti Lynch, an art broker from Issaquah, Washington, expanded her creative efforts into recipe development several years ago when her husband, Ron, was diagnosed with diabetes. "Sweet Inspirations," a collection of easy-to-prepare cookies, cakes, pies, breads and holiday desserts, comes with rave reviews and endorsements from Nancy J.V. Bohannon, MD (Endocrinology, Diabetes, Internal Medicine, San Francisco CA), and Margaret O'Leary, RD, CDE (Benaroya Diabetes Center, Seattle, WA). These fruit juice-sweetened desserts are a diabetic's dream come true. Each delicious recipe is characterized with Patti's warm anecdotal histories about its origin.

Patti's second book, "Gourmet Inspirations—The Art of Healthy Cooking," goes beyond desserts and includes delicious, healthy recipes for dressings, sauces, soups, salads, snacks, breads and jams, entrees, desserts and drinks. Recipes like "Oregon Coast Chowder", "Indy Lasagna", "Chili On The Wild Side", "Chicken Parmesan" and "Au Gratin Hash Browns" make my mouth water in anticipation.

The third book in Patti's trilogy, "Kids Stuffin's—Good and Healthy Snacks for Kids to Make and Eat" is just that! Illustrated with full color, full page (8-1/2 x 11-inch) prints suitable for framing, this is a fun book for junior chefs in anyone's household. Recipes are easy to make and illustrated with line drawings. Try "Elephant Breath Cookies", "Megan Mouse Crunchy Bars", "Giraffic Park Banana Boats", "Purple Polka Dot Cow French Toast", "Confetti Spaghetti" or "Tiger Stripe Oranges" (the easiest recipe in the book). Better hide these treats from the grown-up kids!

Each recipe in "Sweet Inspirations" and "Gourmet Inspirations" comes with nutritional analysis and food group exchanges per serving. "Kids Stuffin's" recipes come with food group exchanges and modified analysis per serving. "Sweet Inspirations," "Gourmet Inspirations" and "Kids Stuffin's" can be ordered by mailing your check or money order for $12.95 each plus $2.00 S/H per book to Sweet Inspirations, Inc., 1420 NW Gilman Blvd. #2258, Issaquah, WA 98027. (Washington residents please add $1.14 sales tax for each book ordered.)

"What's For Breakfast—Light & Easy Morning Meals For Busy People," by Donna Roy, MS, RD and Kathleen Flores, MS, RD, is an information-charged, recipe-packed book of delicious wisdom. For example, did you know that evening snacking inhibits morning appetite? That eating breakfast is related to a positive attitude? That breakfast calories are burned more effectively than calories consumed later in the day? "That studies show when daily calories are equal, breakfast consumers lose weight as opposed to dinner consumers?" That in children, low or no intake of breakfast calories means higher body fat?

Donna and Kathleen have included an excellent section titled: "The Breakfast Formula: The Protein—Carbohydrate Connection," along with ten pages of "pro-carb" menus, recipes and analyses. This feature alone is worth the price of the book.

I am particularly impressed with the simplicity of the "Quick & Super Quick" recipe sections; there are great combinations here that are simple enough for your children to prepare. For example, the single serving "Waffle Sandwich" consists of 1 tbsp. chunky peanut butter, 2 tbsp. mashed banana and 1 tsp. honey mixed together, and spread on 2 light, frozen waffles, toasted. Super-Quick! All recipes come with complete nutritional analyses and food exchanges. "What's For Breakfast," 264 pages, $13.95, published by Appletree Press, Inc., 151 Good Counsel Dr., Suite 125, Mankato, MN (800-322-5679).

This should be a good variety for your holiday shopping list. Don't be surprised if you find a couple for yourself in your shopping bag! Until next time, I wish you all the happiness of coming home for the holidays.

Marilyn Helton is the editor of "Cinnamon Hearts—The Art of Living a Winning Diabetic Lifestyle," a positive-power newsletter for diabetics and their families. Subscriptions to "Cinnamon Hearts" are available for $18/Year (USA); $20 (Canada) and sample issues are available for $4 each (USA); $5 (Canada); contact: Cinnamon Hearts DLE, PO Box 578340, Modesto, CA 95357-8340.