Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook Review

When I heard that Trim Healthy Mama was coming out with a new cookbook I knew I had to check it out!  I was thrilled to receive a copy of the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook to review.  This cookbook is a huge improvement over the original book that had recipes included in it.

What is the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, and who is it for?

This cookbook is written for people who have read the Trim Healthy Mama Plan book and are following it, though certain other people may find the book useful.  If you haven't read the Plan book but want to use the cookbook anyway you may be confused by some of the jargon.  There is a small section that outlines the 3 basic types of meals and what foods fit each meal type, though it is not enough to understand the mechanics of the plan.  If you are gluten free or dairy free you will find plenty of recipes in this book for you.

There are a lot of special ingredients included in many of the recipes, though the book does have a NSI (No Special Ingredients) label on the recipes that fit this description.  I found plenty of recipes with the NSI label, making it easy to make dinner using ingredients already on hand.  The recipes are all what I would consider "clean", no processed foods, canned or boxed goods, white flour, or sugar.    As with their plan book, the authors have included recipes that are quick and easy as well as options that are more purist.

How is it different from the recipes in the original book?

This book is beautiful.  The photographs are professional and drool inducing.  Not every recipe has a photograph, but it's hard to turn more than 2 pages without seeing one.  For some people THM food may not sound appealing at first, but the photographs really help the recipes speak for themselves.  There are some family photographs throughout the book as well.  While not necessary for a cookbook, I find they give the book a more friendly feel as though the authors are inviting the reader in.

The recipes are organized into categories that make it easier to find what you need.  The categories are similar to the first book, but organized better.  I like the one-pot meals section, making dinner quick and easy!  There are crock pot recipes, and many of these have freezer prep instructions for people who like to prepare a bunch of dinners ahead of time.  Each category, or chapter, has an index at the front of it.  I was not pleased with the index in the new book, the old book had a wonderful recipe index.  The index in each chapter makes up for that, but it has a helpful addition - colored dots signify if the recipe is an S, E, FP, or can be customized.

Sections with family size recipes and individual size recipes are extremely helpful.  Since I began using the first book I have saved THM recipes from various bloggers.  The authors have taken notice of all the wonderful talent these bloggers share and included some of their recipes in the book.  One of our favorites is Egg Roll in a Bowl.

The banana myth is busted in the cookbook as well (it was corrected in the new plan book), so one of the first recipes I tried was Banana Bread Puddin'.  It was delicious!  The bread base is the new Swiss Bread recipe, a must try from the new cookbook.  Some recipes include gelatin or collagen peptides which are new "special mention" foods.  Another is okra, which is used in the Cry No More Brownie recipe.  Oh my, that one really lives up to all the hype.  Baking Blend, a new THM product, is used in recipes as well.

The recipes are written as you'd expect a recipe to be written,  with clear instructions and measurements for each ingredient.   This is a huge improvement over the original book!

Do I need the cookbook to do the THM plan?

The cookbook is not necessary to do the plan, but it is well worth the investment.  Right now about 25% of my meal and snack ideas come from the cookbook.  There are plenty of meal ideas in the plan book, plus enough explanation of the plan to help you succeed.  But if you want more ideas without searching the web, or want recipes you can trust are THM approved, this book is for you.  As I try each recipe, I make a mark next to it to remind me if we liked it or not.  More of our meals will come from the cookbook as I continue to try new recipes.

Where can I get it?

The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook is available from Penguin Random House, from Amazon, or from the Trim Healthy Mama website.

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This book was sent to me by Blogging For Books for the purpose of review but the opinions are my own.