How to go
What: Book signing for “The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight.” Event also includes cooking demonstration and food sampling
When: From 1 to 3 p.m. today
Where: Kroger grocery store, 7300 Yankee Road in Middletown
“The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight” is more than a collection of recipes — it’s an education in healthful cooking.
Written by Cincinnati-based SparkPeople.com’s cooking expert Meg Galvin and Stepfanie Romine, editor of SparkRecipes.com and dailySpark, the book uses education, entertainment and community to prove that wholesome living, dieting and weight loss don’t have to be boring, dull or difficult.
The women will be at the Kroger grocery store in Middletown today for a book signing.
Although Galvin trained at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in London, where she learned classic — and calorie-laden — French cuisine, her at-home meals are healthful and delicious.
As a World Master Chef and an instructor at the Midwest Culinary Institute in Cincinnati, Romine said Galvin knows that food has to taste great and satisfy the appetite.
Both women are runners, so they know food also has to fuel their bodies. As the mother of three teenage boys, Galvin’s passion is to create food that tastes delicious and helps you stay slim and healthy.
After starting her career at The Columbus Dispatch, Romine taught English in Korea, then worked as a food blogger, business reporter and columnist at The Cincinnati Enquirer.
She joined SparkPeople.com, an online diet and healthy living community with more than 8 million registered members, in 2008 and is now a health writer and yoga teacher.
“Like Meg, I am passionate about creating delicious food that’s good for me.”
Romine said the first chapters are dedicated to education.
“We talk about stocking a healthy kitchen and getting the right tools and equipment,” she explained. “In addition, Meg goes through techniques that are going to be healthy and also add flavor. We also teach you how to not only poach and steam but also grill and roast.”
“Love Your Food, Lose the Weight” features more than 160 recipes, plus hundreds of variations; “Slim It Down” options for dozens of the recipes; and nutritional information.
The authors also present tips and tricks to increase flavor and satiety while cutting unnecessary calories, fat and salt — as well as a list of cheap but nutritious foods and sidebars on the latest so-called superfoods.
Here are a few tips for preparing family meals packed with flavor, but not calories:
Forget perfection. Dinner can come from a slow cooker, consist of leftovers, or include some quality pre-made ingredients, as long as it’s nutritious and well-balanced.
Plan your meals for the week ahead and shop accordingly. Keep an inventory list of what is in your freezer, pantry and refrigerator. When you are making your meal plans for the week, you’ll know what you have so you don’t waste food.
Make every moment count. If you have been saving stale bread for bread crumbs and already have the food processor out, take a minute to make bread crumbs. They’ll come in handy for coating meats and topping casseroles.
Set aside one afternoon a month for from-scratch projects. Make homemade no-salt chicken and vegetable stocks, for instance, and freeze them for later use in soups and sauces. Or bake a batch of granola and some healthy muffins for on-the-go breakfasts.
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