There are so many places and cookbooks in the world today. The internet has opened up so many doors to cooking. You can find recipes from every culture and ethnicity. I have been a collector of cookbooks for quite a few years now, had to stop because I ran out of room, and I am always looking for new recipes, constantly, on a daily basis. I had the opportunity to review Lighten up Ya'll from Blogging for Books. When my favorite UPS man arrived with the book, I was eager to get started with it.

Lighten Up, Ya'll is not only a cookbook, but a way to enjoy food but doing so in a healthy manner. "Not a diet book but a way of life" and as I was perusing the book I found that the recipes were very easy to follow and from the pictures look so delicious. There are recipes for vegetables, appetizers, meats, soups, baked goods and sweets. So many awesome recipes I won't know where to begin. Good thing I have a hubby who loves when I experiment with new recipes. The author shares what to have for a well equiped kitchen, she talks about good fats and bad fats, and there are a couple pages that is called Ten Tips for Lightening Up. These ten tips include, drink lots of water, don't deny yourself when you are hungry, choosing lean proteins and even a tip that you should eat your veggies first and they should occupy the largest part of your plate.

I have recently lost 60 lbs and I think that the recipes in this book will help me to lose more or maintain. I love fruits and veggies, all kinds. When I thought about Southern cooking, I imagined all the deep fried fattening, of course delicious, foods and kind of shied away from those kind of recipes. The author is definitely an expert in cooking so I think that Lighten Up Ya'll will be my new favorite cookbook to go to when I don't know what to make. Besides that the pictures are gorgeous!! ( )

Lighten up, y’all is a new cookbook by Virginia Willis who modifies old favorites into healthier meals. Since I have been placed on a low fat diet some of these modifications won’t work for me, yes…even with reduced fat alterations. BUT, the author does make some very delicious looking dishes which are healthier than the traditional versions.
I wish there had been more photos and healthier choices on the oils she chooses to cook with. There are some tasty sounding recipes such as Chicken, Apple and Cheddar Burgers and Broccoli and Cheese Grits which use cheddar (a higher fat cheese) as well as Beer Battered Shrimp – none of which would be particularly light fare. She makes them lighter than the traditional versions but hey, fried is still fried.

I like that she advocates drinking plenty of water, using yogurt in replacement of mayonnaise (sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t) and has an honest forward about her weight issues.

Overall I would give this cookbook a 3.5 for honesty and nice southern cookin’ with a slightly lighter touch.

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. All opinions, nice and no-so-nice are my own :-)

https://novelmeals.wordpress.com/2015/03/09/lighten-up-yall-southern-traditional... ( )

3.25 Stars
A collection of slightly healthier southern-style recipes. Some recipes include pictures, some incorporate low-fat replacements, and some use overall better ingredients (such as yogurt instead of mayonnaise). There are some entertaining and humorous personal stories introducing each section, but I was hoping for a few more recipes.
This book is best for people who are trying to gently ease into a healthier way to prepare traditional meals or for Virginia Willis fans.

I received this book from Blogging for Books. ( )