Quick and Easy 400-Calorie Recipes offers a practical approach to healthy eating, making it accessible for those looking to manage their weight without sacrificing flavor. The variety of meals, from breakfast to dinner, is impressive, and I appreciate the focus on nutrient-dense ingredients that promote satiety. The recipes are straightforward, making it easy to whip up satisfying dishes without spending hours in the kitchen. However, some recipes could benefit from additional cooking tips or suggestions for ingredient substitutions, as not everyone may have access to specific items.

No photos for the recipes are a big negative for me. I know the book is based on the authors health scare, but I feel 400 calories for every meal is too low for some people. It’s not a plan I would follow, but there were some recipes I would try.

Whats the worst daily conversation? Whats for dinner? What are we going to eat?

I am always looking for not only healthy recipes but recipes that actually taste good and don't make me spend a ton of calories on bland food.

This cookbook has a ton of great options, for not just dinner but lunch options also. I can't wait to dive in!

If you want delicious, easy to achieve meals with a healthier twist, then this is the recipe book for you. With clear step by step instructions, helpful photographs, hints and tips, this book will give even the beginner cook the confidence to have a go. The variety of recipes is brilliant - there really is something in here for everyone. It can be challenging getting a good variety of dishes when you’re trying to lose weighted be healthier - you end up having the same meals on rotation. But this book is full of inspiring and delicious dishes you’ll want to try right away.
Would definitely recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley, and the publisher, for an e-ARC to read and review.

Nice selection of lower calorie recipes that can suit all the family. Included are breakfast, lunches and dinners.

The measurements are in both imperial and metric, instructions are easy to follow and comes with the yield/portions. Also included are the calories and all the nutritional information. However the lack of photographs is a big let down for this book, I'm cooking and want to see what the end result should look like.

Note: this books content has been previously published in another of the authors books in 2011.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

On the lighter side...

If you are looking for a handy handbook for easy meals that are on the lighter side, this may be a good option for you. I especially enjoyed the egg/breakfast section.
Recommend.

Quick and Easy 400-Calorie Recipes is a cookbook developed by the author, Dick Logue, due to being forced into a special diet for medical reasons, and his dissatisfaction with the kind of food he could eat. I think anyone who's ever been on a diet can relate to that disappointment with their food options!

The preparation methods I came across were: stove top, microwave, oven, slow cooker, and grilling

This cookbook is based on Volumetrics, and the recipes were developed with a focus on 6 key areas:
1. Low Energy Density
2. High Nutrient Density
3. Minimally Processed Foods
4. Low Sodium
5. Low Saturated Fat
6. High Fiber

Pros:
- Other than sodium, there is no demonization of any particular food or group of foods (i.e. Carbs or Fats)
- Measurements given in both English and Metric
- No salt is added to a single recipe, other than what is naturally occurring (i.e. a lot of recipes use cheese as an ingredient, which contains salt)
- Recipes don't use any exotic or hard to get ingredients
- Recipes instructions are very simple and straightforward, as well as quick to prepare in most cases

Cons:
- Without salt, the recipes were kind of bland to me. This was an easy fix, as adding salt can be done to your own taste preferences
- No pictures
- Some recipes use artificial sweeteners. Not a con for everyone, but I personally can't stand the taste of them.
- Some of the recipes weren't anything new or particularly interesting, they just swapped less healthy items for more healthy ones. For example, there was a recipe for a BLT, and the difference was basically to use low sodium bacon and whole wheat bread.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for quick, simple to prepare, and healthy recipes that don't use any unfamiliar or hard-to-find ingredients. There are recipes for every meal of the day, which makes meal planning for the week quite easy. But, if you're an accomplished home cook, you'll likely be bored with a lot of these recipes.

With today's busy schedules, and due to the ease of use and the convenience of this book, I give it 3.0/5.0 stars (deductions for lack of pictures and creativity, as I feel like I already have a lot of similar recipes in my repertoire that I could tweak to suit me on my own).

Thank you to Netgalley, Dick Logue, and Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds | New Shoe Press for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book. I was not required to submit a review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

These recipes are fairly quick and easy. I thought this book had a very good variety and included clear instruction. The additional nutritional info can be really helpful, especially if someone is trying to track macros.

Easy to cook recipes!!! The food is tasty and the ingredient list is simple. This is a great cookbook for beginners or people cooking on a budget.

While "Quick and Easy 400 Calorie Recipes" offers a convenient approach to healthy eating, the absence of photos limits its appeal. As a visual learner, I find myself drawn to dishes that I can envision before preparing them. Pictures serve as inspiration and guidance, enticing me to explore new flavors and ingredients. Without visual cues, I'm left to imagine the outcome, which can be challenging and less motivating. Despite this drawback, the cookbook's promise of quick, low-calorie meals remains appealing for those seeking convenient and healthy options. However, the addition of photos would undoubtedly enhance the overall experience and encourage more experimentation in the kitchen.

I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t on some sort of diet. I always crave high calorie dishes because they seem to have more flavor. However, occasionally a cookbook comes out full of recipes that are as flavorful as their calorie-laden counterparts. Quick and Easy 400-Calorie Recipes: Delicious and Satisfying Meals That Keep You to a Balanced 1200-Calorie Diet So You Can Lose Weight Without Starving Yourself is one such cookbook, and it’s full of mouthwatering dishes that will satisfy even picky eaters and those who are dieting.

This cookbook had several salads that are appealing (some quite hearty and containing much more than lettuce and some that will be very filling), but it seems that salad is always diet food and those of us who are on diets don’t always crave them. There are casseroles that have been “lightened up,” as well as classics that have been gathered from places across the globe, such as Greek Moussaka, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Fried Rice, Spaghetti Pie, Jambalaya, Curry, meatloaf, and even All American steak. There are even a few vegetarian dishes.

The recipes are written in the traditional format so they are easy to follow. Many are very easy, and some have a longer list of ingredients, but the dishes are worth it.

Unfortunately, there are no photographs, so cooks will have no idea what the finished dish should look like. This is a major flaw, because the cookbook, other than that, is very nice and has very good recipes. Although the recipes are excellent, the lack of photos will be a no-go for many of us.



Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Lots of options in the cook book, lots of great low calorie ideas. Including vegetarian. Recipes seemed easy, with ready ingredients.

Some interesting recipes to try and the recipes look straightforward and relatively easy to make.

I love that they're all under 400 calories so they're perfect for reducing calorie intake without reducing flavour.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

Another great collection of recipes. Good ideas for those wishing to change their diet to include lower calorie meals.

I enjoyed reading this book and it had some good inspiration.

I do find books like this better to read on an iPad rather than my phone and felt it would be better in hardback in terms of formatting.

Thank you for the arc.

Ugh I don’t know why this author doesn’t include pictures in his cookbook?! I get not every recipe can have one since there really are A LOT of recipes in this book but some would be appreciated.

This book is packed with terrific recipes. They are quick and easy to follow. The ingredients are easily accessible. The only downside is the lack of pictures.

Usually I would really ding the stars for the lack of pictures but the amount of good recipes I’m bumping my 3.5 to a 4. With pictures this could easily be a 5.

Not great, not.. okay, it was quite terrible. It's mostly my fault for always jumping at the opportunity to read a new cookbook (especially if it's free to read on NetGalley), but I should've read the title twice. 1200 calorie diet is a red flag.

There is a lack of pictures in this cookbook which makes this book really unappealing. Then it's obviously too American for my European taste, I am not going to hold this against it but it will definitely not prompt me to recreate any of the recipes.

Content wise, the recipes are pretty simple and nothing new under the sun. I did save a few salads, stews and a couple of stuffed bell peppers to maybe try in the future. But a lot of the recipes that are inspired from other cultures are described as "still authentic/traditional" even though they are very American.

This is a very simple cookbook. The recipes look easy to prepare and are mostly common American fare with some ethnic touches. The dishes are mostly meat-based, though there is a vegetarian section. It might be a good cookbook for someone just starting a household, but I wouldn't get it myself for one big reason: there are no photos. For me, a big part of food is what it looks like. Without seeing the end result of the recipe, I'm not very inspired to make it.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an advance review copy of this cookbook. My opinions are my own.

This was an interesting title - I want to learn low calorie recipes so that I can eat my fill and still be healthy.
As a vegetarian, it was a nice surprise to find a section with only vegetarian recipes.
However, as we do not eat egg substitute or cheese with all our meals - i will be modifying these recipes for myself.
I was surprised that almost all recipes use cheese - i am not sure how that would work if you are trying to lose weight.
surprisingly for a cookbook, there were no photos - but maybe that is part of being healthy - if i dont see it, i cannot be tempted by it! :)