Thorsons
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk Published in the US by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a Penguin Random House Company 2014 First published in the UK by Thorsons 2015 Text © Gina Homolka 2014 Photographs © Penny De Los Santos 2014 Selected recipes first appeared on skinnytaste.com Gina Homolka with Heather K. Jones, R.D. asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this eBook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. The nutritional information included in this book has been calculated using the original US cup measures and ingredients. The publisher has converted all measures as accurately as possible but there may be a degree of variation in the nutritional values if the UK metric measures are followed. Source ISBN: 9780008128050 eBook Edition © 2015 ISBN: 9780008128067 Version: 2015-04-23
To all of my Skinnytaste fans, this book is dedicated to you. Without your loyalty and support, this book would never have been possible.
To my favourite taste-testers – my husband, Tommy, and my two girls, Karina and Madison – thanks for trying all my cooking experiments (the good and the bad!) and for your love throughout this amazing journey.
And to my mom and dad: you shared your love of cooking and taught us the joys of being in the kitchen. I am eternally grateful.
Contents
The Skinny Basics Create a good-for-you kitchen and lifestyle
Sunny Mornings Start the day off right
Skinny-licious Soups & Chillies A meal in a bowl
Sandwiches on the Lighter Side Getting healthy between the slices
Skinny Bites Dips, starters and more
Fabulous Main-Dish Salads Salads that take the starring role
Perfect Poultry Mouthwatering chicken and turkey dishes
Lean Meat Dishes For the meat lover in your life
Fabulous Fish Easy-to-fix seafood delights
Meatless Mains Try meatless Mondays
Veggie-Licious Sides Make your meat dishes green with envy
Skinny Sweet Tooth Not-so-naughty desserts
Struggling to shed some pounds while still eating healthfully and feeding your family meals that they will love? Considering that about 64 per cent of adults in the UK are overweight or obese, and families are looking for meals they can all enjoy together, the answer for most is yes. The problem is that too many people get sucked into the ‘diet’ trap, buying processed, so-called ‘weight loss’ food that is nothing more than junk (some of it isn’t even food) loaded with artificial ingredients that can actually make you sick. Well, I’d like to offer a better suggestion: head to the kitchen and get cooking!
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. You’re running through a list of reasons you just can’t do it. Maybe you don’t have time, or it’s too expensive, or it takes too much effort. Perhaps you have no idea what you’re doing in the kitchen or you believe healthy food tastes bland. I’m sure you have a tonne of reasons – and I’ve heard most of them.
I’m going to bust all the excuses that keep you out of your kitchen, and show you that cooking – even cooking healthy, nutritious food – is quick, easy and, dare I say it, painless. It’s not nearly as pricey as buying processed, packaged junk food, or, down the line, treating the diseases caused by obesity, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Cooking at home is both delicious and satisfying – and it can encourage healthy habits in your family, too.
Still sceptical? Doubt I can change your mind about healthy cooking? If you don’t believe me, just take it from the millions of readers of my recipe and healthy-eating blog, skinnytaste.com. Since 2008, I’ve been converting the most reluctant eaters, and I’m hoping you’ll be next on my list! I’m thrilled (and so humbled) by the incredible number of Skinnytaste success stories – people who have turned