The 1,200 Calorie-A-Day Cookbook

Quick and easy recipes for delicious low-fat breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts. 350 calorie breakfast + 350 calorie lunch + 400 calorie dinner + 100 calorie dessert = 1,200! Contemporary Books, 1994

This book contains low-fat, low-calorie recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts – never to exceed 1,200 calories for the entire day.  All breakfasts and lunches are 350 calories each, all dinners are 400 calories, and all desserts are 100 calories.  No matter which meals are chosen, the total will always add up to 1,200 calories for the day!

Today there is a strong emphasis on the importance of good eating habits.  Preparing low-fat, low-calorie meals, trying to maintain a low daily calorie count and control fat intake can be a true challenge – just the thing we all need toad to our already overloaded lives.  Taking time to figure exactly how many calories and fat grams are being consumed can be troublesome and frustrating.  This, in turn, may lead to giving up on the notion that delicious low-fat, low-calorie meals can be part of your everyday diet.  Therefore, I’ve written this book to provide low-calorie meals that are low in fat for the entire day every day.

Eating healthy is very important, but many feel that doing so means forsaking those familiar favorites, such as ham and eggs, rich sauces, and cheese-smothered dishes.  Unfortunately, we need familiar foods to provide comfort, relief from stress, stability, and enjoyment on a fairly regular basis.  Otherwise “roller coaster” dieting is inevitable.

In this book, I’ve provided a variety of meals ranging from home-style favorites to the latest trends.  Choose from weekday and weekend breakfasts, lunches for home or the workplace, hearty dinners, and, of course, those ever-needed desserts.  I’ve included a variety of dishes utilizing all the major food groups to keep eating healthy and interesting.

As in my previous books, the recipes are easy to prepare, created to please the entire family, using easily obtainable ingredients.  The majority of the meals contain 20 percent or less their total calorie content from fat; all contain less than 30 percent.  These totals are listed at the beginning of each meal.  Many of the main courses for dinner may be used for lunches.  By using a thermos, warming dishes in the microwave, and simply packing salad dressings separately, you multiply your brown-bagging choices.

This is not a diet plan, but rather a comprehensive collection of recipes that you can use to help limit your calorie and fat intake and, at the same time, enjoy meals without the guilt and without the calculator!  Whether you’re in the mood for something old and familiar or something new and exciting, in a hurry or taking it slow, you don’t have to eat “wrong” to feel satisfied anymore.

Besides providing the recipes, I hope this book can be a learning experience.  There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Give a man a fish and you have fed him for a meal; teach him to fish and you have fed him for life.”  I hope I can “teach you to fish” so that you know how healthy meals can be a part of your life forever.

Enjoy!

Purchase