BookLook Bloggers gave me a copy of The Loving Kitchen to review. The Loving Kitchen is a Southern food cookbook, written by popular food blogger, LeAnn Rice.

The tone of the book is very folksy and down-home, similar to Paula Deen. LeAnn shares her take on many Southern classics, like fried chicken, grits, BBQ, and sweet potatoes.

Most of her recipes are not suitable for the Jewish kitchen. There is way too much pork and meat/cheese combos. Those aren’t things I want to make, but I would adapt her basic recipes to suit my own tastes, if possible.

Another thing I didn’t care for was the high level of fat. Her version of spaghetti squash contains an entire stick of butter! That’s simply outrageous. My version contains none. I think the food would be good for a special occasion, but this shouldn’t be daily fare for anyone concerned with healthy eating.

I did enjoy her section on desserts. For a treat, any of them would be wonderful! Her take on peanut butter pie, banana pudding, and something called “Elvis Cupcakes” look especially tasty.

While I may not agree with LeAnn’s “calories be damned” attitude, I loved her ideas on using food to build bridges. Giving food to someone who’s hurting or experiencing stress is always a blessing—both for the giver and receiver. If someone you know is sick, or unemployed, or getting divorced, bring them a little something! It won’t go unappreciated.

I give The Loving Kitchen 5 stars for attitude, 3 stars for recipes, and 1 star for nutrition.

BookLook Bloggers gave me a copy of Michelle Singletary’s book, The 21 Day Financial Fast to review.

Michelle is a syndicated columnist for The Washington Post. She write extensively about money, so I was looking forward to finding some new money-saving tips.

The premise of the book is that for 21 days, participants will stop using credit cards and buy only the barest of essentials. Like a dietary fast, she wants us to abstain. It’s written in a devotional style, with a short chapter for each day. There’s a lot of talk about, God, Tithing, and Scripture. The author is a Christian Conservative, writing from a Biblical perspective. It’s somewhat similar to Dave Ramsey in that way. Not exactly my cup of tea…

Many of her tips are routinely found in every financial book: budgeting, saving, limit credit card use, etc. Pretty standard stuff. If you’ve never read about finance before, the information would be useful. For those of us who read about this topic extensively, there’s nothing new.

I do like the idea of taking a periodic spending break. Most people have more clothes and shoes than they could wear in a lifetime. The kids have more toys than a store. Add in the endless DVDs, music, and magazines and it’s no wonder the average home is swamped with clutter. We are a nation of conspicuous consumption.

While I didn’t do the challenge exactly as written, I have gone much longer than 21 days without buying big ticket items. As my readers know, I do a lot of couponing. I doubt I’d quit couponing for 3 weeks unless I had 2 broken legs, but it’s good to be aware of what I’m buying and why.

The 21 Day Financial Fast gets 2.5 stars out of 5 from me.

Would you try a financial fast?

Recently, I had the chance to read, Lean Body, Fat Wallet,  written by Ellie Kay and Danna Demetre. This book came my way courtesy of BookLook Bloggers.

I was familiar with Ellie Kay, having read some of her previous books on Finance. I’d never heard of Danna Demetre, but she’s a fitness expert. Lean Body, Fat Wallet combines their expertise, showcasing the link between being overweight and being in debt,

It hadn’t occurred to me that those two problems could be interconnected, but it makes sense. When one area of your life is out of control, often everything is! Pigging out on an entire cake and maxing out a Visa is the same unhealthy behavior, manifest in different ways.

According to the authors, both problems can be tackled in the same way—a sensible “diet” of food and finances. They advocate a slow, steady pace. It’s a lifestyle makeover, not a fad.  The problems didn’t start overnight and they can’t be cured immediately either.

While I didn’t agree with every tip, I think this book would be helpful for anyone struggling with weight or money, provided they’re ready to get serious and face these difficult problems head-on.

Are you struggling with weight or money?

Zero Waste Home is a truly amazing book! It was written by a French Lady who’s currently in California. After living a typical Suburban lifestyle focused on conspicuous consumption, she and her family took downsizing to an extreme!

Going from a 3,000 Sq. foot home, to one half its size, the family ruthlessly gives away, eliminates, and sells unwanted items. Paring down to the bare bones, they now produce only one quart of garage per year! They use no plastic containers, recycle/compost/reuse, and make things from scratch.

While I’m not ready to be that extreme, I did enjoy many of the tips—especially on reducing disposables. The book is well organized and offers numerous quality ideas if you want to go green in stages. My only complaint is the lack of photos.

Are you interested in going Green?