Meal Prep Diabetes Cookbook: 4 Weeks of Easy Meal Plans Paperback – July 27, 2021

My husband was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 9 months ago. And, I’ve always been interested in meal prep, so this book seemed like a good fit. I checked the book out of the library first. After the first week, I was sold, and bought the kindle edition for me and the paperback for a friend We found the recipes easy and tasty. She includes shopping lists for each meal prep week. She also includes tips on substituting proteins and adding flavor variety throughout the week.I’m allergic to shrimp , using her portion control list, I substituted tofu and baked that during the week 4 weekly meal prep instead. It worked great in the recipes. Also, I took advantage of the suggestions for preprepped ingredients (like frozen riced cauliflower and premade broccoli slaw, and I still found the cost of groceries economical.Note: The meal prep plan recipes show the servings for ONE person, so to make enough for two people, simply double the amount you buy and make. We found this really easy to do.My husband had been on a stall, weight wise (he’s already lost 23 lbs). After wo weeks on these meal plans, he’s down another 5 lbs and his A1c is down to 5.4! I lost 2 lbs myself and was not hungry.One thing I would have liked to see is a weekly meal chart would help me plan what meal to put where. But I have a meal prep journal I bought so, that’s ok.

I really liked that the recipes were quick and easy to make. Not too many ingredients which cuts down on prep time. Easy to store and use for several days. Very tasty. I substituted the Truvia for Monk fruit sweetener healthy and taste more like real sugar.

There are some very good tasting meals and a few that don't appeal to me. I wish there'd been a little more variety each week-- some recipes differ only by an ingredient or two and/or by arrangement (as a sandwich versus in a bowl for example which does NOT count IMO). I will incorporate recipes to help with this in future. And yes, the author does state that the recipes given are not all a person would eat in a week. AND there are breakfast and snack ideas at the back of the book. Still, I prefer variety.I think the idea of cooking a couple proteins, veggies, and sauces is a good rough plan which can be used by cooks to develop their own repertoire. And I like that there is usually a lean and a higher fat protein chosen.HOWEVER, my biggest quibble with this cookbook is the prep notes that should have been EMPHASIZED to make shopping and cooking easier. For instance, she has you make homemade cauliflower rice and AFTER you've gone through the trouble, there's a small note offering the idea of purchased. That note should have been prominent on the grocery list and on the prep list. Same with the broccoli slaw (but I caught that one!). Don't get me wrong-- I'm sure homemade is tastier and less costly (and probably more healthful). Nonetheless, it's not an "option" if the author presents it as an afterthought. And yes, I did skim the week's recipes in advance, but because of positioning, the notes did not grab my attention. Obnoxious.And one more thing: what's the deal with the raw onions??? By the recipe directions, they are basically CRUNCHY. Sometimes that's okay but not ALL the time. Granted, sauteing everything in oil may not be the way to go, but there are other cooking options to soften those alliums.So, all in all, I like this cookbook, but I do have some pet peeves about it-- certainly not perfect.I'm not really qualified to comment on the nutrition details since I'm a new-to-this-stuff Type 2 diabetic. It seems like reasonable effort is made to include the good and mostly exclude the bad. The meals are filling so I'd guess portion size is about right. This is no "by the plate" book of half veggies, a quarter starch, a quarter low-fat protein since the recipes are mostly combo dishes. If the nutrition facts have target levels, I don't discern them, but as stated, quality ingredient choices.

The book includes a sensible, basic introduction to diabetic meal planning and nutrients in the beginning but follows that up with poorly considered meal plans. I like the system for meal planning the author introduces, but if you sit down and look through the recipes you notice that many of the 'meals' fall short of daily mimimum caloric needs without siginificant addition. For example, in the first week, the total calories of the five day's worth of recipes only averages 947 calories per day. The generally accepted average caloric need is 1600-2400 calories for women and 2000-3000 calories for men. Does the author expect her readers to make up half of their caloric intake in snacks? This book is a starvation diet masquerading as health advice and desperately needs a rewrite.

Enjoyed reading this book. Best ideas to set up meals for better diabetic control. I will be using this book as a reference.

I like cookbooks with great pictures (like this one). Meal Prep Diabetes Cookbook one has lots more to love including easy to use weekly shopping lists on one page for each week, tips about why the foods benefit the body, how to save time, and ways to work around cooking items you might not have a home. The mix and match options each week for four weeks is a fun way to encourage me to be creative as I make meals. These recipes have ingredients you will find in a normal grocery store (no hard-to-find weird ingredients). I especially like the many recipes for condiments like salad dressings or sauces: easy to make and used for several recipes in the weekly plan. And the bonus recipes for breakfast or snacks and treats include yummy (& healthy low-sugar) ideas like Sweet Potato Berry Muffins and Berry Nut Frozen Yogurt Bark. I'm a vegetarian so I was glad many recipes were marked vegetarian or vegan, and meat-based recipes are easy to adapt with vegetarian proteins. Note: I received an advance review copy of the cookbook.