Once in a while a cookbook comes a long that offers you a fresh perspective on healthy eating. A perspective that doesn’t make you roll your eyes or feel overwhelmed, but instead makes you realize that a healthy lifestyle can be simple, can make you feel good, and does not have to mean shopping for ingredients or products that are impossible to find. Meghan Telpner’s cookbook, The UnDiet Cookbook: 130 Gluten-Free Recipes for a Healthy and Awesome Life shares delicious recipes from nutritious food and ingredients that you can find anywhere, as well as tips to a healthy lifestyle that compliment healthy eating.
At first I was skeptical of the “UnDiet” lifestyle Meghan discusses in the cookbook. While my family and I generally eat healthy, we do eat meat (albeit we buy from a local, sustainable farm) and we like our fair share of treats, but after reading Meghan’s story at the beginning of the book and understanding her definition of UnDiet to be, “breaking free from the rules we think we’re meant to follow, and doing what is the very best for our individual health,” I completely understood that the UnDiet goal is to strive for a healthier lifestyle and a fuller life. A great message.
The recipes in the UnDiet Cookbook are plant-based and gluten-free, but they can also be easily adjusted for any diet (including carnivores of the sustainable variety) while still maintaining their full flavour. Meghan Telpner is a nutritionist whose philosophy is to live a joyful, awesome life – a message that is carried throughout the cookbook’s vibrant photos, scrumptious recipes, helpful nutritional information, and DIY beauty care instructions.
For the purposes of this review I made two recipes from The UnDiet Cookbook. The first recipe I made was the Gracious Glow Soup. I chose this soup recipe because it is February, it’s cold and I long for bright, cheerful summer days that allow me to walk through my vegetable garden to select the freshest of ingredients. This cauliflower, sweet potato, carrot and curry soup is filled with antioxidants and beta-carotene – everything you need to feel good (especially in the middle of winter). It is colourful and doesn’t taste anything like cauliflower, which to a cauliflower-resistant family such as my own is very important (I didn’t tell them what was in the soup until after they had consumed their second bowls).
If you are looking for a unique twist to a vegetable soup the fragrant, detoxing herbs and garlic in this soup may just be what you’re looking for!
The second recipe I made was Balsamic Roasted Veggies. I love balsamic vinegar and was eager to try it on beets, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. I share the recipe for Balsamic Roasted Veggies below – it is the perfect side dish to any entrée and a great way to convince your family to eat up the vegetables they may loathe the most (note: Brussels sprouts is right up there with cauliflower for my family and yet they ate them without complaint. Furthermore when I mentioned that I would be making this recipe again, they were okay with it – that says a lot for the ‘yumminess’ level of this recipe).
In addition to the recipes, I also enjoyed the advice Meghan shares on how to maintain an UnDiet Lifestyle while travelling as well as the recipes for beauty care products she shares in the latter part of the book. Who knew toothpaste was so simple to make? And the teeth whitener recipe she shares – it works! After making a few of Meghan’s UnDiet recipes I am convinced and can hardly wait to try more (the baked apples are on the dessert list for tonight!).
Meghan’s book is full of tips on how to eat and live a healthy lifestyle and encourages those who are interested in maintaining the UnDiet Lifestyle to join her UnDiet Life Community on Facebook and to share their recipes and thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag #UnDietLife.
The UnDiet Cookbook has opened my eyes to how comfortable and easy it is to eat the very best food and make lifestyle choices that feel amazing. The positive energy in this cookbook is contagious! I invite you to grab a copy of Meghan’s UnDiet Cookbook and find out for yourself how it is possible to look and feel good while eating delicious food!
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of The UnDiet Cookbook for the purposes of review, however the opinions expressed in this post are my own.
Diets don’t work. A lifestyle does. I agree with the author about eating wholesome food and embracing life. This book is actually on list to pick up… I just revised my entire diet and it’s been amazing how much better I feel.
Thanks for sharing your recipe,i cant wait to try it !!
Hubby made your recipe yesterday and you just feel so good after eating not that gross feeling you get when you eat processed foods.
an interesting book for sure, great recipe too. Thanks for sharing 🙂
We served this at a potluck on the weekend and it was a hit !
The Balsamic Roasted Vegetables look really good. I can never stick to a diet and when I do lose weight from one I end up gaining it back.
mmm love roasted veg