Zone Perfect Cookbook

Fantastic Cookbook! My boyfriend and I started doing The Zone a week and a half ago, and this cookbook has become our Bible. He comes home from work EXCITED to see which recipe I've chosen for the night, even though we're dieting. Its ingredients are the perfect combination of accessible and unique; Rachel Ray meets The Iron Chef. The recipes are easy but include enough "new" foods to keep this diet from getting boring. For people who like trying new foods but hate complicated cookbooks that include lots of expensive items (from which you only use 1tsp, each, of course) - this cookbook is for you! You should have Protein Powder and lots of avocados and/or nuts in your kitchen; other than that, no major purchases required. The book is divided into chapters based on meals (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner) and Snacks. The Breakfast section includes smoothies with fresh & frozen fruit, omeletes with feta, vegetables, and seasonings, as well as hot cereal, yogurt, and cottage cheese variations. Lunches and Dinners are interesting takes on traditional, non-Zone sandwiches, salads, burgers, and soups. They include not only chicken and turkey, but also fish (mahi mahi, sea bass, tuna, scallops, AND shrimp), pork, beef, tofu, and tempeh. While I wish each ingredient listed how much of each "Zone block" it contributed to the recipe, substitutions become fairly obvious as you begin to recognize the Zone block system. To facilitate substitutions, I recommend pairing this book with one of Dr. Barry Sears's books so that you have a firm grip on the diet itself. Each recipe in Ms. Walker's book is converted into Zone Blocks, but you'll need the other book(s) to explain what those blocks are and how many you should eat. I almost forgot the most important thing - the food TASTES SOOOO GOOD! (And not diet-good; GOOD-good!)

the meals in this book are so tasty and easy to make, i keep coming back for more every day. i found the variety of vegetables, both standard and unique, plus the variety of herbs and spices in almost every recipe, just knocks my socks off everytime i try a new recipe. i looked into having zone meals delivered, but the cost was too prohibitive. i like to cook and figured i'd save money by buying a recipe book and doing the cooking myself. i have not studied the zone diet and only casually know how it works (i've tried just about every other diet). i stuck to these recipes about 80% during the week and about 50% on the weekends. After 6 weeks, i lost 15lbs, my colesteral lowered from 200 to 160, and my grocery receipts added up to about 50% less than zone delivery service in my area. i am a working mom and don't have a lot of time to cook. i found most of the recipes simple and easy to make, esp the breakfasts. some ingredients are unique, but if you're in a metropolitan area, they should be readily available. the uniqueness just adds to the amazing flavors. the only problem is that they discontinued the zone perfect protein powder with out a substitute. this cuts out most of the smoothie recipes and a couple others. i also don't do tofu, and a few of the lunches and dinners are tofu based, so i skip some recipes. However, i do make most of the recipes and i am always satisfied after every meal and don't feel extra hungry in between. i think the biggest winner in the "diet wars" is the one that keeps people coming back with or without willpower. this book does that for me. these recipes make dieting and healthy eating a no-brainer and i keep going back for more. this book is a real winner!

I was always so frustrated with the recipes in the Zone books because they were four block or balanced portions rather than three. Many of us need three rather than four blocks. These recipes have three balanced portions. Some of those recipes also included ingredients that I didn't think were very healthy. As a busy working mom, this cookbook has allowed me to create truly healthy, nourishing and oh so delicious meals in no time. My son loves the smoothie recipes too and frequently asks for one.

So many diet cookbooks are based on intellectual theories but pay little attention to good, overall nutrition or flavor. Kristy Walker's book shows quite the contrary. These recipes are great and are also very nutritious. A great gift idea--the photos in the book make it one to treasure, too.

I'm not into cooking and less into cookbooks. I had heard about the Zone program, but was a bit intimidated on how to use the information practically. The "Zone Perfect Cookbook" is different than anything I've come across before. It is beautiful to look at, and you don't have to be Martha Stewart to figure out how to make the recipes. I could relate to Kristy Walker's personal process of finally finding a healthy way of losing weight easily. I've now started to actually enjoy cooking. I highly recommend this book for cooks and non-cooks alike.