Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories

Recipes include:

* H-O-T Hot Boneless Buffalo Wings

*Sassy Southwestern Roll-Ups

*Cheesy-Good Cornbread Muffins

* Holy Moly Guacamole

* HG’s So Low Mein w/Chicken

* Cheeseburger Lettuce Cups

* Chocolate Chip Cookie Crisp Puddin’ Shake

* Swirls Gone Wild Cheesecake Brownies

* Personal Pretzel-Bottomed Ice Cream Pie!

I had the first book and, although I don't make many of the recipes, thought it was worth buying book 2. Most of the people who give her books bad reviews complain about the processed foods and lack of nutrition. She never claims that it is a nutrition book, she clearly states that she is just making the best food she can for the fewest calories. If you want to add nutrition, add a side of baby spinach with a splash of apple cider vinegar, like a side salad, with only 10 cals, or something along those lines, and you're fine. Take this book for what it is, an idea book, with a few "recipes". Change the fat free cheese for regular, just use half as much, use light milk instead of soy (it only a few calories differece, anyway) Just figure out what is worth spending the few extra calories on, and modify, for pete's sake. Use common sense if you don't want to use all the "fake" stuff. There are a few great recipes that my whole family loves. There is a "hot pocket" style sandwich using low carb wraps and of course, laughing cow cheese, and its warmed in a pan with PAM. I've used this style with lean hamburger (my substitution)and pickles; pizza sauce with the turkey pepperoni she reccommends; and eggs with spinach, with a sprinkle of real cheese. This may not be the healthiest lunch around, but its a heck of a lot better than fast food, or frozen kids entrees, and just as quick to make, and, even with my "non- fake" substitions, around 200 calories. I make a lot of the cupcakes as-is from the book, and my kids love those, too. There is a "mousse" with FF cool whip and peanut butter that has enough PB to satisfy my craving for it, with less than half the fat and calories. So, I find this to be like many of the other cookbooks I own. I use some of the recipes, some I don't, and some come out just plain gross. That is the way life is. I don't think you will find a book of recipes that everyone will like with ingredients that everyone likes, and theat they will like every recipe in the book from start to finish. That being said, if you want quick ideas for low calorie lunches and snacks, and aren't afraid to sub every once in a while to add a little more flavor (and maybe add a few calories, big deal) then you will love the ideas this book will give you. It's worth it !

All New Square Foot Gardening

Mel Bartholomew


All New Square Foot Gardening, is a really good book for those who want to grow lots of vegetables and stuff in an extremely limited area. SFG's ideas greatly increase the efficiency of growing in a specific area.


I'm giving the idea 5/5 stars. BUT the book, i going to have to give a 4/5 stars. Reason being, the book has a very odd flow, probably because it is a rewrite. Its a little choppy and slow in some areas, so I usually end up skimming over those areas. Also, some of the ideas are a little odd, and no alternatives to these odd ideas a presented. Its like, "if its not done MY WAY, don't do it at all", some examples include his soil mix and his raised bed height. His soil mix is good and all, but its really expensive, and it will break down into dust in an extremely short time. And his recommendation of 6 inch high beds and NO higher are pretty ridiculous, i mean that is not that high, and if you planting lots of crops in one of these, they probably are going to compete with each other for root space...

Another thing i didn't like with this book, was that it was written with the market target being old people and little kids. Being right inbetween, i felt like it was grannying and babying the reader at the same time. I mean, this book would be so much better if it didnt lead to those "feelings", and was written to convey "Square Foot Gardening" and ONLY Square foot gardening... NOT how little kids can do it, and how old and disabled people would enjoy it. I mean thats great and all, but old peoples' enjoyment of gardening has NOTHING to do with Square Foot Gardening... I mean really. If i wanted to learn about old people gardening, id read something else...

Final note, he recommends growing flowers in a square foot garden. I dont know about you, but my personal opinion torwards this is that this is the dumbest idea ever, i dont think it looks good at all... If you want to grow flowers, id apply this SFG knowledge into putting them into pots and planters, and not 4x4 cubes in some random spot on your lawn.

Good book, recommended, just beware feeling that your getting babied and grannied. Dont buy it for retail price, get it only if you can get a real deal.

Also... little unrelated, i noticed the majority of the books information can be obtained free from previewing this book on Google Books, it goes over the entirety of the square foot gardening method, but doesn't go into detailed specifics on growing certain veggies.

Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist

By Michael J. Fox

'Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist' is a wonderfully shared memoir of a gentle gentleman who positively affected the lives of many.

Michael Fox suffers from the physical challenges of Parkinson Disease; however, what he has done in his life, and what he shares strongly in this book to his reader audience is that in one way or another, we all are faced with human hardship. What we do in the face of these difficulties ... these unexpected changes ... these new paths that our life may unexpectedly take us down - what really counts is to find the moments of happiness within the challenges, to never lose hope and faith in change, and to use the changes in your life in one way or another as an advantage. In fact, Michael shares that his relationship with his wife, the gentle-heart and compassionate Tracy Pollan (I say this of Tracy not because of her unquestionable love of Michael, but her sense of kindness she always acts within to others), that if fact, his relationship became stronger due to the challenges that he and Tracy faced together ... his battle with the neurological degenerative disease that is Parkinson's.

I am a fan of Michael's work; however, I am clearly an admirer of Michael J. Fox the man, the husband, and the father - and with good reason. Michael is on multiple missions : the first is clear: to find a cure for Parkinson's Disease. However, the second is equally as important: to teach the world to find the optimistic view no matter what the situation.

'Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist' is a very meaningful book that all readers will walk away from with an added perspective of the wonderments of our life no matter how difficult the challenges we have.

The 7 Day Energy Surge

This book was suggested to me by a friend because my energy level was lagging; work piling up, too tired on the weekends, weight gain etc. I was impressed! Clearly written, easy to understand but doesn't talk down to you, and SUGGESTIONS THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE! Plus, I am an academic guy, so the fact that this book is BASED ON REAL RESEARCH STUDIES goes a long way with me. And the sex chapter will rock your world. In summary, the book is a terrific combination of intelligence, practicality, science, and good sound advice. The exercise section is like having your own personal trainer, and the mental attitude parts are like having your own shrink on your nightstand!

Jim Karas is the author of the #1 New York Times best-seller The Business Plan for the Body as well as The Cardio-Free Diet and Flip the Switch. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia and founder of Jim Karas Personal Training, LLC, which has trained more than 500 clients in Chicago and New York. In addition to lecturing and presenting workshops, he has been featured frequently on ABC’s Good Morning America as he helped Diane Sawyer lose weight and enhance her energy at the same time. Jim lives in Chicago with his two children.

Turn Coat by Jim Butcher

The search for a traitor in the highest circles of power forms the main plot thread of Butcher's 11th hard-boiled fantasy novel featuring Chicago's wizard detective Harry Dresden (last seen in 2008's Small Favor). Harry, a warden of the magic-governing White Council, finds himself in an unusual position when Morgan, his fellow warden and frequent antagonist, asks for his help. One of the White Council's leaders has been murdered, and Morgan was found at the scene of the crime holding the murder weapon. If he has been framed, then another senior wizard is behind the killing and may be trying to destroy the council entirely. Aided by werewolf and vampire allies, Dresden investigates with his trademark sardonic noir flair. Despite the sprawling plot, both fans and newcomers will get into the fast-paced action.
Butcher’s series star, wizard detective Harry Dresden, has been facing ever more varied and dangerous trials. Once just Chicago’s only wizard PI, Harry is now a warden of the White Council of Wizards—that is, one of the enforcers of its rules—and it seems as though every time he gets a better grasp on his magical strength, his enemies worsen. When the “parole officer” of Harry’s youth, Morgan, grievously injured and pursued by the wardens, comes to Harry for help, it’s the opening salvo of serious confrontation with the council. Morgan stands accused of killing senior council member LaFortier. The murder was certainly an inside job, and time is short to find the real killer before Morgan is summarily executed. Simultaneously, something unbelievably horrible and by all accounts far too powerful to take on alone is stalking Dresden. Searching for the killer, Harry’s caught up in a plot leading to the White Court vampires and the very halls of the White Council. Meanwhile, his dog’s daily duty is keeping Harry’s apprentice and Morgan from one another’s throats. Fortunately, Harry’s sense of humor lightens the tone of even the most serious confrontation, so though Butcher has turned up the tension here, this is an amusing, satisfying, and action-packed addition to the Dresden Files.

Servant: The Acceptance

Gabrielle Cody has accepted her destiny as God’s warrior, charged to destroy all evil, but she wasn’t prepared to see Detective Luther Cross ever again. He’s the beacon of reality in her life, the one thing that makes her feel human, like a real woman.But Gaby must resist involvement with Luther now, for she is protecting streetwalkers. Her life of retribution is far too dangerous, and this time, it’s not just their hearts that won’t come out unscathed.

Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto

Conservative talk radio's fastest-growing superstar is also a New York Times bestselling phenomenon: the author of the groundbreaking critique of the Supreme Court, Men in Black, and the deeply personal dog lover's memoir Rescuing Sprite, Mark R. Levin now delivers the book that characterizes both his devotion to his more than 5 million listeners and his love of our country and the legacy of our Founding Fathers: Liberty and Tyranny is Mark R. Levin's clarion call to conservative America, a new manifesto for the conservative movement for the 21st century.In the face of the modern liberal assault on Constitution-based values, an attack that has steadily snowballed since President Roosevelt's New Deal of the 1930s and resulted in a federal government that is a massive, unaccountable conglomerate, the time for re-enforcing the intellectual and practical case for conservatism is now. Conservative beliefs in individual freedoms do in the end stand for liberty for all Americans, while liberal dictates lead to the breakdown of civilized society -- in short, tyranny. Looking back to look to the future, Levin writes "conservatism is the antidote to tyranny precisely because its principles are our founding principles." And in a series of powerful essays, Levin lays out how conservatives can counter the liberal corrosion that has filtered into every timely issue affecting our daily lives, from the economy to health care, global warming, immigration, and more -- and illustrates how change, as seen through the conservative lens, is always prudent, and always an enhancement to individual freedom.As provocative, well-reasoned, robust, and informed as his on-air commentary, Levin's narrative will galvanize readers to begin a new era in conservative thinking and action. Liberty and Tyranny provides a philosophical, historical, and practical framework for revitalizing the conservative vision and ensuring the preservation of American society.

About the Author

Mark R. Levin is a nationally syndicated talk radio host and president of Landmark Legal Foundation. He has also worked as an attorney in the private sector and as a top adviser and administrator to several members of President Reagan's cabinet. The author of the New York Times bestselling books Rescuing Sprite and Men in Black: How the Supreme Court Is Destroying America, Mark holds a B.A. from Temple University and a J.D. from Temple University School of Law.

The Foreigner: A Novel

In Lin's stunning debut, a crime novel set in Taiwan, Emerson Chang, a 40-year-old virgin who's a financial analyst, travels from San Francisco to Taipei on a quest to scatter his mother's ashes and re-establish contact with his shady younger brother, Little P, who's been bequeathed the family hotel. At a meeting with Little P, Chang encounters two peculiar cousins, Poison and Big One, as well as Little P's devious friend, Li An-Qing (aka Atticus), who's anxious to get Little P to sell the family hotel to him. Emerson soon finds himself mixed up in machinations involving Atticus and extortion due to Little P's unsavory dealings. In addition, Emerson loses his job back in California, and the property he's inherited in Taipei turns out to have its own mysteries. Chang's distinctive voice propels a strong and original plot, with horrifying revelations. Taut, smart and often funny, this novel will satisfy readers of thrillers and general fiction alike.
Emerson Chang is a mild mannered bachelor on the cusp of forty, a financial analyst in a neatly pressed suit, a child of Taiwanese immigrants who doesn't speak a word of Chinese, and, well, a virgin. His only real family is his mother, whose subtle manipulations have kept him close--all in the name of preserving an obscure idea of family and culture.

But when his mother suddenly dies, Emerson sets out for Taipei to scatter her ashes, and to convey a surprising inheritance to his younger brother, Little P. Now enmeshed in the Taiwanese criminal underworld, Little P seems to be running some very shady business out of his uncle's karaoke bar, and he conceals a secret--a crime that has not only severed him from his family, but may have annihilated his conscience. Hoping to appease both the living and the dead, Emerson isn’t about to give up the inheritance until he uncovers Little P's past, and saves what is left of his family.
The Foreigner is a darkly comic tale of crime and contrition, and a riveting story about what it means to be a foreigner--even in one's own family.