Sunday, September 20, 2015

Review: My Relationship With Food - Lisa Roukin


I recently received an email offering me the chance to review a healthy cook book - 'My Relationship With Food', by Lisa Roukin. We have a few cook books and I love looking through them and getting inspired (as well as hungry), but we seriously lack in the 'healthy' category and instead have a stash of 'comfort food' style which have been untouched for some time. I was after a little inspiration being a year into dieting, 4 stone down and a little stuck in a rut, so thought I would give this a go. I promptly responded with a very grateful 'yes please!'

I had no idea what to expect, but from the very first page I realised that this book (as well as Lisa and her words) must have been sent as some kind of fate, as it really talked to me and I found it brilliant, inspiring and exciting from start to finish.

The majority of my weight has been lost from following (rather loosely) the Filling & Healthy diet. The diet gives you a great big list of ingredients such as Quinoa that are classed as 'free', you do not have to point or weigh, but I soon found with a lack of recipe ideas, that I got stuck in a cycle of bacon, salads and home made burgers, a cycle in which I am very much still a part of! The diet has been great, it has got me out of many bad habits, as well as pretty much breaking my 'relationship with food', much like Lisa describes in her book. The next step for me is to find recipes for these ingredients, that will inspire me to continue on my health quest - this is where Lisa's book comes in.

Lisa was a finalist on Channel 4's 'The F Word' and has lost a similar amount of weight to me in the past, she has had an amazing career in catering and put all her experiences into this brilliant book.

The first few pages contain a dedication, which had me immediately close to tears, it's so lovely and personal and as Lisa moves on to talk about her definition of 'relationships with food' I fell further captivated and couldn't wait to get onto the recipes! The words really struck a chord with me and if I was anywhere near as eloquent, I would explain this further, but I'll leave it to Lisa when you read her book.


This book is brilliant for anyone wanting to break that cycle and relationship with food. Lisa describes it so much better than I ever could, but essentially it's that connection with food and happiness, food as a tool to over come bad things, a connection that for most of us we have had all our lives. This relationship is not healthy and in order to be healthy (as well as slim) it is that relationship that we need to break to be successful. Somehow, I seem to have nearly managed this on my own, but if you are in this place wondering how on earth you will ever find the motivation to say no to your comfort food (sometimes - not all the time), then this book is for you. 


Lisa gives amazing ideas on her 'non-cheaters cheat sheet', such as making 'Cornflake chicken' (one of my favourite recipes in the book) when you crave unhealthy American fried chicken, and lots of sweet treat replacements, all of which the recipes can be found in this book. The book can be a quick reference to get you out of those cravings that can lead to binges, weight gain and bad habits and will teach you how to have a healthy lifestyle and understand how it works. Lisa's top ten tips towards a healthy relationship with food are just brilliant, I will be taking them all on board.

Text and motivational words aside, the food recipes in this book are amazing! You can tell from the ingredients list and stunning imagery that these meals will all be delicious. Some of the ingredients are ones that I have been fumbling with over the last year, sometimes with luck, sometimes not. The ingredients are filling, wholesome and healthy foods, created into recipes that you wouldn't believe are healthy at times, they look devine. Lisa teaches you the main thing about successful slimming which is to give yourself what you want, but in a healthy way. So many people deprive themselves of food (I've done it myself) when actually you can eat well, have satisfying portions whilst also shifting the pounds and improving your health. This week I really want to try her cauliflower pizza base, pictured below.


There are 100 recipes in this book designed to 'nourish mind, body & soul'. This is not just a recipe book, it's a heartfelt story from a wonderfully inspiring woman, who knows and loves food. Don't be fooled by her slim, healthy and beautiful looks, Lisa understands how hard this is and she 'gets it', she has been there and knows what us slimmers are going through. This book is great for some menu ideas using filling and healthy foods, as well as sweet 'treats' that you can incorporate into your day, satisfying your cravings whilst tasting amazing. Here are a few of my favourite chosen recipes;

  • Raw chocolate mousse cheesecake
  • Raw tiramisu
  • Scrambled egg, smoked salmon & avacado
  • Chia seed & granola breakfast pots
  • Aubergine sauce with corgette spaghetti
  • Brussels sprout chips
  • Crispy curly kale

The recipes are fairly simple, they don't cost the earth and anyone could realisticly have a go at them -though they may not look quite as good as these mouthwatering pictures!

I love some of the ideas in this book and no stone is left unturned. There are ideas for puddings such as the stunning cheesecake (title picture), main courses, lunch, snack and breakfast ideas. If you are wondering what on earth  quinoa is and what to do with it? Let Lisa show you. Split into seasons, the book makes it super easy to find hat you want from the index too. There is also a list of vegetables that are in season as well as their health benefits. This is a must have on your wish list this Christmas and would make a great gift for anyone mid journey, that might just need a little inspiration to keep them motivated.

Lisa has put her all into this book and I loved reading her story. My motivation has been renewed and I have so many new ideas and recipes to try, I am excited to carry on working my way through this book and to get cooking.

As well as her recipes, Lisa has also put some of her flavour making skills into a range of 'foodie' candles such as her Apple Pie flavour! All the goodness without the calories. A full range of her goodies can be found on her website.


You can buy this book here, and connect with Lisa on Instagram and Twitter too.



Thanks for reading,

Wafflemama




Disclosure: I was gifted a copy of this book for an honest review, all words and thoughts are my own.