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(Scroll to the end of this post to find a list of my favorite holiday recipes.)
It’s hard to believe that Christmas is coming in less than two weeks. The Christmas season is my favorite part of the year, but it seems to be flying faster than usual since I’ve been so occupied with other things here in December. Note to self: publishing takes longer than you think it will, and things will go wrong. Next time, I’ll allow myself several more months of wiggle room in scheduling. 😛 (Which means that I should probably start designing it, like, now…lol…not happening.) Thank you all so much for your patience in this. I am (well, hopefully was) totally green when it comes to publishing a book, but I’ve learned so much through the process and I hope to repeat it sooner rather than later – just done a little differently taking into account all the things I’ve learned through publishing this one.
“Am I happy with the end result?”
I keep asking myself that question. My answer would have to be, “Yes…and no.” Yes, for what it is (my first foray into publishing), I think it turned out great. Maybe even better than I expected, because I didn’t know what to expect. But if my next book doesn’t look better than this one, I will be disappointed. I made some childish errors in some of the design elements I asked for. Some of the older photography isn’t that great. Overall, yes, I’m happy with it. But I am itching to start the next one and make it perfect. Don’t let me start for at least a few months, y’all. Please stop me!! I need a break – not to mention my printing company!
Those dear people. They’re cramming during the holiday season anyway, and then I added all these cookbooks and preorders to the mix…I don’t know when these people sleep! They’ve literally been working through the night to get these books printed, assembled, and shipped in time for Christmas. Those pretty teal spirals on the books? Those are all put in by hand because the book is too thick to run through the spiral binder. And those hard covers I asked for? Hard covers with plastic spiral binding aren’t really the norm, and some companies won’t even consider doing them, but my printing company made it work for me. The look and feel of the cover is probably my favorite part about the book. I’m totally happy with how that part turned out!
I keep asking you guys for your reviews, so maybe I should share my favorite parts about the book.
- the cover
- the polka dots on the divider pages
- the picture of me and Traveler on page VI
- the George Herbert acrostic poem on page 27 (my cousin Rachel thinks that George Herbert and “Detox Porridge” are rather incongruous)
- the Main Dishes/Proteins indices on pages 40-41
- the divider page photo on page 211
- the Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Cake (and accompanying picture) on pages 266-267Â #secretingredient
- the chocolate and pumpkin whoopee pie recipes (and pictures) on pages 316-319 (I love the full-page pictures in this book and wish I could’ve included more of them. I just had so many recipes that I wanted to include, and it was either recipes or more full-page pictures, so…. The next book will be scaled back a little in size to accommodate more full-page pictures.)
- the quotes – I got to include some of my favorite literary quotes and Bible verses, and I love the personal stamp they give to the book. I especially love the Rudyard Kipling quote on page 412. 😛 Makes me laugh every time.
- the indices – I love that we were able to include several ways to find things. I hope they make sense to you – I’m a bit picky when it comes to indices.
Click here to see a preview of the book.
In case you somehow missed all the announcements here on the blog as well as on my business Facebook page, the cookbook was released December 9th! Preorders started shipping Friday (the 9th) and have been shipping throughout this week, so if you ordered you should be getting yours very soon! If you order now, you can probably still get books in time for Christmas! Cookbooks make great Christmas gifts, just sayin’. 😉 I’ll be giving out quite a few myself…. Want to see a preview inside the book to help you decide whether to purchase or not? Click here! For more details about the cookbook, visit the cookbook page here on my website. You can order there or directly through the button below:
BookCentra is the distribution arm of the company that is printing my cookbooks (Carlisle Printing). They’re taking care of all the shipping for me, which has been really nice because I’m just one person and it would’ve taken me a very long time to get all of these preorders sent out! If you have any issues with your order, you can contact BookCentra via email at [email protected], or you can call them during business hours at 1.877.442.6657. I’m not as much help as they are in handling ordering issues, but you can reach me through the contact form here on my website. When sending out this many books, it’s inevitable that there will be some problems, but I promise, we will fix those problems as soon as possible if you contact us! Above all, I want you to be satisfied, and I will do whatever I can to make that happen.
If you’ve received your book, I’d love to hear a review from you over on my Cookbook Reviews page (click here)! If you have a review, please leave it there instead of on this post that way I have them all in one spot. Thank you so much!
If you’re wondering where the Cookbook Resources page is that I mentioned in the cookbook several times, you can find that by clicking here. It can also be accessed in the menu bar of my blog under the Cookbook tab.
One more note of business before I show you some of my favorite holiday recipes. If you know of any local stores that you think should carry my book, please tell them about me and send me their contact information! (Click here for my contact form.) Tell ’em that they need this low-glycemic cookbook in time for the January dieters. 😛
Now that we have all that out of the way, how about some recommendations for what you should be making next week?
(All of these recipes are in my cookbook, and some are on my blog as well. Those have links. Keep in mind that the previously-published recipes located on my blog have been cleaned up and simplified in the cookbook. Editing a book has taught me much about recipe format, so I think you’ll find that the recipes I’ve been publishing to my blog recently are a little easier to understand than my older recipes.)
Garlic Mashed Caulitoes – pg. 121
Green Bean Casserole – pg. 124
Special Occasion Salad – pg. 147
Caramel Rolls – pg. 171
Cranberry Orange Muffins – pg. 174
Frozen Eggnog – pg. 194
Any of the 5 hot chocolate recipes from pages 203-207, including this Velvety Hot Chocolate
Frosted Peppermint Pie – pg. 255
Grasshopper Pie – pg. 254
Frozen Mocha Dessert – pg. 256
German Chocolate Cake – pg. 265
Turtle Praline Cake – pg. 270
Christmas Cracker Toffee – pg. 305
Buckeyes – pg. 306
Snickerdoodles – pg. 313
“Sugar” Cookies – pg. 315
Chocolate Whoopee Pies – pg. 316
Peppermint Ganache Brownies – pg. 325
Pecan Custard Pie – pg. 347
Peppermint Brownie Cheescake – pg. 356
Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars – pg. 358
Cream Cheese Danishes – pg. 380
Hot Crab Dip – pg. 401
Spinach Dip – pg. 405
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip – pg. 409
I love your cookbook. I am anxious to try it out. Is there a document to tell what meal type (S, E, FP etc.) that the recipes in your book are?
Hi Linda! Unfortunately I couldn’t use the THM labels because of copyrights, but here’s the breakdown:
Healthy Fats = S
Foundation Fats = Deep S
Healthy Carbs = E
Low Carb/Low Fat = FP
Healthy Carbs & Healthy Fats = XO
I hope this helps!
I just got my cookbook today. Thank you for making such a good cookbook. Not just the recipes, but the quality of the book itself. I was pleasantly surprised, when I opened my box this afternoon. Well worth the money.
I pre-ordered “Necessary Food 10/04/16 using my credit card was charged on said date. I received an email on 12/15/16 stating that my book had shipped. To this date, 1/4/17, i have not received my book. Would someone find out why I did not get my book? I was so looking forward to receiving the book, wanting it to help me get on tr
Hi Margaret, I just emailed you with info on how to contact the distributor and get this taken care of. 🙂
I received my TWO copies of Necessary Food and I am now totally inspired to stay creative on my THM journey – this cements my THM commitment. Simply amazing the wealth of recipes! I secretly worried if the internet ‘dies’ I would lose connection to all my wonderful recipes. Now I feel Safe” lol. Thank you for all you do and share! God Bless
I preordered your cookbook and received it before Christmas but just now had time to carefully page through it. I tried the chocolate peanut butter milkshake and it is quite tasty! I am excited to cook many other recipes and may purchase another book for my daughter-in-law.
As I muse on the cookbook it amazes me how God uses each of us for His purposes. Certainly He has and will continue to bless multitudes with your lovely cookbook. I imagine you feel blessed as well.
Prayerfully serving Our Savior,
Ann Kapala
Apple Valley, Minnesota
Thank you so much for your kind words, Ann. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the book! Blessings!
Love love my new recipe book. It’s beautiful and looks like great recipes.
I got my book yesterday. It is lovely and can’t wait to try all your good stuff. I am relatively new to THM. Almost 2 months and still learning! I really wish you had indicated the type of meal the recipe would be S, E or FP. That would have really helped. It gets so confusing. any suggestions?
Hi Peggy! I wasn’t able to use the THM labels because of trademark issues, so I had to come up with my own categories. Since S meals focus on fats, that would be the Healthy Fats category. “Foundation Fats” is compatible with THM: Deep S recipes. Since E meals focus on carbs, that would be the Healthy Carbs category. Not including many carbs or fats in a recipe gives you a Fuel Pull (Low Carb/Low Fat). Including both carbs and fats in the same recipe gives you a crossover. I hope this clears things up for you. 🙂
I tried to order your cookbook today but the distributor’s website keeps bombing out. Are there problems today with ordering? I am so excited to get your beautiful book. God bless!
Thanks for letting me know, Suzanne! I wasn’t aware of any issues, but it looks like your order went through now. Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it.
My cookbook arrived this week. It looks absolutely AMAZING!!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that their are pictures for just about every recipe!!!! To me, pictures are an essential part of a cookbook. They make it WAAAAY more useful!! I have been marking pages and can’t wait to try the recipies! Thank you for putting so much time into this cookbook. Did I mention that I LOVE all of the pictures?!? You are amazing!!
Merry Christmas!
Oh Briana you are a phenomenal young woman! And yes I read your entire forward and it is as delightful as you are!! This is hands down one of the most well put together, not to mention beautiful, cookbooks I have ever owned. I can’t wait to delve into a more healthy way of eating, and you have made it beyond temping! Please don’t stop what you’re doing as you are truly an angel put upon this earth.
Thank you so much for your encouragement! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the book.
Just got mine in the mail the other day! Woo-whoo! It’s so pretty, I’m a little afraid to get it dirty…
Got a notice my book shipped and I would receive in a few days. It’s been 6 days. So hoping I receive soon. Anxious. Lol
Should be any day now!
Did you say something a while back about running a special for the book around Christmas time? Or do you have plans for running a special for it? 🙂
Since the book was just released, I’m not planning to run a Christmas special. I may run some sort of special in January, but I don’t have any concrete plans at this point. 🙂
I went out to the mailbox yesterday and found a big brown mailer which made me instantly giddy! I’m enjoying looking through the book. I especially liked that you thanked God at the beginning. 🙂 I’ve made a bunch of your on-line recipes already but having them all together in a beautiful book (so happy that it has a hard cover!!!!) is awesome. I try new recipes about every day since I’m a recipe addict but not a recipe inventor.
I tried the Cran Orange Shake (how had I not seen this before!??!) and the waffles already. Both were good. Tonight I’ll be trying some of the candy to make up for the fact that no, I do not like skinny chocolate with orange extract in it. Blah. Good thing my hubby loves it. 😉
I’m thankful that you’ve put so much hard work into this project!!! I like all the quotes and that there are a bajillion recipes to keep me busy.
MS. THOMAS!!! PLEASE RESTRAIN YOURSELF!!!! DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT START ON ANOTHER COOKBOOK FOR A MINIMUM OF A FEW MONTHS!!!!! (seriously, don’t do it.)
Man, I am hoping SO. MUCH. my cookbook arrives today! I just about squealed like a little kid when I saw those snickerdoodles, and I want to make them and take them to a Christmas party tomorrow…..for my own enjoyment, mostly. Snickerdoodles are my life. I will absolutely post a review for you when I get my copy of the cookbook! 😀
Haha…thanks for the restraining order, Olivia. I needed that. 😛 I so hope yours comes today!
Are all preorders shipped? I have not received notification that it has shipped. Not being pushy or demanding….just excited to get my book. ..and ordered one for a Christmas gift.
Hi Kathy! As of this morning, I believe all preorders have shipped. I just talked to the distributor this morning and found out that the packaging for the 2-book orders was delayed and didn’t arrive until yesterday, so the 2-book orders were packaged and shipped this morning. I’m so sorry for the wait!
OK, I am officially drooling……all I want for Christmas is a team of elves to come visit me, and whisk away my house dirt and dirty laundry so I can live in my kitchen for the next week!!!
Looking forward to relaxing with your book…..when it arrives!!
Merry Christmas!
I got my cookbook yesterday. It is very impressive! I love the look and feel of it. The colors happen to be my two favorites. The recipes are just as I would expect from you, after following you for the past year or so. I can’t wait to delve into the book and make menus based on your recipes. Just the pictures alone look mouth watering. Thank you go all of your hard work and for making this eating lifestyle so enjoyable! Blessings to you, Briana.
Can’t hardly wait! Eagerly anticipating the arrival of your cookbook! The desserts above looked great, my Hubs has a big sweet tooth and the German Chocolate Cake may be the first one we try!
I received the cookbook, but it’s a Christmas gift so I can’t review it till after Christmas!!! I can’t wait, we love all of your recipes especially the ice cream ones!!!
Do the recipes have nutrition information? I count carbs rather than doing THM.
No, I’m afraid they don’t.
In order to be S, does each serving have 5 or less carbs?
An S in general needs to have 10 g of carbs or less, but THM focuses on just keeping ingredients from different fuel types separated instead of having to count, so I don’t usually run any numbers unless I’m trying to sneak in a bit of a carb fuel into an S setting. 🙂
I’ll be sure to leave you a review as soon as it comes in! I did like the preview I saw but being in the busy time, I didn’t get to _sit and just look_ at the book. 😉
It should be coming any day! I mailed yours out on Monday. 🙂
Enough already with all those incredible looking recipes! I am “patiently” waiting for my post man to deliver my new cook book! Blessings to you and have a very “Merry – and relaxing – Christmas”!
You make me impatient for my cookbook!! I’m eagerly watching the mailbox!
I’m so excited! I hope mine comes today!
Anxiously awaiting it’s arrival!
Hugs,
Sharon