The 30-Minute Low-Carb Cookbook makes big promises: fast and fairly easy healthy meals that you can make in 30 minutes on a weeknight, often with only one pan or with only a handful of ingredients. And after reading Pamela Ellgen’s recipes, I believe her. She does offer recipes that sound delicious and look fast to make using real ingredients and a few faithful techniques to add more flavor.

She offers 100 recipes for all the things we eat: breakfast and brunch; snacks, salads, and sides; chicken; pork, beef, and lamb; seafood; vegetarian; and even desserts. With ideas like Pizza Frittata, Parmesan Crisps, Chicken Provencal, Swedish Meatballs, Hawaiian Ahi Poke, Raw Taco Salad with Pico de Gallo, and Almond Flour Brownies, Ellgen offers up meal ad snack ideas that appeal to a wide cross-section of hungry people. And while there are some obvious low-carb ideas like cauliflower rice and zucchini noodles, there are also a lot of ideas that simply focus on making flavorful proteins that can fill you up without the carbs.

I especially like how she doesn’t try to change your diet overnight. She talks about making small changes to help switching to lower carb options. Ellgen suggest changing out one meal a day or focusing on meals that are particularly carb heavy. She doesn’t take away all your carbs. Quite the opposite. She explains what it is about certain carbs that offer nutrition, fiber in particular, and encourages her readers to make smarter decisions, to experiment, to find a pattern of healthier eating that fits in with their lives and their goals.

Ellgen offers tips for those who are just getting started with a healthier diet, with a low-carb diet, and with home cooking. If you’re wondering just what changes you need to make to your pantry and refrigerator to cook healthier, she has tips for that. The 30-minute Low-Carb Cookbook can make your life easier, tastier, and healthier all at once.

If I could change anything about this cookbook, I would add more photos. For me, it’s not only a way to make me want to eat better, it also helps me visualize the steps of the recipe and finished meal. But focusing on the text means that the cookbook is slimmer and more affordable, so you could say those equal each other out. Otherwise, I was really impressed with the simplicity and depth of these recipes, and I can’t wait to dive in and start cooking!

The 30-Minute Low-Carb Cookbook was provided by Callisto Publishers in exchange for this review, with many thanks.

P.S. Spokesmodel Don thinks it’s tasty too!