Eat Happy: Gluten Free, Grain Free, Low Carb Recipes Made from Real Foods For A Joyful Life

If you have been told that it would be better for your health to eliminate sugar and processed foods from your diet due to autoimmune or mood disorders, you too probably felt overwhelmed - I already don’t feel great, and now I have to plan meals, shop and cook? My fun with food is over. I totally get it because I have been dealing with all of these for 25 years. None of the pharmaceutical options worked well for me. Though I had been introduced to managing chronic illness through nutrition, I wasn’t ready until last year when I learned of recent studies showing that the meds the doctors recommended for me can contribute to dementia. Since I had exhausted every other option, I decided to try healing my body with nutrition. Luckily for me, I discovered Anna Vocino’s recipes at the same time. She totally gets it too. Her recipes call for basic ingredients that don’t require a lot of expensive kitchen gadgets or endless hours with multiple steps, just simple, good food that’s easy to prepare and tastes delicious. Seriously, you take a bite of one of these dishes and say to yourself or anyone at the table, oh that is good. If you are dealing with food sensitivities, such as dairy, most of the recipes are easy to adjust. It’s been almost 11 months of eating this way and here are the results: I’m off all medication for mood, sleep and pain and lost 15 lbs. I thought it would be super boring and way too much work, but Anna’s recipes are so tasty that we have invited friends and family over for dinner more this year more than ever before. The food is too good not to share. Both my husband and 12-year-old daughter (notorious for being a picky eater) love Anna’s recipes, and we are saving money by eating dinners together at home. So, I was wrong. My food life is actually more fun and satisfying. Thank you so much Anna. Do yourself a favor and buy this book!

This review is WAY overdue! I wanted to give myself time to try multiple recipes before reviewing. Initially I thought some of the recipes would be too time consuming for my busy schedule with two teenage boys and a husband. Boy was I wrong! Not only are the recipes quick and easy (and I am not a chef, but now my family is calling me one! Ha!), but they are super flavorful and filling! Anna's cookbook is helping immensely on my NSNG journey! Not only that, but my sons are combing through the cookbook daily....."Can you make THIS tonight?" or "Can you make THAT for breakfast?" My kids are LOVING the food! My husband (who HATES most veggies) is eating CAULIFLOWER!!! That is a miracle in and of itself! Since starting my #NSNG journey I can now eat veggies again without them wrecking my stomach! I haven't been able to eat things like cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers, cucumbers and many others for YEARS! I love veggies and it was horrible not to be able to eat them. I'm aware now that it had to be the combo of grains and sugars that would react with the veggies somehow. I thought I was lactose intolerant! Well now I'm eating lactose without feeling like I'm going to die afterwards!!! This all sounds dramatic, and it is, for ME! Being able to enjoy the foods I've loved in recipes that my (once picky family) can't get enough of is such a game/life changer!!! All I can say is THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Anna Vocino and also Vinnie Tortorich for drastically improving the quality of our meals and quality of life!!!

I got this book a few weeks ago hoping to get myself off of the sugar roller coaster I had been on and get out of a boring rut with the dinners I was making. Obviously I haven't had time to make all of the recipes yet but everything I have tried so far has been delicious and the slightly sweet treats have helped me step away from the super sugary laden treats. An unexpected bonus is all of the breakfast recipes - I tried no sugar no grain before and got so tired of eating the same breakfast almost every day so it is nice to have lots of different options - and coddled eggs are delicious, who knew? Prior to getting this book I had experimented with some very low carb cookbooks and I just couldn't handle that much fat and grease, as Anna says in the book, "DUH, you need to eat vegetables if you're even gonna think about Atkins." While these recipes don't shy away from fat, they also don't use fat as a condiment for the fatty meat that you cooked in extra fat. There is a nice balance between plenty of fresh veggies, a variety of proteins and fats, and some recipes include dairy - I've lived in Wisconsin at various times throughout my adult life and I just can't let the dairy go completely. Oh and also - they are easy to make. I'm working and in grad school so the more time I spend in the kitchen the less time I spend writing papers and studying, so far my A average is intact and I'm no longer eating take-out 4 nights a week.

I downloaded the book to my Kindle which now has a permanent place in my kitchen so that we can easily access Eat Happy. As a new inductee into the NSNG way of eating, this book helped me to make the transition seamlessly and, more importantly, convenient and fun. Even if you aren't NSNG, the food is so good, that you won't feel the least bit deprived. I enjoy cooking and found that Anna's recipes are approachable and even managed to convert my man's aversion to zucchini--that in itself is reason enough to love this book! I made the Prosciutto Wrapped Peaches for a dinner party and they were such a huge hit that my friends constantly request that I make it. For those who want to start cooking, the book also helps you set up your pantry and with those staples, you have a strong foundation to start cooking. I'm taking my time cooking through her book because some recipes are so damn good, I make them multiple times. Whenever I'm stumped for ideas for dinner, I turn to Anna's book. The bottom line is that this book is great. It made cooking more fun and adventurous. The recipes are delicious, the instructions are clear and approachable. There are so many options that it will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. Buy it, cook from it, learn from it, live by it, gift it to others.

This book so far is great. It is beautiful and easy to read. Lots of pictures, although not all recipes are pictured but many of those are items featured in picture of other recipes (like the almond pita chips are pictured with the tzatziki sauce and olive tapenade). Upon arrival, I looked through the whole book with my husband, and even he is excited to try all of the healthy new recipes, even (or maybe especially) the ultra-low-sugar delicious-looking desserts. I like that she has a brief description of many of the recipes the beginning of each one and mentions possible variations and substitutions in the recipe text. That makes me excited and confident to try experimenting right away after making it "by the book" just once. I had trouble finding the online bonuses mentioned in the intro to the book, but I actually received an email response from the author with the link I needed. Wow! Since I am new at cooking and meal planning, I figured I'd just go through the book in order, Julie and Julia style, so I don't get overwhelmed by the idea of full meal planning, and cooking (or shopping for) more than one thing at once. (Yes, that's how much of a beginner I am.) I've only worked through the first two so far, but they were easy and delicious, even though the second one was intimidating to me - definitely building up my kitchen confidence! I'm even going to start shopping for two recipes at a time next, lol. I saw a review before purchasing that complained about the ingredient list details (particularly regarding sausage), but if you just read through the recipe once before going shopping (which is always a good idea anyway, for many reasons) then that shouldn't be a problem. And I think all the recipes are one page or less of text (including ingredient list) so that should be easy to do as well.

The recipes in this book are awesome! We have tried a dozen or so since we got the book and they've all been great. I appreciate that many of the ingredients I have on hand already. My only problem with the book is that there isn't a recipe index. There's a table of contents in the beginning that outlines what pages the chapters are on, but if you're looking for a specific recipe you have to flip through the pages until you find the one that you want. I've flagged several of the recipes with post-its, but the book would be better if there was an index. I definitely recommend getting this cookbook, just be prepared to do a little work to find the recipe you're looking for.

I highly recommend this book to anyone whether you live an NSNG (No Sugar No Grains) lifestyle or not. It is jam packed with recipes that are delicious and major crowd pleasers in our household. We are cooking at home more often and experimenting more in the kitchen than ever before. I have also recommended this book to friends and family who have Celiac Disease and other autoimmune disorders. Anna also has Celiac which is what inspired these recipes for her own health. We have been indoctrinated for decades to believe that a high-grain, low-fat, high-carb, calorie-in-calorie-out diet was the norm. What I didn’t know was that we have had it all backwards. I began reducing sugars and grains in my diet in January of 2019 and replacing them with high fat and high protein alternatives. What happened was incredible and fast. I lost weight - the weight loss was so dramatic and awesome I had to buy all new clothes - so did my wife who also saw what I was doing and followed. Friends and relatives began asking what we’re up to because they noticed the dramatic difference since they last saw us, said we looked great and wanted to know more. I also have highly increased energy and endurance, am not hungry as often (skipping meals without realizing I had, I didn't need the food because I wasn't hungry), I got stronger, wasn't jittery anymore, am thinking clearer than I have in years, and the thyroid condition (hyperthyroidism) that I have had for almost 15 years is under better control. My endocrinologist recently reduced the dosage of my the thyroid medication. Then I told him as an afterthought that I began eating this way. He didn't completely dismiss it, but basically shrugged it off. It's not his fault, but do what I did. Take control of your own life folks. Weight loss and fitness begin in the kitchen and Anna has written an awesome road map to help you on this path. For more information about NSNG, subscribe to the Fitness Confidential Podcast with Vinnie Tortorich. Anna is the co-host and they go into deep dive topics about health, diet and fitness.

So my husband decided to try a new diet a few months ago. NSNG (No Sugar No Grains) by a fitness guy named Vinnie Tortorich FITNESS CONFIDENTIAL: Adventures in the Weight-Loss Game . I thought it was a fad and he would come to his senses. How can anyone enjoy food without Sugar or Grains? At first I thought it was all diet/artificial sweeteners and just avoid the bread. Nope. No bread, wheat, corn, potatoes, flour, heck even Gluten Free wasn’t free enough. Add to this mind you I am Celiac (Gluten intolerant) lactose intolerant, 6 year post gastric bypass so I have my own special dietary needs. Hubby encouraged me with the information that Anna also has Celiac and a very restrictive diet. Needless to say I am the one burdened with cooking special for him. He was initially just eating meat and salad (kinda boring if you ask me). For Christmas he got me a copy of Eat Happy from Anna Vocino. He made me a promise, if I cooked from this book and he complained about it I could tell him and his weird diet to take a flying leap. So I flipped thru the cookbook and found several recipes that I wanted to try, he volunteered to cook them for us. Hubby can grill, but not that talented in the kitchen. First Recipe: Quesadilla Casserole. It looked easy to make, the flavor was good, but definitely not spicy enough for us. Which is probably good as we can always add more heat to it next time. Second Recipe: Sesame Crusted Seared Ahi. We loved this one. Hubby did a great job searing the sesame seeds to the tuna, he didn’t char them over. The optional wasabi was a great addition. Highly recommended. Third Recipe: Zucchini Pasta Bolognese. This one was a little bit more elaborate, thank goodness for power tools in the kitchen. I picked this one as I love pasta, and if hubby complained about it I could dump it on his head. All the prep work was straightforward, and the flavor was excellent. I never would have guessed Zucchini could have been a substitute for real pasta. It was a little salty for our taste (hubby get heavy handed in the kitchen), but he went back for seconds. So I guess this NSNG thing is not fad, and it's not just eating steak and salad. Now need to try some desserts. First on the list is Chocolate Coconut Chia Pudding.

This book has been on my wish list since I first heard about it on Vinnie Tortorich NSNG Facebook page and have been a lazy low carber for years and there are some really good recipes in it..Breakfast for me is difficult but there is such a variety of different recipes, I don’t think I’ll be bored for a while..there is a dessert section that uses coconut sugar for a few recipes but for those special occasions when you want to have a treat “Anna’s pumpkin pie” is going to be in my menu..I won’t wait so long to buy her next book

Spitze, wenn man sich etwas mit Ernährung beschäftigt und verstanden hat, dass Zucker und Getreide vermieden werden müssen. Hierzu gibt es viele Informationen in Fitness Confidential von Vinnie Tortorich! Alle Maßangaben sind amerikanisch, hier sollte man sich am besten einen Satz amerikanischer Messbecher kaufen. Ansonsten uneingeschränkt zu empfehlen. Vom Frühstück über Appetizer bis zum Nachtisch alles in gesunder und leckerer Version dabei. Danke Anna!

I love this recipe book. So much that I just ordered the second one. However, I’ve had the only two months and the pages are falling out of the binding... Which is extremely disappointing given that the book is rather expensive. I’d give the recipes 5 stars, but the quality of the book 0...

I love this book -- it's made my effort to remove sugars and grains from my daily meals much easier. Since I'm not an experienced cook, the photos and easy to follow instructions work for me. To hear more from Anna (the author), subscribe to the Vinnie Tortorich podcast (she's the co-host) and sign up to Anna's email newsletter (she regularly shares new recipes). Thanks for writing this, Anna!

This book has obviously been put together with a lot of care and attention. It contains really well presented information, wonderful recipes that are simple and healthy. So far I have managed to eat breakfast lunch and dinner from this book and have enjoyed everything. Got friends coming around this weekend so the Paleo Pumkin pie will be getting a thorough examination.