Book Review & Giveaway - The Gourmet Pregnancy

I was contacted a little while ago by someone I follow on twitter and she asked me if I would be interested in reviewing a cookbook. I was absolutely flattered that someone would want my opinion and so I jumped at the opportunity. I was told the cookbook was called The Gourmet Pregnancy, which was perfect considering my belly has reached epic proportions!

Seriously? I'm only 22 weeks along, this is scaring me!

Pregnancy is a time you battle with food. Either it's making you queasy, or you just can't get enough of it. You crave the weirdest things and hate your usual favourites. And then there's the "forbidden" list. The foods you just shouldn't eat, which inevitably, makes you want them for the whole torturous nine months. (I'm dying for a sushi roll and a caesar!) The author of The Gourmet Pregnancy, Leah Douglas, struggled with what to eat when she was pregnant also. She found that there were so many conflicting opinions on what was safe and what wasn't that she wanted to create a cookbook that would make meal planning easy and worry-free. She partnered up with a doctor to make sure that the recipes included were not only tasty, but met the nutritional needs and restrictions of pregnant women.

Now, just because it's called The Gourmet Pregnancy doesn't mean that everyone won't enjoy these recipes! There is something for everyone in this cookbook from soups and sandwiches to burgers, pizzas and seafood dishes. And the desserts... oh lord the desserts, I read over each recipe like I was studying for the SATs! There is a picture with every recipe which is always something I look for in a cookbook (we eat with our eyes first!) and the photography is gorgeous.

I received the cookbook in the mail the day before the Canadian May Two-Four Weekend (or as it's officially know, Victoria Day Weekend) and we had guests coming to visit. I thought it was a perfect opportunity to make some of the recipes for my guests and treat them like guinea pigs. We flipped through the book and picked out a few recipes we wanted to try.

So here are the judges:

Phil - my husband's best friend, he's a Doctor (bonus!) and a health nut/runner
PJ - Phil's wife, a now stay-at-home mom to their adorably impish son Kieran who is also very health conscious
Jason - my husband, a lover all things junk food and picky eater when it comes to "green stuff"
and Me - pregnant, stay-at-home mother of two who will eat just about anything these days!

We tried 3 recipes which I will share in separate posts along with our reviews. We graded them on my patented cupcake scale:








White Peach Bellini










Mild Curry Chicken Pizza on Naan








Cherry and Fresh Mint Tart with Rustic Vanilla Shortbread Crust





And now for the GIVEAWAY!

The good folks over at Wiley and I would like to give away a copy of The Gourmet Pregnancy to one of my luck readers. To win, simply leave a comment telling me either

a) What your biggest pregnancy craving was/is, or
b) if you've never been pregnant, what your favourite food is.

The Rules
1.) Open to Canadian and continental USA residents only.
2.) One winner will be chosen on 05/06/10 by using random.org.
3.) Make sure that I have a way to contact you when you leave a comment; either through your blog or an email.
4.) I will contact the winner via email or commenting on the winner's site.
6.) You have until 05/06/10 to claim the giveaway, or I will have to choose another winner.

enjoy!