Necessary Food: Traditional Favorites Made Healthy from Briana Thomas's Kitchen

I've had this book for about 6 months now & I find I pull it out a lot more than my THM book. My family of 8 vastly prefers Brianna's recipes as well. We've made her overnight oatmeal, poor mans steak, mexican rice casserole, pizza bake, chicken alfredo, pineapple chicken, alfredo/ zoodles, the best & cheesy sausage meatballs, haystacks, fried fish, green bean casserole, fried breaded zucchini, refried beans, lettuce salad...I'm flipping through the shakes why have I not made any? I actually do not use the baking & dessert section so much, the closest I've come is the blueberry gello salad which was a huge hit. Her recipes are indexed so many ways, but you cannot beat the fuel type index, it relieves you of a lot of thinking. Also she eats pork, which is more budget friendly. I am very much looking forward to her next cookbook as Briana Burkholder!

I bought this cookbook for the healthy and delicious ice cream recipes in it. Briana Thomas does not disappoint! She is an ice cream perfectionist and genius! Oh my goodness, every time I make a new ice cream recipe it makes me want to give her a hug...lol! They are all incredibly delicious! Thank you Briana! These ice cream recipes taste as delicious as Halo Top ice cream, but do not include refined sugar unless using 85% chocolate chips which have minimal amounts of sugar. Most of the ice cream recipes make about 3 pints of ice cream, and cost less to make than to buy one pint of Halo Top. Even my husband who walks over 10 miles a day at work has been getting into my healthy ice creams, and he likes them a lot too, even though he certainly doesn't need to be eating light ice cream. I've reached my goal weight from following the THM plan, and I've been maintaining my goal weight all while eating a whole pint of these ice creams every day for my second lunch. Eat yummy ice cream and stay trim?! Yes, please! :)

So happy I finally bought this book! I've been doing THM on and off for about a year - really trying to stay "on the wagon" but needed some new ideas. This book was a huge help! I've made the crispy chicken quesadilla, strawberry lemonade, and the buttery poppy seed chicken casserole so far and each one was truly delicious and a huge hit. Can't wait to try some more recipes soon. Thanks Briana for all of your hard work on this - it is much appreciated!

I have seen some criticism over the preponderance of dessert recipes but I know how to cook plain food; what I need help navigating is how to bake and make treats with the new sugar alcohols and stevia products. We tried the peanut butter cake batter milkshake yesterday. Baking powder? Really? but it works. It does taste like cake batter. Who knew that stuff added a flavor, and the texture was spot on. I felt a little spoiled, and the pictures are beautiful. Thank you Briana.The one problem I have with the book is the book itself. The coated spiral and small holes make it difficult to turn pages. I like browsing before I settle on a recipe. I know it helps to hold the book open when I have chosen one, but I can use a book weight or buy a stand,. Next time, make the format with pages easier to turn.

I just received my book, I'm half-way through and I am so impressed not only with the quality of the book but the Simplicity and deliciousness of the recipes. I also enjoy the various quotes scattered throughout the book. This is one well-written cookbook...I'm very glad I purchased it.

This book is even better than the THM cookbooks!! The recipes are very simple, delicious and require fewer specialized ingredients. If you like southern cuisine made with a healthy twist, this is the book for you.

My bff got this book from her mom and suggested I look at it I was so in love with the recipes that I ordered this book that same week. I love this book. I've been trying THM off and on for over a year. I have all the THM cookbooks and I bought this book a couple of months ago and it's my favorite. Most of the recipes are something I would actually eat or grew up eating. I love that the book has the spiral that holds the pages. Another thing I love is the title holds true for me. Necessary food for me are sweets and options of sweets for my husband. Sweets is what holds me back from a truly healthy lifestyle. Briana has done a great job making healthy, simple and yummy recipes. I want to mention that this book does have dinner, lunch, and breakfast recipes which I have been trying and love. I have had better luck with Briana's recipes than the THM cookbooks.

I have been following Trim Healthy Mama for a few months. I started following Briana Thomas because of her THM approved ice creams. I LOVE ice cream. As I tried more of her other recipes, I started enjoying the basic type recipes. My family isn't very versatile and her recipes have satisfied my need to be on plan, while introducing my family to the same foods. It has allowed me to expand my families preferences. This is a very large book, FULL of recipes. I enjoy how she has divided up the recipes sub categories. It takes a little getting used to, but it makes more sense that S and E and FP, which seems even more confusing to me.

Mouthwatering photos of so many of the recipes! In my opinion this is what makes such a good cookbook. The index is organized beauitfully, by fuel thm style including some crossovers; great for nursing or pregnant or maintaining mamas! I made brianafinger bars today and did notice they were barely sweet, so hoping this isn't always the case. Maybe I have a sweeter tooth than I thought 😜 Meatloaf was awesome. PB Choc milkshake made me reminiscent of ice cream milk shakes. So worth it. Just click buy already!

I couldn’t ask for a better organized cook book. Very informative, and true to its name, worth every penny for following THM plan, and all affordable ingredients

Great book

AAA+++

absolutely love it , using this everyday , this book is laying open on my kitchen counter :)