Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook: 160+ Nutritious Recipes for Foods You Love

by Betty Crocker

160+ delicious, easy and surprisingly healthy recipes for managing diabetes

Managing diabetes doesn't have to feel overwhelming or even like you’re depriving yourself. Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook offers 162 easy, delicious recipes to help you enjoy a healthy meal plan, with a variety of flavorful foods that satisfy. Chapters span every meal and snack of the day: Flavor-Packed Basics, Scrumptious Breakfasts, Tasty Light Meals & Snacks, Colorful Salads & Veggies, Satisfying Dinners, and Sweet Treats & Refreshing Drinks (it's possible!). Each of six features has tips to focus on one area to help you stay on track without feeling like you're on a diet, covering topics like how to dine out at restaurants, how to deliciously add flavor to foods without unwanted fat or sodium, smart snacking choices, and more! You'll find fast prep recipes for satisfying meals in minutes, as well as gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options, plus tip sto help the recipes turn out successfully, no matter what your cooking experience. Enjoy the wide variety of these recipes for the foods you like to eat while sticking to a healthy meal plan.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 8, 2022

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This will be a good fit for a certain demographic-- people with diabetes who eat a Standard American Diet and want to continue to do so, and who believe that the best way to manage diabetes is by limiting fats and salt, and cutting down a bit on sugar and carbs. It's a very low-fat cookbook, which took me by surprise.

My husband and I have been keto for about a year. I developed diabetes-like symptoms after getting Covid in the spring of 2020 (I was not diabetic to begin with), and I decided to try keto six months later when I was still dealing with symptoms and had read some convincing books on the matter. Following a healthy clean keto diet completely reversed my symptoms and I also lost 28 pounds (my husband has lost over 40) without counting calories, going hungry, or tracking macros. I was hoping that the recipes in this book would work for us, but they are very high carb in my opinion and unnecessarily vilify fats and salt. They call for lots of breads, sugar, flour, rice, and other starches that I would personally recommend avoiding if you are diabetic.

I felt that the dessert section was especially horrible for diabetics. One recipe calls for a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips melted and poured onto a cookie sheet and then drizzled with melted white chocolate chips, sprinkled with honey graham cereal (hello product placement, Betty Crocker) and then topped with mini marshmallows. How in the name of all that is holy would that be considered a good recipe in a cookbook for people with diabetes???? Another recipe calls for buying chocolate cookies and mixing diet strawberry yogurt with fat free Cool Whip to put in between them. 🙄 This is not how you manage diabetes in a healthy way.

There are color photos of each recipe and there is nutritional information, which I appreciate. Each recipe has a big circle at the top telling you how many carb values it is, and these are confusing because they are not the carb counts. Apparently one is equal to 15 carbs, so if a recipe has a rating of 2 then it's around 30 carbs per serving. I found this confusing as they don't tell you in the beginning of the book what on earth those circles are about, and then finally get to it a chapter or two in. Do not get confused and think it means anything like net carbs though.

The book reminded me of a mass market cookbook from the 1980s. I would not consider this modern healthy dietary advice for diabetics. But if you're looking for lots of recipes that call for things like Bisquick, Cheerios, brown sugar and bread products, you'll be quite happy.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

[Trio · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband has had diabetes for a number of years now, so I’ve already adjusted my cooking and baking toward lower carb, and try to use the lowest amount of sugar possible. Always on the lookout for ways to spruce up my meals, when I saw Betty Crocker had a new diabetes friendly cookbook, I couldn’t resist.

While many of the entrees are similar to what I make now, I was blown away by the rest of the recipes. The breakfast ideas are inspired. High carb standards like French toast, pancakes, and muffins get an update with interesting low sugar substitutions like almond butter, monk fruit, and pumpkin. Scrumptious breakfast cookies using dried fruit, nuts, and even veggies like squash and zucchini add sweetness, and keep those sugar carbs down.

Many of the recipes are also gluten free, or could be easily made gluten free. Especially the snack ideas of everything from cut up veggies with creative dips, and “energy balls”, which are nut butters and fruits and don't even need to be baked.

I really love the variety of ways Betty Crocker is including vegetables in the recipes. I’ll never get tired of the variety of salads, the photos are gorgeous. And one of my favorite ways to do veg is roasted in the oven, and they've inspired me to try a whole range of new flavor combinations.

I highly recommend Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook, regardless of your need to specifically cook for someone with diabetes. Nutritious, colorful, appetizing, and delicious, this one’s a must for every health conscious kitchen.

thank you to Betty Crocker and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook, all opinions are my own

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have uncontrolled diabetes. It goes low to high then back to low and up to high. When I saw Betty Crocker (My first cookbook was a Betty Crocker cookbook from the 1970s.) had compiled a 2022 diabetes cookbook, I just had to browse through the recipes. I found the recipes to be printed with step-by-step instructions and helpful cooking tips. It provided Preparation Time and Start to Finish Time. Each recipe has a nutritional guide showing the total carbs, sugar, fats and so forth. Accompanying each recipe is a large glossy photograph showing what the dish is suppose to look like when finished. In between the recipes are informational pages on subjects such as counting carbohydrates and eating at restaurants. Near the end of the book is provided the Metric Conversion Tables and the Index. While I saw several recipes I would be willing to try, I found some of them a wee bit ingredients rich. They called for food staples such as sugar, white flour, white rice, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, marshmallow creme and whipped cream. Ingredients I would find in my older Betty Crocker cookbook. Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook is a fine cookbook. I liked the different sauces, gravy and vinaigrettes. I wish, however, there was printed a diabetes cookbook for us living on a limited budget. I rate this cookbook 3.5 stars, rounding up to four stars.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This diabetic cookbook has a lot of good recipes for everything from meals to snacks and desserts to drinks. There are even sauces you can make. Filled with lots of tips on what to eat and avoid, and how to count carbs, etc. I have lots of good ideas from reading this. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Betty Crocker, and the publisher.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook
160+ Nutritious Recipes for Foods You Love
by Betty Crocker

Betty Crocker cookbooks have been on my bookshelves and used often in my lifetime. They are treasured whether received as gifts or inherited from loved ones. Most are splattered with cooking ingredients and many have notations in the margins. So, when I saw a book by Betty Crocker with diabetic recipes…I couldn’t resist.

What I liked:
* The beautiful photographs for almost every recipe
* That FAST recipes are indicated
* Meal Prep ideas
* Every recipe includes nutritional information and carb counts
* Cooking tips and some recipe variations are provided
* Adding flavor without salt, eating out, enjoying dessert and smart snacking were included
* Seeing so many recipes I would like to try
* Thinking about which recipes I could make that were vegan/vegetarian
* That I could see an entire family enjoying the recipes whether diabetic or not
* The layout of the book
* The conversion chart at the end

Chapters:
* Flavor Packed Basics
* Scrumptious Breakfasts
* Tasty Light Meals and Snacks
* Colorful Salads and Veggies
* Satisfying Dinners
* Sweet Treats and Refreshing Drinks
* Enjoying Desserts

Some of the recipes that caught my eye:
* desserts: I used to love them but avoid them now….some in this book look like they would be calorie and carb friendly…would love to try some of the frozen options in summer…most of this section looked delicious
* Since I am predominately vegetarian/vegan, I loved looking through the vegetable and salad recipes, too.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins-Mariner Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

[Jammin Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty good cookbook, and the information on "kitchen basics" was cool because it teaches you how to use the whole chicken or turkey to make stock along with meat. I also liked the information on carb counting, which is something you struggle with when you have diabetes. I want to thank the author, the publisher and Edelweiss for an e-copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

I am very conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I made several recipes and they all turned out fine in terms of taste. I did not have any major blood sugar spikes. But at the same time, the book feels extremely corporate: all the recipes are made slavishly to American Diabetic Association guidelines, the tone is overly chipper and upbeat, and the theme is making standard American fare match the guidelines. It feels liked this has been marketed to within an inch of its life. And although it is healthier than standard recipes, I question a lot of them in terms of what we know now about carbs and diabetes today. Especially since Better Crocker was used as a marketing device to sell many unhealthy products that got Americans into the diabetic condition they are in today.

The book is beautifully laid out, as expected. Each recipe has a photograph and takes up a full page. The recipes are printed in 3 colors (yellow, blue, and black) and neatly laid out with introduction, titled, prep time, finish time, serving size, ingredients, and fairly small numbered steps. In addition, each recipe has a car severity number (from 1-5) to give you a general idea when browsing of how carb heavy the finished product will be. They are very easy to follow and make, mostly with very common ingredients. You won't be hunting down ghee, for example.

That said, there are also some serious issues that feel like marketing gimmicks: e.g., rather than put the tips in advance, they are interspersed throughout the book. So you will have no idea what the blue "Carb Choice 1" circle on your recipe even means unless you read through every page of the book and found the explanation section hidden in the middle. It's like that for e.g., tips, understanding carbs, how they came to their measurements/nutrition info, etc. None of them are listed in the table of contents, so good luck finding that info again in the future. Individual recipes aren't even listed in the table of contents - so good luck finding those as well. It felt a LOT like a marketing ploy to make the book seem 'friendly' upon first read ("Look, no huge introduction to plod though!") and like it must be hugely packed with recipes ("Look how thick it is and the recipes start from nearly page !"). I found it very misleading and frustrating.

I made the quick skillet chicken korma as an example. It has a 'carb choices 2" circle, 290 calories, 26g carbs, 600 mg sodium, and 1g fiber. The taste was fine - it didn't blow away the family but it was edible. The only unusual ingredient was garam masala (which is easily found in supermarkets). Note that the serving size is 1/2 a cup - so you can see that you need to be careful with portion size so as not to overload with carbs.

So much of this cookbook is corporate glossy - I can almost picture a large lab kitchen where these were made/tested and then passed through the nutrition fact checkers in order to get to the marketing team to pretty-up. In that way, you can guarantee that these will not spike sugar as defined by the American Diabetes Association. But also keep in mind that few people lose weight or lower the severity of their T2 on that diet as well. It does not feel like the ADA is up to date on carbs as we know it now.

This is streamlined for the average American who wants to continue eating as they did before and sacrifice as little as possible along the way. I would not say it is for those who are committed to reducing the severity of their T2 or losing weight. And for this reason, I am very ambivalent - the book lives up to its promise but perhaps we should be asking if the underlying premise is the right choice for diabetics. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a red Betty Crocker Cookbook from the 70’s which I still use today. The recipes are presented simply, giving you the basics for preparation. Once you know the basics, you are on your way to creating a dish you can personalize with your own variations. This book follows the standard Betty Crocker format, and will provide you with the basics. Even if you’re not diabetic, this is a great cookbook to help in planning healthy and satisfying meals. For a diabetic cookbook, there were quite a few surprises like marshmallow peanut butter snack mix, Hawaiian chicken with pineapple, and other dishes with honey and coconut milk.
Chapters run from breakfast to dinner and everything in between, as well as sweet treats and refreshing drinks. There are classic recipes like roast beef and chicken, and sauces such as marina, salsa, pesto, Thai, barbeque and vinaigrette. If you master these basics, you can modify the ingredients and make the dish your own. They also give you some tips on how to cook once, eat twice.

As for breakfast, there is some standard fare as well as a few unusual pairings and twists:

· Whole wheat-oat pancakes with raspberry-apple compote
· Chia waffles
· Pumpkin spice French toast
· Breakfast cookies: almond butter, butternut squash
· Scones
· Overnight oats
· Breakfast bowls, including spiced lentils or savory grits and greens
· Strata
· Frittata
· New sweet potato toasts
· Tostadas
· Tartines of avocado toast
· Meatballs and cheese

There are light meals and snacks, some of which are definitely thinking outside the box. There are “recipes” for spiralized vegetables, but I was a bit disappointed there weren’t any sauces to go along with the veggies. Just plan ahead for some of these as a snack and you won’t be reaching in the cabinet for a bag of chips:

· Turkey burgers
· Chicken and roasted veggie paninis
· Fish tacos
· Salmon burgers
· Shrimp summer rolls
· Variety of lettuce wraps
· Soups: chicken, butternut squash, split pea
· Cauliflower pizza
· Hummus and dips
· Smoothie poppers
· Salads and veggies
· Barley, cauliflower and red lentil “tabbouleh”

There were some uninspiring dinners like buffalo salmon, just salmon and hot sauce, or a kale stir fry. Really, nothing makes kale palatable. But there were some interesting meals like pizza, skillet chicken korma, chicken meatball shawarma pitas and tropical pork-stuffed sweet potatoes with a mango salsa.

There was also some sweet stuff:

· Oatmeal lace cookies drizzled with chocolate
· Orange-ginger biscotti
· Mini lemon pound cakes
· Chocolate cake lightened up with pumpkin and Greek yogurt
· S’mores candy bark
· Buckeye fudge
· Frozen cold brew popsicles and smoothie pops
· Skinny root beer and orange cream floats

Also featured are tips for helping you stick to a diet, dining out, spicing up recipes in a healthy way and snacking smart. There are even air fryer recipes for today’s chef. The book is full of recipes that you can use on the road to healthier eating, and with a picture of each meal, you’ll be able to find something to whet your appetite.

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

[Amanda Karsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The recipes are all normal white guy foods pulled pork, roast beet, burgers, cookies, taco's and dips. Most have an attempt to make them less salty and add a bit of veg.

[Leanne Mellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Betty Crocker cookbook does include a range of different recipes that would be friendly to a diabetic. I liked the fact that the nutritional vales for each recipe was included at the end for simple use. Overall though the layout of the book was not so appealing on the eye. The recipes were very wordy and sometimes became slightly confusing. The photos included are not but not mind blowing which I find is a must to intrigue a reader to a cookbook.
I know Betty Crocker is an old time favourite but I did find the presentation of the book a little dated.
Overall some simple recipes but could do with a little updating.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

To begin, I'd like to emphasize that I am a MODY diabetic, treated much like a type 2 with a very low carb diet and I was not very impressed with the way this cookbook handles food. Overall this book felt more tailored to just simply eating healthy instead of being really made for the low carb diabetic diet. You could say it is more tailored to a type one diet, but really they can eat anything they like with the proper insulin regiment.
The first few pages introduce their version of a "healthy diet", with includes snacks, food variety, and whole grains. While this isnt inherently wrong for someone on my form of diet, it isn't really specific to the knowledge we know about carbs and fats, and how they affect a diabetic's blood sugar. It touches on gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan diets but one again doesn't relate it to diabetes.
As we move on to the recipes itself, "simple" is an understatement. As a beginner chef who learned most of her cooking in her college apartment these recipes are bare minimum, which is great for some but I'm a little more capable than this book offers. The recipes are also simple in seasoning, with only a little bit of thyme, sage, or salt and pepper, which would be great for somebody without an extensive collection of spices. For me, I was just hoping for a little bit more flavor even if this is meant to be simple. Simple does not need to mean flavorless.
I think the thing that frustrated me most was that this cookbook didn't seem to fully think through an entire meal. For instance the "classic marinara sauce" recipe was paired with a giant bowl of pasta. I could absolutely never eat a whole bowl of pasta! This could have easily been paired with a spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles for a nice low carb, well rounded meal! Another substitute they could have considered is the use of low glycemic index grains like almond flour instead of oats or whole wheat flour that are very non-diabetic friendly. The amount of real white flour used in a few of these recipes would be dangerous for my health. Instead of real brown sugar in the pancakes erythritol would have done just as well, with no blood sugar spike.
For a cookbook to say "diabetic diet", I really had higher expectations of the quality and kind of recipes in this book. I just think the author could have done a little more research on lower glycemic ingredients, in order to really make these recipes diabetes friendly. I personally would like to thank Netgalley for letting me have the chance to read this cookbook free of charge in exchange for an honest review to decide that it's just not meant for me and my health.

[Sylvia Snowe · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there are certainly some good and nutritious recipes in this book, there are some serious flaws--the recipes are targeted to diabetics, but I've never seen such disregard for basic principles of diabetic cooking. I'm not diabetic, but I have diabetes in my family--Types I and II--going back four generations. These were hard working farm people who ate pure foods and worked hard all day long, not the sedentary lives of people in 2022. Yet so many of these people developed diabetes, that I grew up avoiding sugar. My mom did a lot of her own baking, and always cut the sugar in half in the recipes. I got used to it, and I still dislike sugary food.

Yet, in this book, there is a pumpkin muffin recipe that calls for 1 1/2 cups of sugar, while using 2 1/2 cups of flour. That is a lot of sugar!! Supposedly it makes 24 muffins, but they would be very small muffins, and the illustration for the recipe shows very large muffins. Also, the recipe mostly calls for plain white flour. Sugar and plain white flour. Recipe for disaster, if you ask me. Why not discussing the use of whole wheat, buckwheat, rye, and other flours?

Why is there always plain white rice in the recipes? Why not whole grains, like farrow, barley, and brown rice? Yes, they do some quinoa. But I avoid foods that convert so quickly into sugar, such as pasta and white rice. Who told me to do this? A guy with Type I diabetes, and he isn't the only one.

The recipes call for sugar sweetened yogurt and processed foods such as canned mushroom soup, that may have added sugars, starches, and loads of sodium. At the same time, the book promotes gluten-free eating. Why? This isn't a book for people with celiac disease, it's for diabetics. Why should a diabetic worry about wheat protein, when they have so many other things to worry about? In fact, seitan might be a good diabetic food--high in protein, low in starch. But no, let's freak out our diabetics with gluten-free recipes.

Using imitation sweetener once in a while is not going to kill a diabetic. People who drink diet soda all day long--especially if it contains caffeine--might develop some health problems. But not once do I see this book recommend it's use. But a cup and a half of sugar for a muffin recipe? Fine.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this book certainly went a long way towards a lot of the promise of its title, but did very little for the rest. With it being a specific diabetes-quelling book I expected at least 40pp of how the recipes and techniques had been developed with that in mind, and a chunk of what all diabetics should have been told upon diagnosis. But no, this dashed straight into the recipes. And they provide for a very modern, contemporary look at home cooking – everything has been highlighted with one of many benefits, so all the dishes have flags for being quick, or gluten-free, or whatever applies; the air fryer and slow cooker get copious uses; and the whole thing has tips a-plenty about batch cooking, keeping things fresh and preventing food waste, if not swapping ingredients to your preference.

And it's a book that covers a lot of ground from the basic (get some veggies – mangle them – voila, salsa; dump stuff in yoghurt – voila, breakfast bowl) upwards. While never getting above and beyond the average household, some of it is still a little aspirational – I know of nobody who has yet succumbed and bought a vegetable spiralizer, and here in the UK I bet "instant-read meat thermometers" are still very thin on the ground.

There is a sense that this is a bit wasteful with literally every recipe getting a full-page photo, but the text comes with a fat-free yack-less presentation, so you gain that way. Sciencey bits (still with no intention of being strictly for the diabetic) are peppered throughout, adding to the value. But this must be deemed among the more user-friendly, amenable-to-all recipe books I've glanced at recently, which is why it deserves a high rating. While I didn't pull as many recipes from these pages for future reference as I expected (that Hawaiian chicken top of the crop) I can see this deserving its place as a go-to for copious consultation, no matter your insulin levels.

Four and a half stars as a great recipe guide, although quite useless if you want tips on being freshly diagnosed Type 1 or Type 2.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook has great information on how to make wise food choices without compromising flavor. The colorful pages have striking photographs, showing off the finished dishes in a way that is sure to inspire. This cookbook is an excellent choice for anyone who wants a more balanced diet with less sodium, more lean proteins, more complex carbohydrates, and more of the beneficial whole grains.

The recipes are divided into sections, which I have listed below with some of my favorites.

Flavor-Packed Basics: Reduced-Sodium Roasted Chicken and Broth; Rotisserie-Style Chicken; Spicy Ancho Chicken Sandwiches; Freezer-Friendly Turkey Meatballs; Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Vegetables

Scrumptious Breakfasts: Almond Flour Zucchini Muffins; Almond Butter Breakfast Cookies; Oatmeal-Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Tasty Light Meals & Snacks: Greek Turkey Burgers with Cucumber Sauce; Soy-Ginger Salmon Burgers; Healthy Split Pea Soup

Colorful Salads & Veggies: Roasted Beet Hummus; Thai-Style Chopped Salad; Quinoa and Vegetable Salad; Mango-Black Bean Salad

Satisfying Dinners: Fiesta Lime Chicken Tacos; Grilled Sriracha Chicken with Garlic-Cilantro Rice; Coconut Chicken Curry; Turkey Quinoa Skillet Dinner; Kale and Tofu Stir-Fry; Spinach Lasagna

Sweet Treats & Refreshing Drinks: Orange-Ginger Biscotti; Hot Cocoa Meringues; Mini Lemon Pound Cakes

Enjoying Dessert: Mocha Granita; Cold Brew Yogurt Pops; Zero Proof Frozen Mango Margaritas

This cookbook proves that eating healthy is not a compromise. Although diabetes is not an issue in my family, there are many recipes from the Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook that will become part of my weekly meals.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of the Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to read and review this cookbook was entirely my own.

[Emmalita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not my usual kind of cookbook. A dear friend told me that they needed to make some dietary changes because their blood sugar levels were consistently high, though not yet over the diabetes threshold. They were stressed because they didn’t really know what they needed to do, what to eat, what to not eat, and so on. An hour later I was looking at NetGalley and there was the Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook.

I don’t have any expertise in what makes a good cookbook for someone managing diabetes through diet, or changing their diet because of a diabetes diagnosis. What I can say about this cookbook is that it had several recipes that when I read them aloud, my friend was willing to try. She was also more open to considering recipes because the Betty Crocker name was on it. The dishes tend towards standard anglo-American diet with the occasional curry, chick pea, or tagine. Each recipe has nutritional information, and at the beginning of the book, they explain how they arrived at that information. Most of the recipes included tips and tricks.

I do know from experience that suddenly having to change the way you eat and cook is daunting, even overwhelming. There are definitely recipes in here that I would make for myself. I made the spicy ancho chicken sandwiches and they were delicious. The frozen desserts looked particularly good, though it was too cold for them to be appealing at the moment. Most importantly, after my friend and I looked at some of the recipes together and she felt better about altering the way she cooks, I would buy it for her.

I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

[Dom · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5**

This isn’t the kind of book that’s really going to blow you away, but that also doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad either.

Some of the great things about this book were:
- The tips and tricks for managing diabetes without completely restricting your lifestyle.
- The kitchen tips that included tips on how to pre-freeze meals, how to cook it better, substitute things, etc. I always appreciate cookbooks that give added details to make the cooking process simpler.
- The pictures with pretty much every recipe. I will say that most of the pictures didn’t necessarily spark inspiration in me, but I still appreciate them being there.
-The serving breakdowns were also quite nice because it helps you genuinely track what you eat.

Some of the things I personally didn’t love about the book:
- certain specialty ingredients. There are quite a few recipes in here that seem very on par with their non-die Eric equivalents except for the requirement for things like low-sodium this, organic that, non-fat this, reduced fat that. This just made me wonder whether or not the real difference maker in these recipes depends on these ingredients. Plus, maybe I’m not looking hard enough but it seems like it would be quite difficult (or expensive) to find all these healthy-alternatives to the same ingredient.
- Very quintessentially American palate. This is not my way of saying the recipes are bad, I’m only mentioning this because if you’re like me and prefer more diverse food choices this book may leave you wanting.

All that having been said, however, this book is not a bad one. It’s got a ton of recipes, and while the pictures only really sparked inspiration for a few relatively average recipes, I’m still excited to get to make some of them. I will also say that if you are okay hunting down specialty ingredients and like the typical American palate than this book is right up your alley. So while the book didn’t blow me away, it’s not a bad one for the right person.

Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Chrystal Mahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook provides a fantastic resource for those managing diabetes while still wanting to enjoy a variety of flavorful meals. With over 160 recipes, this cookbook offers a wide range of nutritious dishes that cater to every part of the day, from breakfast to dinner, snacks, and even sweet treats. It's designed to make managing diabetes less intimidating and more enjoyable, proving that healthy eating doesn't have to be bland or restrictive.

The cookbook is divided into six sections, covering everything from Flavor-Packed Basics to Scrumptious Breakfasts and Sweet Treats. The recipes are not only tailored for those managing diabetes, but they also include options for gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan diets, making it versatile for different dietary needs. The instructions are straightforward, and many of the recipes are quick to prepare, making it easy to incorporate healthier meals into a busy lifestyle.

One of the standout features is the helpful tips throughout the book, which focus on key areas like how to dine out without derailing your diet, how to enhance flavor without adding excess fat or sodium, and smart snacking choices. These tips provide valuable guidance to help readers stay on track with their health goals while still enjoying delicious food.

While the variety and simplicity of the recipes are impressive, some might find that certain ingredients may be hard to find, especially for those who live in areas with limited access to specialty stores. Additionally, although the recipes are designed to be diabetes-friendly, there may be times when the dishes don’t fully align with every individual's specific dietary preferences or restrictions.

Overall, Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook is an excellent, well-rounded resource for anyone looking to manage their diabetes without feeling deprived. It's perfect for both novice and experienced home cooks, offering a practical and enjoyable way to stick to a healthy eating plan.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is geared toward the diabetic community, however the recipes contained would be good for anyone who is health conscious. In the intro we are encouraged that “a diabetes-friendly meal plan can be delicious, joyful and healthful”. And within these pages it is proven that almost any favorite food can be made healthy! For example; there are yummy breakfast recipes for chia waffles, pumpkin spice french toast, almond butter breakfast cookies and overnight chocolate peanut butter oatmeal. There are delicious sounding recipes for chicken shawarma meatball pitas, spicy ancho pulled chicken sandwiches, Thai chopped salad, cauliflower fried rice and so many more dishes. There’s a chapter on desserts and drinks that include orange ginger biscotti, brown rice and quinoa scotcheroos and chocolate cake made with pumpkin purée and Greek yogurt. There’s a whole section on cocktails, I can’t wait to try the mango margaritas! I enjoyed the quick reference tabs that informed whether the following recipe is vegetarian, fast to prepare, or for the slow cooker. I liked all the tips sprinkled throughout that offered advice on how to amp up flavor without salt, how to count carbs, and tips for eating out. And of course there are tons of beautiful photos that are expected in a Betty Crocker cookbook. This is a great cookbook for anyone!

Thank you to Netgalley, Mariner Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This cookbook will be available March 8, 2022

[MookNana · Rating 4 out of 5]

What worked for me:

--Great basic cooking and meal prep technique instruction
--Nutrition information with clear parameters for how it was calculated
--Large variety of appealing recipes. Meals, snacks, and treats were all covered.
--Recipes for all diets (vegan, gluten free, etc.) and many different food cultures were represented.
--Tips and variations included for many recipes
--Gorgeous photos accompanied each recipe

A couple of concerns:

--Some nutrition calculations were off. I noticed one recipe that was basically eggs, vegetables, and cheese on half of a wheat sandwich thin somehow clocked in at 55 carbs, which was not plausible
--Some recipes were just completely inappropriate for a diabetic cookbook. Most of the dessert recipes were fully-leaded and I didn't detect any modifications to reduce sugar or carbs. I'm not at all opposed to an occasional treat, but I don't buy a diabetic cookbook to get a fudge recipe that includes sugar, chocolate, baking chips, and marshmallow fluff. I'd rather the focus to be on low sugar desserts and let the other stuff come from other sources.

On the whole, though, this is a useful, comprehensive cookbook with many appealing recipes that would be useful both to people learning to cook with diabetes and those who are just looking for a more balanced, carb-conscious diet.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not diabetic myself, but I take care of a lot of people who are, and I do prefer my plate to be full of healthier options. This book seemed like a great resource to explore and gather some ideas and inspiration. Betty Crocker recipes are always a favorite, so I knew it would be a winner for me. The photos are an excellent embellishment to draw the eye to mouthwatering dishes. The recipes are simple and easy to follow, which is a must in my kitchen. None of the recipes felt unreasonable or too complicated to attempt. The dishes provided are proof that being diabetic does not mean you have to cut out taste and flavor. Thanks to Betty Crocker for compiling a treasure trove of palatable, acceptable, and healthy recipes. I especially appreciated the fast (can be prepped in 20 min or less) and slow-cooker options. Other options, such a vegetarian and gluten free are represented as well. I also really appreciated the Carb Choices provided, for those who manage their diabetes by counting carbs.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a diabetic myself, I was ready to review this cookbook with a critical eye. I was impressed with the cooking hints and the mention of air fryers which brings Betty Crocker into the modern world. Yet, there are still recipes calling for a can of mushroom soup. But... tofu.... and ethnic dishes! So my conclusion is that this will work as a cookbook for a family that just happens to have some diabetic members; it has recipes appealing to all generations.
I felt there were a lot of recipes that called for cans, frozen foods and other shortcuts where one could be using fresh produce or creating one's own. But for a busy family on a budget, perhaps this is a positive thing. I also cringed at the amounts of sugar in some of the recipes, but with the dietary/nutritional information clearly included, the reader can make her own choice.

This would make a good gift for both a newly diagnosed diabetic and for the diabetic looking for new ideas. The photographs are very appealing and inspirational as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this cookbook.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean you are stuck with salads for every meal. The venerable Betty Crocker brand has created 162 easy, delicious and diabetes-friendly recipes to add variety to your diet every day in the Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook.

While salads are included in the book, other breakfasts, lunches and dinners are included too. My personal favorite recipes are the luscious desserts. I can’t wait to make Brown Rice Pudding in my slow cooker! It’s a great way to use the leftover rice from my rice cooker. Another favorite is the Buckeye Fudge with both peanut butter and chocolate chips. Yum!

Each recipe comes with a full-color photograph and nutritional information including diabetic carb points. The book doesn’t use no-calorie sugar substitutes in most of the recipes. Using them will reduce the calories even further.

Overall, the Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook is a great cookbook for both new and OG diabetics. 5 stars!

Thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Peta Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley, Mariner Books (formerly HMH books) and Betty Crocker for the opportunity to read and give an honest review.

This is a really decent size cookbook that you can pore over for a good long while and has some absolutely fantastic recipes.

Being in Australia I found some of the ingredients are unavailable, luckily we have a USA Foods store that we can get quite a good range of ingredients but it does fall a bit short for some others.

I was a bit confused with the measurements e.g. 3/2 teaspoons of kosher salt, 3/2 teaspoons ground cloves, 3/2 cup diced red bell pepper. I am not sure if this is supposed to be 2/3rds but I don't think so.

This is an easy to understand book and I'm sure if I bought it I would be cooking quite a lot of these recipes.

A 4* book for me.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a pretty straightforward recipe book.

I was hoping for more pictures since I like to see what finished foods should look like and only some of the recipes had pictures. There's a good variety of recipes and some yummy things like fries and other foods. A lot of the recipes in this book use low-carb versions of carbs instead of cutting out the carbs completely. There's also desserts included in this book.

Overall an ok find.

[JANELLE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic cookbook! Easy to follow recipes, lots of photos and I love the Betty's tips on the recipes!
Good information on a diabetic diet - or low carb diet, the recipes include the carb counts. Not a lot of ingredients I didn't have in the pantry already - I liked not having to speciality shop. The Hawaiian chicken was one of my favorite recipes! And the oatmeal lace cookies look amazing!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook has some great ideas on how to change up your diet while still eating healthy. It will also make you realize that there are some things that you are doing wrong and need to change. Diabetes is nothing to fool around with.. I know as I have diabetes too. I do roasted veggies and make my own salsa but never thought about whipping up a low-salt taco seasoning mix. There are quite a few ideas that have given me some incentive to switch up my diet.
I received an advanced reader copy for free from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

[Lisa H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy, delicious, do-able.

I was pleasantly surprised by how do-able these recipes are to make. With ingredients you have on hand, you are counting carbs in a way that is manageable and attainable. The recipes are delicious and easy to make. I did not feel like I was missing anything or giving up anything, just cutting back on the sugar and way down on the salt.
Sweets, dinners, snacks. All great options that I want to eat. And peanut butter. It was lovely to see how I could incorporate it into desserts.

Recommend.

[JeanneK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook is a wonderful, healthy, nutritious cookbook filled with over 160 recipes ranging from delicious breaks, light meals and snacks, salads, dinners, sweets and refreshing beverages. I really enjoyed the chapter that detailed flavor-packed meal prep basics and loved that every recipe showed a picture with the recipe along with the nutritious values for each recipe. The recipes were simple and easy to understand and required minimal ingredients. I rated this a five.

[Witch-at-Heart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Betty Crocker Simply Delicious Diabetes Cookbook does not disappoint. The recipes included here are mostly daily staples but as a cookbook fir real living this should satisfy any loved one who has to cut back on sugar but doesn't want to give up the foods they love.

The cookbook has wonderful color photographs and nutrition information that accompany the recipe’s. There are plenty of recipes for all occasions from dinners to desserts and yummy sides. Great cookbook I definitely recommend it.

[Colette Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its hard to find recipes that meet all the criteria for a a family of four, with three picky eaters, one of whom is a diabetic. There were a few recipes in the book that stood out as winners for the family such as the Loaded BLT Avocado Lettuce Wraps, that the 7 year old obsoletely devoured. The mini cauliflower pizzas also passed muster with the 16 year old, who didn't even realize the crust was made from cauliflower. There are still a few other recipes I will try on the family, but for now we are two for two.