What do you think?
Rate this book
The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life
In The Skinnygirl Dish, four-time New York Times bestselling author Bethenny Frankel builds on the foundation of healthy living from her bestseller, Naturally Thin to share her passion for healthful, natural foods.
In the New York Times bestseller The Skinnygirl Dish , Bethenny Frankel adds additional healthy eating advice to the foundation she created with her hugely popular book, Naturally Thin . In The Skinnygirl Dish she shows how to find your food voice, know when you are really hungry, and which filling and fiber-rich foods to reach for.
The Skinnygirl Dish serves up three weeks of tasty meals, snacks, and drinks to break the cycle of yo-yo dieting. Drawing on her now famous rules like “Your Diet is a Bank Account” and “Taste Everything, Eat Nothing,” Bethenny caters to real lifestyles and shows how to maintain a healthy diet wherever you are: in a restaurant, on a plane, or with your family. With recipes and advice for holidays and special occasions and a guide to a healthful kitchen—all with Bethenny’s fun, informative personality—here’s another breakout hit from everyone’s favorite fixologist.
In the New York Times bestseller The Skinnygirl Dish , Bethenny Frankel adds additional healthy eating advice to the foundation she created with her hugely popular book, Naturally Thin . In The Skinnygirl Dish she shows how to find your food voice, know when you are really hungry, and which filling and fiber-rich foods to reach for.
The Skinnygirl Dish serves up three weeks of tasty meals, snacks, and drinks to break the cycle of yo-yo dieting. Drawing on her now famous rules like “Your Diet is a Bank Account” and “Taste Everything, Eat Nothing,” Bethenny caters to real lifestyles and shows how to maintain a healthy diet wherever you are: in a restaurant, on a plane, or with your family. With recipes and advice for holidays and special occasions and a guide to a healthful kitchen—all with Bethenny’s fun, informative personality—here’s another breakout hit from everyone’s favorite fixologist.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
53 people are currently reading
329 people want to read
About the author
Bethenny Frankel
20 books248 followersBethenny Frankel has a knack for making healthy food taste delicious. That knack, which started out as a hobby and was enhanced with formal training, has elevated her to national prominence as a celebrated natural food chef, the creator of the phenomenal new Skinnygirl Margarita, and The New York Times best selling author of Naturally Thin.
Frankel, who calls herself a "health foodie” and attended the National Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, focuses on sharing with others her knowledge and passion for healthy living. In addition to her monthly column in Health Magazine, she is regularly featured in national publications from The New York Times to the weekly entertainment magazines. She’s also a sought-after guest on national news and entertainment television, where she brings her expertise and irresistibly candid and funny take not only to food segments but to any conversation about living healthy and living well.
Frankel’s wit, wisdom and humor came to national attention when she was named first runner-up on NBC’s “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.” Network executives saw a personality they couldn’t ignore and put her center stage weekly on Bravo’s hit series “The Real Housewives of New York,” now in its third season. Though technically not a “wife,” she has emerged as the star of the series, with a huge network of fans, a job as national spokesperson for Pepperidge Farm's Baked Naturals® and Deli Flats(trademark), and her own spin-off series now in production.
Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting debuted this year on The New York Times Best Sellers list and stayed for an astonishing for 18 consecutive weeks. Frankel’s second book, The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life will be released January 5, 2010, just in time to support “new year, new me” resolutions with delicious, practical, effective recipes and lifestyle tweaks. Skinnygirl Dish showcases Frankel’s renowned “fix-ology” . . . her ability to take calorie-rich foods and revamp them to create healthier versions without compromising flavor.
Her skill as a fixologist applies to cocktails too . . . she has just this fall launched The Skinnygirl Margarita, a bottled, pre-mixed beverage made with clear tequila, lime juice and only a splash of citrus liqueur, which drastically reduces the calories of the traditional cocktail. All natural and lightly sweetened with agave nectar, it has only 100 calories in a full 4 oz. serving.
As the go-to blogger for all things reality and lifestyle, Frankel wields her pen like a sword, ensuring that readers will get the unvarnished truth along with common sense, expertise and a healthy – always healthy – dose of humor. She is on a mission to democratize healthy living, making information available to everyone she can reach through her appearances, books, columns and blogs.
Frankel lives in Manhattan with her dog Cookie. She will be marrying her other love, Jason Hoppy, this spring and they will welcome their first child in early summer.
From her website
Frankel, who calls herself a "health foodie” and attended the National Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, focuses on sharing with others her knowledge and passion for healthy living. In addition to her monthly column in Health Magazine, she is regularly featured in national publications from The New York Times to the weekly entertainment magazines. She’s also a sought-after guest on national news and entertainment television, where she brings her expertise and irresistibly candid and funny take not only to food segments but to any conversation about living healthy and living well.
Frankel’s wit, wisdom and humor came to national attention when she was named first runner-up on NBC’s “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.” Network executives saw a personality they couldn’t ignore and put her center stage weekly on Bravo’s hit series “The Real Housewives of New York,” now in its third season. Though technically not a “wife,” she has emerged as the star of the series, with a huge network of fans, a job as national spokesperson for Pepperidge Farm's Baked Naturals® and Deli Flats(trademark), and her own spin-off series now in production.
Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting debuted this year on The New York Times Best Sellers list and stayed for an astonishing for 18 consecutive weeks. Frankel’s second book, The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life will be released January 5, 2010, just in time to support “new year, new me” resolutions with delicious, practical, effective recipes and lifestyle tweaks. Skinnygirl Dish showcases Frankel’s renowned “fix-ology” . . . her ability to take calorie-rich foods and revamp them to create healthier versions without compromising flavor.
Her skill as a fixologist applies to cocktails too . . . she has just this fall launched The Skinnygirl Margarita, a bottled, pre-mixed beverage made with clear tequila, lime juice and only a splash of citrus liqueur, which drastically reduces the calories of the traditional cocktail. All natural and lightly sweetened with agave nectar, it has only 100 calories in a full 4 oz. serving.
As the go-to blogger for all things reality and lifestyle, Frankel wields her pen like a sword, ensuring that readers will get the unvarnished truth along with common sense, expertise and a healthy – always healthy – dose of humor. She is on a mission to democratize healthy living, making information available to everyone she can reach through her appearances, books, columns and blogs.
Frankel lives in Manhattan with her dog Cookie. She will be marrying her other love, Jason Hoppy, this spring and they will welcome their first child in early summer.
From her website
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
April 17, 2023
This book has good reminders for your diet. I will be making some of these recipes.
Read
May 10, 2024The book is really well written and includes an index. I'm just a picky eater so most of the recipes did not appeal to me.
June 20, 2011
This is a combination of many of my guilty pleasures - any reality TV show starring Bethenney Frankel, diet books and cookbooks. I could not resist it, and I did enjoy every single second reading it (although afterwards I did feel kind of dirty...)
Despite its (many) flaws, this book is contains a good, balanced approach to food and cooking. One of the main analogies used throughout this lifestyle/diet/cookbook is considering your diet as your wardrobe. You have closet stables like jeans, a basic black turtleneck and a crisp white shirt, which you jazz up with things like jewelry or shoes. Occasionally you go all out and wear a sparkly party dress, but not every day. This book gives you basic healthy kitchen staples which you can jazz up with things like fresh herbs or quality olive oil, etc. The analogy does become a bit laboured, but is not a bad way to approach healthy eating. Each recipe has a list of possible variations listed. The blurb on the back of my copy claims that, considering the many variations to each recipe, there are over 1000 recipes in The Skinnygirl Dish. This is patently ridiculous, as swapping balsamic vinegar for white wine vinegar does not make for a completely new recipe. However, the variations do effectively show how to use different kitchen staples to flavour your food and an idea for flavour-combinations that actually work.
I do need to note that this book is *terribly* edited. Phrases like 'emotionality towards food' abound in The Skinnygirl Dish. There's a few glaring typos in the cookbook section, but their obviousness means they're easy to spot and not likely to screw up many budding Skinnygirl cooks. Also, apparently 'Skinnygirl' is an appropriate descriptor for any noun...really. There aren't any pictures, which doesn't bother me but I know puts off others. It is aimed at a basic cook - the recipes are pretty simple but look tasty and I'm looking forward to trying out a few. The Skinnygirl sour cream was a huge hit in my house. Bring on my new Skinnygirl life :)
Despite its (many) flaws, this book is contains a good, balanced approach to food and cooking. One of the main analogies used throughout this lifestyle/diet/cookbook is considering your diet as your wardrobe. You have closet stables like jeans, a basic black turtleneck and a crisp white shirt, which you jazz up with things like jewelry or shoes. Occasionally you go all out and wear a sparkly party dress, but not every day. This book gives you basic healthy kitchen staples which you can jazz up with things like fresh herbs or quality olive oil, etc. The analogy does become a bit laboured, but is not a bad way to approach healthy eating. Each recipe has a list of possible variations listed. The blurb on the back of my copy claims that, considering the many variations to each recipe, there are over 1000 recipes in The Skinnygirl Dish. This is patently ridiculous, as swapping balsamic vinegar for white wine vinegar does not make for a completely new recipe. However, the variations do effectively show how to use different kitchen staples to flavour your food and an idea for flavour-combinations that actually work.
I do need to note that this book is *terribly* edited. Phrases like 'emotionality towards food' abound in The Skinnygirl Dish. There's a few glaring typos in the cookbook section, but their obviousness means they're easy to spot and not likely to screw up many budding Skinnygirl cooks. Also, apparently 'Skinnygirl' is an appropriate descriptor for any noun...really. There aren't any pictures, which doesn't bother me but I know puts off others. It is aimed at a basic cook - the recipes are pretty simple but look tasty and I'm looking forward to trying out a few. The Skinnygirl sour cream was a huge hit in my house. Bring on my new Skinnygirl life :)
September 16, 2011
I didn't know what to expect from The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life. Bethenny's previous book: Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting, was filled with recipes and guidelines on how to have a healthier relationship with food so I wasn't sure what else Skinnygirl Dish could offer.
Boy was I surprised. Skinnygirl Dish is the book I have been looking for all my life. It focuses on how to cook - not just on recipes. My favorite chapter is where she breaks down all the foods that can substitute for each other. Out of eggs, but really want to make those chocolate brownies? Use mashed bananas instead. Sauce too salty and not sure what to do? Add a little acid and a little sweet. A lot of these tips I have pieces together from watching cooking shows and reading magazines, but having it all in one place and covered in detail really is incredible. I have to warn you though, the writing in the first couple chapters is at times fluffy and a bit repetitive, but you have to push through and get to the good stuff.
This is a great book for someone trying to be a smarter grocery shopper as you tend to end up with what was on sale instead of what the recipe called for. It's also great for those with allergies or specific diets ie. no dairy, vegan, no eggs, etc. The list of substitutions for each recipe gives options that will accommodate everyone's dietary needs. The recipes I tried were very good and this is a good reference book. Plus it has a great index - one of the most important things in a cookbook in my opinion. Check it out.
Boy was I surprised. Skinnygirl Dish is the book I have been looking for all my life. It focuses on how to cook - not just on recipes. My favorite chapter is where she breaks down all the foods that can substitute for each other. Out of eggs, but really want to make those chocolate brownies? Use mashed bananas instead. Sauce too salty and not sure what to do? Add a little acid and a little sweet. A lot of these tips I have pieces together from watching cooking shows and reading magazines, but having it all in one place and covered in detail really is incredible. I have to warn you though, the writing in the first couple chapters is at times fluffy and a bit repetitive, but you have to push through and get to the good stuff.
This is a great book for someone trying to be a smarter grocery shopper as you tend to end up with what was on sale instead of what the recipe called for. It's also great for those with allergies or specific diets ie. no dairy, vegan, no eggs, etc. The list of substitutions for each recipe gives options that will accommodate everyone's dietary needs. The recipes I tried were very good and this is a good reference book. Plus it has a great index - one of the most important things in a cookbook in my opinion. Check it out.
April 8, 2016
You can't really rate this book. It's a book that was made to help you not fear cooking and get some ideas on healthy recipes and how to love your kitchen. Depending on if you take the advice or not determines the rating.
Basically, what I got from the book was, keep your kitchen clean and organized, stock foods that you will eat, use what you have.
She compares the kitchen and cooking to your closet and dressing. You would never eat or wear something you didn't like, and you should dress up your meals like you would with an outfit. It makes a lot of sense.
I did mark some recipes that sounded good and simple, but don't hold my breath because I know I will probably never make them. But I marked them just in case I change my mind.
It's a good book for someone who likes to cook or wants to start.
Basically, what I got from the book was, keep your kitchen clean and organized, stock foods that you will eat, use what you have.
She compares the kitchen and cooking to your closet and dressing. You would never eat or wear something you didn't like, and you should dress up your meals like you would with an outfit. It makes a lot of sense.
I did mark some recipes that sounded good and simple, but don't hold my breath because I know I will probably never make them. But I marked them just in case I change my mind.
It's a good book for someone who likes to cook or wants to start.
October 3, 2011
I already bashed her Naturally Thin book a bit so I won't do it to her cookbook. Everytime I get a cookbook, I want to tear recipes out or try things or go to the store and get items the cookbook talks about. Not this one. I skimmed throught it and my first thought was this is not busy family, have young kids, friendly food. This is I am single, having some wine, cooking in the kitchen with music playing in the background. There are some nice recipes in here, but not enough for me to take the time to actually make them. Or maybe I would if I was young and single and actually had time to think about the art of food making more than once every three months. I wish I had gotten this cookbook when I was 20, not 40. Or single, not married with children.
July 5, 2010
I'm not a cook and do not like cooking. However, I do like eating and do not always want to eat out. I also am concerned with eating healthy. I really enjoy Bethenny on RHONYC and the many successes she has worked to achieve. I downloaded her book to my iPad, read the whole thing, and have used many recipes so far. I love the fact I can take her book on my iPad to the store when shopping as a reference!
The "use what you have" philosophy she espouses is practical and helpful too with her many suggestions for alternative ingredients. Her anecdotes are also fun and witty. I am very pleased I purchased this book.
The "use what you have" philosophy she espouses is practical and helpful too with her many suggestions for alternative ingredients. Her anecdotes are also fun and witty. I am very pleased I purchased this book.
July 10, 2010
Total waste of money. Granted, I was expecting more of a cookbook than a lifestyle book so I'll admit the responsibility is partly mine. I *do* like Bethenny's approach to food and I agree with much of what she espouses. I loved her suggestion of just putting lemon with a little bit of EVOO and salt and pepper on a salad - I have that almost every day. I was expecting more of the same, easy recipes and suggestions to make cooking less intimidating (which it is for me). The recipes were certainly lacking (a couple for each meal) and it basically just had a lot of lists and repetition from her prior book. Blech. Mad at myself for this purchase.
August 13, 2010
My favorite quote is on the first page of the first chapter. Something about "forget that somebody once told you ten years ago that you couldn't cook. It's done." Actually a pretty powerful line for me, personally. The big family joke is how bad of a cook I am.
If you really want to eat healthier, this is the book to get. I especially love the different variations she has at the end of each recipe. I hate tuna salad but she gave em other (yummy) options.
I have already recommended this to friends and will buy this book for myself.
If you really want to eat healthier, this is the book to get. I especially love the different variations she has at the end of each recipe. I hate tuna salad but she gave em other (yummy) options.
I have already recommended this to friends and will buy this book for myself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2010
You love her or hate her....love the book or hate it....I love her and almost loved the book. Bethenny's approach to food is great - told me all the things that I already know but gave me a different perspective. I love the recipes! I've only read the book and recipes within the last two weeks - made two recipes - quick, easy and good and have lost 4 pounds following her guidelines! Wasn't hungry and have been eating what I've wanted! Can't wait to see her again on TV and read her next book! Go Bethenny!
May 17, 2010
I actually really liked this book. It gave great advice for general approaches to food and diet, as well as suggestions for kitchen cabinet staples. Definitely a great collection of quick recipes and healthy substitutions. I do with that there were more photos, and that it was laid out in parts more like a cookbook. I find it hard to use it in the kitchen with the newsprint-ish pages....Overall, great read.
October 20, 2010
Skimming through this book - it's a lot of cooking guidelines for people who don't know how to cook healthy (or at all) - some recipes. How to make a basic vinaigrette, omelet, sandwich, soup, etc then she lists a bunch of options/substutions for variety.
Oh, in the back there are more recipes - 'How-is-this-so-Moist Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze' sounds good - haven't used oat flour before.
Oh, in the back there are more recipes - 'How-is-this-so-Moist Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze' sounds good - haven't used oat flour before.
December 7, 2010
A great cook book that provides multiple suggestions of healthy items you can use to substitute in recipes. I particularly liked the fact that Bethenny suggests alternatives to using cheese or milk or meat. The steel-cut oatmeal and meatless/cheeseless lasagna recipes were great.
This is one of the best cook-books out there because it gives you ways to make things tasty without the need for butter or high-fat ingredients.
This is one of the best cook-books out there because it gives you ways to make things tasty without the need for butter or high-fat ingredients.
December 7, 2011
Some good tips. But I wasn't really expecting the poor writing and aesthetically challenging look of the pages. Where is a recipe? Once you get used to it, there are some great tips. And I do really like Bethany. I guess, when it comes down to it, this is not a young, hip, sexy book. This is something my grandma would read. Not bad, but not sexy. And from Bethany, I expect young, energetic, and sexy.
August 17, 2011
Liked this better than the first book. Some things she talks about are obvious. Some aren't, and I found them helpful. I like that with all the recipes, she always gives alternatives/substitutions for most ingredients. I'm excited to try some of the recipes! Am I on my way to being a skinny girl and my unleashing my naturally thin self? This is still to be seen.....
October 11, 2012
This is a really great cookbook to illustrate that eating healthy and cooking for yourself isn't so hard. Bethenny believes we should use what we have, so with every recipe She gives substitutions for ingredients. I've had some hits and some misses with the recipes in this book, but it has helped my cooking confidence
July 21, 2010
I thought this book was going to be a cook book. There are some recipes in this book that look good and I am going to try; however, most of the book explains how to stock your kitchen, how to substitute items, etc...
July 28, 2010
I like the way Frankel writes it's straight forward, witty, and funny. Her recipes seem easy too. I like how she has alternative options to her recipes if you don't have all of the ingredients. I like this book better than her first publication.
January 4, 2011
So Far all the recipes I have made are fantastic and the whole family loves them Pasta Carbonara is our favorite. I try to cook at least three of her recipes a week. There are enough to chose from to be able to change up your menu. They are all tasty!
July 8, 2012
I love Bethenny and all of her books. I like how in her recipes in this book she gives you substitution options to use different ingredients based on what you have or like. I will be trying all of these!
June 2, 2012
If you have any cooking ability (we are talking scrambled eggs people), this book will probably bore you to tears. If you really don't have any culinary skills, then you might appreciate the chapter on cooking basics. Personally, this wasn't my cup of tea.
February 15, 2010
Some good basic recipes in here for those who are following a strict calorie diet.
March 11, 2010
I hate to be so rude, but please stick to reality TV, Bethenny. Your "cook/lifestyle" book is merely an ill-disguised attempt to market your Skinnygirl brand.
June 6, 2010
I learned a lot from this book, and especially enjoyed the simple food tips, such as "How to cook a baked potato". My only gripe is that the desserts all seemed to contain a ton of refined sugar.
May 13, 2010
I love Bethenny and the Real Housewives. I am suprised the ratings were low on this book. I love both her books and her new yoga DVD is great too!!!!
July 26, 2010
Inventive and simple way to make many great recipes healthy. Bethenny is a genius at converting food noise into relatable information for all.
June 24, 2010
Love Bethenny! Love her second book - she makes culinary substituting a work of art. Will definitely be adding this to my permanent collection.
July 27, 2010
Some great alternatives to cooking yummy food in a more healthy matter.
November 4, 2010
Lots of great advice and recipes:)
February 20, 2011
Didn't learn anything new
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews