Fixate cookbook review!

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about the Fixate cookbook.  This was released a few months ago by Beachbody and is by Autumn Calabrese, creator of 21 Day Fix and the accompanying meal plan.  The idea behind it to use color-coded containers that correspond with a food category to focus on portion control and eating the right kinds of foods in the right amounts.  The meal plan is simple to do, easy to follow, and can help people understand nutrition.  This is not a diet, but a way that you can eat for the rest of your life!  Although the meal plan was first introduced with the 21 Day Fix workout program, it now comes with many of Beachbody's programs, such as 22 Minute Hard Corps, The Master's Hammer and Chisel, and Cize:  The End of Exercise.

The Fixate cookbook by Autumn Calabrese

Even if you don't use the containers and follow the meal plan per se, you can still use this cookbook!  I don't follow the meal plan that comes with the programs, but I use this cookbook just about every day.  It is awesome.  I will now tell you a little bit about it and some of the recipes.

In the beginning of the cookbook there is an introduction by Autumn, an explanation of why we need different types of foods and why it is crucial to not cut out any type of food (very important), and a brief overview of the containers and what goes into each one.  In each of the program guides that comes with the workouts, there is a calculation that you can do that, based on your activity level and your goals, will give you the breakdown of how many containers you get per color, per day.  The program guides also include food lists, letting you know which container each food goes in.  Once you have your containers figured out, you can start eating!  Autumn does a great job of laying out the foods in the cookbook.  She has different categories and each recipe has a container count, nutrition facts, and if it is gluten-free, vegan, or vegetarian.  There is also a picture for each recipe.  I love this!  So many times you read a recipe and then see the picture and it looks nothing like what you're supposed to be making.  It sounds dumb, but I think it really helps when you can see a picture of exactly what you're getting ready to eat and she puts one in for every single recipe.  Some of the categories included are:  salads, soups, dressings and sauces, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, sides, desserts, snacks, and cocktails.  There is great variety in these sections.  For example, for breakfast, there are very simple recipes, such as oatmeal with peanut butter and chocolate but there are also more in-depth recipes such as pancakes and chicken and waffles.  There is also a Shakeology section, which includes recipes that feature the Beachbody product that gives you a daily boost of dense nutrition.

Another thing that I love about these recipes is that they are simple.  Most of them require few ingredients, most of which I have at home or buy on a weekly basis.  The ingredients in the recipes are easy to find and there are options given for those that may be a little more difficult to come across in your local grocery store.  I have one cookbook (Jillian Michaels's Master Your Metabolism) which I love, but the recipes are complicated, take some time to cook, and have some hard-to-find ingredients.  Autumn's recipes are realistic and most of the recipes take less than 30 minutes to prep and create (some require longer cooking time, but if you plan ahead, you can always do something else while your meal is cooking).  Like I said, I use this cookbook at least once a week, sometimes much more.  Here are a few of my favorite recipes:

Soups and Salads:
Healthy Cobb Salad:  simple, delicious, and combines some of my favorite ingredients:  hard-boiled eggs, avocado, and bleu cheese!
Chicken Noodle Soup:  great recipe to make ahead of time and have throughout the week for lunch or dinner
Breakfast:
Healthy French Toast:  simple to make and can be done ahead of time, just as most of the recipes can
Omelet:  great source of protein and Autumn gives you lots of different combinations of veggies and cheese to try
Lunch:
Easy Pizza:  I love this!  When my husband is home, it is a very quick meal to make where we can each have what we want on top of our pizza.  You use a whole-wheat tortilla for the crust.
(The lunch section is where I wish there were more options.  I have a difficult time eating hot lunches at work because I can't make them there and most of them don't reheat well.  I wish there were more cold lunch options without having to have a salad.)
Dinner:
Steak Fajitas:  great flavor, very simple (all you have to do is cut up the vegetables), and easy to divide or double the recipe.
Turkey Chili:  again, very simple (mostly just cutting vegetables) and makes a ton for leftovers
Sides:
Sweet Potato Bites:  ridiculously simple and tasty
Zucchini Bake:  the lemon zest adds a different flavor, but this is another great way to get in vegetables that are tasty
Spicy Cauliflower:  a little more work to make, but spicy and so delicious and is great with the dipping sauce!

I haven't made any of the dessert recipes, but they all look tasty and the best part--you can enjoy a healthful dessert even when eating clean!

Overall, I think this is a fantastic cookbook and is a wonderful addition for anyone who is following the color-coded container meal plan.  There are so many great, simple recipes here!

If you have any questions about the cookbook, or nutrition and fitness in general, I'd be happy to help!  Feel free to comment here, message me on facebook, or email me (kdm0830@gmail.com).  If you're ready to buy the Fixate cookbook, you can visit my Beachbody coach webpage at beachbodycoach.com/FitTeachKate.