Filed under: Parties, Books, Cookbook of the Day

The expectation of party-goers, especially around the holidays, is that there will be fattening foods at every party they attend and that there will be lots of it. There are a number of ways to avoid holiday eating pitfalls, but the best way to avoid adding an extra pound per party is to start with healthier foods. This isn't always possible at other people's homes, although you can bring along a dish with you, but you can certainly make your own parties a success and still serve foods that taste good and are good for you. The South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook is a book that was written with this goal in mind and it has lots of party-friendly ideas that won't blow your diet. Whether you follow South Beach or not, the meals are still very balanced and everyone should be able to find something that will appeal to them in here.

There are 20 menus for different occasions and 150 recipes in the book. Each one includes a nutritional breakdown, as well as detailed instructions, prep times and serving sizes. Some of the recipes are scaled for only two, like the Valentine's Day dinner suggestions, but others are suitable for crowds. Since every little bit helps, even if you only augment your current holiday favorites by adding on healthier recipe, this can still be a good reference to have on hand.