As a busy mom, Chef Giada De Laurentiis is constantly challenged to come up with healthy recipes that her daughter, Jade, not only loves but requests. Giada's recipes go way beyond hiding vegetables and include her own special spin on kid favorites like fries and pancakes. For a portable lunch that she and Jade can take on a bicycle ride for a picnic under the Brooklyn Bridge, Giada makes Quinoa Pancakes, Green Fried Rice, Crispy Broccoli and Cauliflower and Roasted Banana and Peanut Butter Cupcakes.
From stocking the pantry to shopping for a few key ingredients, Chef Giada De Laurentiis offers recipe and menu-planning tips to make eating well both easy and convenient. She covers every meal of the day, starting with Warm Quinoa "Oatmeal." While making Chicken Broth, White Bean and Escarole Soup, Fusilli with Chicken and Broccoli Rabe and a Skillet Brownie, Giada shares suggestions for how to stretch ingredients into the week to create standalone meals for several days.
Eating well doesn't mean depriving yourself of the comfort foods you crave. Chef Giada De Laurentiis shares substantial and satisfying dishes that are also light in fat and calories. There's a hearty Bison Bolognese, Chicken Milanese lightened up with gluten-free panko breadcrumbs and Simple Braised Mushrooms. Giada also makes a light dessert, No-Cook Chocolate Coconut Budino, to share with her boyfriend, Shane, after their romantic dinner.
Giada's dinner party menu stays true to her wellness goals.