Skinny-licious:Lite and Scrumptious Recipes for a Slimmer You by Shauna Evans, RN-Blog Tour Review

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
Feb 212014
 

 

 

Product Details

 

  • Title: Skinny-Licious: Lite and Scrumptious Recipes for a Slimmer You
  • Author: Shauna Evans
  • Hardcover: 168 pages
  • Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.; 1 edition (January 14, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1462113249
  • FTC FYI:  Received a review hard copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Book Description:
Eat yourself skinny! Registered nurse and award winning cook Shauna Evans proves that you don’t need to give up your favorite foods in order to slim down. You can enjoy tasty recipes like Lime and Cilantro Shrimp Skewers, Stuffed Red Peppers, and Cherry Chocolate Cake, all while losing weight and feeling great. Healthy cooking has never been easier!

 My Review:
I’m always excited to read and try out a new recipe/diet book. I am always trying to lose some pounds and I’m looking for the way that will work for me. This book had an interesting premise. The idea is to eat by an 8-hour diet or eating schedule. You fast for sixteen hours and only eat during the 8-hour window for at least three days out of the week. The idea behind this is that naturally you cut out excessive calories and enable your body sufficient time to do a daily and crucial overhaul. This helps with fat loss and turning your body into a fat burning machine, where regular dieting causes muscle loss. The book also states that fasting promotes the increase of the human growth hormone which keeps us from aging, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and wrinkles.

Well, I’ve never tried this method before. You skip breakfast and I’m a big breakfast person. I wasn’t able to fully try the diet yet, but I did try many of the yummy recipes. I am game to give the diet a go because the author lost a lot of weight following an 8-hour diet and she is a registered nurse. I wanted to share with you some of the recipes my family really liked.

-Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Shauna said she tried to make them as close to possible as P.F. Chang’s lettuce wraps that I love!!) 

-Herb-Crusted Salmon

-Harvest Garden Chili

-Mango Spinach Salad

-Berry Peach Cobbler

The best part about these recipes are that they taste very yummy! You would never even think that they were “diet” recipes. Just for this fact alone that they are great healthy recipes, this cookbook is worth the money.I’m excited to read Shauna Evans’s other cookbook.

 You can purchase Skinny-licious HERE!

 Meet The Author:

Shauna Evans lives in Northern Utah beneath the Wasatch Mountains. In 1994,she graduated from Brigham Young Universtiy with a bachelor of science, nursing degree from Brigham Young University. She married BYU quarterback, Joe Evans in 1992. They have five children. Shauna continues her nursing education with courses on nutrition, diet, and exercise and is a certified personal trainer.

Shauna has won over 10 recipe contests including two national awards. She is the author of four books, “What Goes With What-Baby Rooms Made Easy,” “Sweet and Savory: Award Winning Recipes Made easy,” “Skinny-licious: Scrumptious and Lite Recipes for a Slimmer You,” and “30-Minute Meals for Families” (release date: June 2014).
Author Evans shares creative family ideas and delicious recipes on her blog: www.sweetandsavoryseven.com.

 

Announcing the first “Read ’em All” Weekly Winner!

 Posted by  "Read 'em All" Finalists Challenge, Special Features
Feb 142014
 

read-em-all_prize1LDSWBR is excited to host the first “Read ’em All” Challenge weekly drawing. Yay!

In honor of today being Valentine’s Day, I have chosen to give the winner a lovely little sign to add to their home decor and a bag full of chocolate, specifically Dove dark chocolates and strawberry 3 Musketeers to munch on while finishing their Whitney reading. Yum!

Isn’t that a cute sign? Perfect for our giveaway. Hobby Lobby only had one left, or I would have picked up another for myself. (I should probably clarify here that the little black stand holding the sign is not included. That handy little thing is mine, but you can find them at Michaels I believe.)

read-em-all_prize1a

All you really do need is LOVE.

And books.

And chocolate, of course.

So, who gets all of this love and chocolate?

The winner of our first drawing is….

PEGGY EDDLEMAN!!!

Congratulations, Peggy! I will be contacting you via email soon.

Tune in next week for another “Read ’em All” Finalists Challenge weekly drawing. Don’t forget to visit the “Read ’em All” Rafflecopter page every time you finish reading a category so you can get another entry into the weekly drawings!

Announcing the 2013 “Read ’em All” Finalists Challenge

 Posted by  "Read 'em All" Finalists Challenge, Special Features
Feb 062014
 

2013finalistschallengeorigFinalists for the 2013 Whitney Awards have been announced!

This means it’s time for the 3rd annual “Read ’em All” Challenge! This year’s “Read ’em All” Finalists Challenge is co-hosted by LDS Women’s Book Review and New LDS Fiction.

Our goal in issuing the “Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge is to encourage as many Whitney Academy members as possible to read all 25 Whitney Award Finalists in the main categories and/or all 15 Whitney Award Finalists in the Youth categories, then vote for Best Novel of the Year and Best Novel in Youth Fiction.

For this year’s “Read ’em All” Challenge we are offering TWO Grand prizes, as well as some fun weekly prizes. The Grand prizes will be a $75 Amazon gift card for the winner of the drawing from names of those who complete the reading in the main categories and vote for Best Novel of the Year, and a $50 Amazon gift card for those who complete the reading in the youth categories and vote for Best Novel in Youth Fiction.

As we go along, LDSWBR and New LDS Fiction will be offering weekly reading prizes. For every category you read, visit THIS page on LDSWBR or THIS page on New LDS Fiction and click on the appropriate category in the Rafflecopter form. Each category you complete gains you another entry into the weekly drawings.

**How to enter the “Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge**

First, you need to be a member of the Whitney Academy. Not a member? Click HERE to find out how to join.

Second, go HERE to register as a participant in the “Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge.

Third, go to our “Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge Rafflecopter page to get your entries into the drawings. Each category you finish gets you additional entries into the weekly drawings.

Whitney Reading Tips

After several years of Whitney reading, LDSWBR has learned a few tricks to help us finish as many books in as many categories as possible and we want to share them with you.

  • Make a reading plan and set reading goals NOW. Time goes by fast, and it’s much more enjoyable to read without the pressure of a voting deadline that’s quickly approaching.
  • If you work during the week, or are busy with home and family on weekdays, try to read one book during the week and two more on the weekend. Every minute of reading counts, so take that book with you everywhere!
  • Start with the category(ies) you enjoy the most. You are more likely to finish those books quickly and put yourself ahead of schedule. If you don’t end up being able to finish all 15, 25, or 40 finalists, at least you’ll be able to vote in the categories that mean the most to you.
  • Look at every book in each category on Goodreads or the library website to see if it is part of a series. You may want to read (or at least skim) the previous book(s) first, if you can. If not, at least you’ll know it’s part of a series and won’t be surprised that there is missing information when you read it later.
  • NO TV! Okay, maybe “Castle.” He is an author, so that’s almost like reading, right?
  • Reading during spare moments here and there helps, but be sure to schedule large chunks of reading time as often as you can. You can get through a book faster if you can get in the “groove” and stay in it.
  • Some people swear by audiobooks, and if you spend most of your time moving from task to task with no time to sit, or have a long commute, audiobooks may be the way to go. However, most people can read a book in less time than it takes to listen to it, so take that into consideration as well.
  • This last tip comes from the Whitney Committee: “Not every book is available in PDF, but a good amount of them are.  In the meantime, please consider requesting your local library order copies for their collections and letting you read them before they go into general circulation. You can also share copies with other Academy members.”
How do you handle reading with a deadline? Comment below and tell us how you survive Whitney Reading Season.

 

Countdown to Christmas 2013 Winners!

 Posted by  Countdown to Christmas
Dec 282013
 

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Thank you to everyone for participating in the LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2013.

It’s hard to believe we’ve been counting down to Christmas on the blog for 5 years now. We couldn’t do it without the generous authors who join in each year and our faithful LDSWBR blog readers.

Thanks for making this such a fun tradition!

And now, the winners:

 

  • Rocky Road by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)  –  BETHANY
  • Shannon’s Hope by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)  –  LAURA WALTZ
  • The House at Rose Creek by Jenny Proctor (signed copy)  –  MELODY ANTHONY
  • Penumbras by Braden Bell (signed copy)  –  BONNIE HARRIS
  • The Reluctant Blogger by Ryan Rapier (personalized copy)  –  STEPHANIE
  • Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen (personalized paperback)  –  MELODY ANTHONY
  • Longing For Home by Sarah M. Eden (signed copy)  –  CINDY
  • Mile 21 by Sarah Dunster (ebook or signed paperback)  –  JANET S.
  • Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson (audio CD)  –  CATHY JEPPSEN
  • Finding Sheba or Ruby’s Secret by H.B. Moore (winner’s choice; format of choice)  –  LEIGH
  • Pocket Full of Posies by Julie Coulter Bellon (or other Hostage Negotiation novel of choice in either paperback or Kindle)  –  SHAUNA WHEELWRIGHT
  • Hadley-Hadley Benson by Jody Wind Durfee (personalized copy)  –  BRADEN
  • Lock & Key by Traci Hunter Abramson (personalized copy)  –  JILL ALBIN
  • The Witnesses by Stephanie Black (winner’s choice of Kindle, Nook, or personalized paperback)  –  ALYSON M.

And the winner of the $50 Amazon Gift Card is….

SHAUNA WHEELWRIGHT! 

Congratulations! I will be contacting all of the winners by email in the next few days.

Thanks again to all of the authors who participated in our Countdown and especially for those who so generously donated book prizes.

Have a great New Year!

 

The Witnesses by Stephanie Black – Countdown to Christmas 2013

 Posted by  Countdown to Christmas
Dec 212013
 

CD2C-2013x250

4 days until Christmas

 **Entry deadline has been extended to Midnight Mountain Time on Christmas Day. Merry Christmas!**

StephanieBlackStephanie Black is the author of five mystery/suspense novels, including Shadowed (2012), and two dystopian novels, including The Witnesses (2013). She is a four-time Whitney Award winner for Best Mystery/Suspense, most recently for Rearview Mirror (2011). She enjoys spending time with her family, her husband’s homemade bread, and playing the violin–a hobby that would go better if she would practice more. Her website is www.stephanieblack.net.

Please take a minute to visit Stephanie at one of the links below:

WEBSITE | BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

* * * * *

LDSWBR: What is your favorite Christmas song/hymn? Does it have special meaning to you?

STEPHANIE: I love Christmas music! One of my favorite Christmas songs is the Carol of the Drum (The Little Drummer Boy). This year it occurred to me that the song does have some deep spiritual meaning. I struggle with perfectionism in some ways (though you’d never know it in other aspects of my life). The drummer boy goes to meet the King, and doesn’t think he has a gift fit to give, so he offers the best he has–he plays his drum, and the King is pleased. Isn’t that how it is with us? We’re all struggling in our own ways and don’t really have a gift fit to give the King, but when we offer the best we have, no matter how little it is, He is pleased with our offering.

LDSWBR: Do you get together with friends/family to play board games on Christmas or New Year’s? What games do you like to play? Do you have a favorite game from your childhood?

STEPHANIE: My family does enjoy board games. As a child, I enjoyed Monopoly, but I sure don’t like it now–it takes forever! Clue was fun. A relatively new game I enjoy is Bezzerwizzer–it’s like Trivial Pursuit, only better, because you don’t have to get correct answers in all the categories to win and it lets you focus a bit more on your strengths. Other games our family likes: Ticket to Ride, Bananagrams, Apples to Apples, The Great Dalmuti. I like Quirkle too.

LDSWBR: If you could recommend only one book from those you read this year, what would it be and why?

STEPHANIE: I only get to recommend one?? Well . . . okay, if you insist. How about the Whitney Award Best Novel of the Year: The Rent Collector, by Camron Wright. To take such a miserable and unique setting and create such a beautiful, hopeful story . . . wow.

LDSWBR: I love your insight on The Little Drummer Boy. Thanks, Stephanie!

* * * * *

The Witnesses

AMAZON | KINDLE | BARNES & NOBLE | NOOK | DESERET BOOK | MP3 | SEAGULL BOOK

TheWitnesses

Welcome to New America, where patriots are traitors and religion is a crime. After government agent Daniel Lansbury fakes the executions of three believers on national television, he and the fugitives–Alisa Kent, Ian Roshek, and Ian’s sister, Jill–face the perilous task of outwitting President Amanda Ryce and her power-hungry Council long enough to escape to freedom. While a government reformer is on their side, rigorous new security measures thwart any chance of aid. And Daniel’s estranged father, Marcus, an underground terrorist leader, is hatching plans to sabotage the breakable trust between Daniel and Ian and put himself in power at the head of the nation. As faith and loyalties come under fire, the fugitives struggle to stop Marcus and his zealous terrorists and bring to light the wrongs committed against the citizens of this fragile, fledgling nation.

 It has been interesting to see how many people enjoy playing the classic games that are familiar to most of us. However, some have mentioned games that I have never heard of before, like The Great Dalmuti. What games have been mentioned in the Countdown posts that are completely new to you?

* * * * *

**To enter the LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2013, leave a thoughtful comment below.**

Because this is a raffle-style drawing, commenting on each Countdown to Christmas 2013 post will give you more chances to win. Please click through to the website as only comments submitted directly on this post will be accepted.

Prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and the author-donated books listed below. This is raffle-style drawing where all entries throughout the contest period are entered into the same “hat” for all prizes. US only. 18 years and older please. See all contest rules and restrictions below.

Following LDSWBR is not required but you may want to consider doing so during the contest so you don’t miss any posts or chances to enter the drawing. You can follow us through email, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest (links in our sidebar.)

If one of our LDSWBR reviews has ever helped you find a book you enjoyed, please consider helping us spread the word about the LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2013. A link posted to your friends and family either in email or on your favorite social network would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

By leaving a comment and entering the Countdown to Christmas 2013, you agree to the contest rules below:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY; entrants must be 18 years or older; open to residents of continental US only; giveaway begins December 3, 2013 and all entries must be received by 12:00 Midnight December 23, 2013 Mountain Time; to enter, complete the required entry on each post and any additional entries of your choice if listed; LDS Women’s Book Review reserves the right to determine what is considered a thoughtful comment as per each post’s required entry; giveaway prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and a variety of book prizes donated by featured authors; the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning; LDS Women’s Book Review is not liable for technical problems which may affect entry into the giveaway; winner identity will be verified by email address; winner will be selected December 28, 2013 by use of a sequence generator on random.org; winner will have until January 4, 2014 to claim their prize; if any prize winner forfeits or does not claim prize, prize will be re-awarded to next winner in sequence; all prizes will be awarded; limit of two prizes per entrant; this contest/giveaway is not associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other entity unless otherwise specified; by entering the giveaway you give LDS Women’s Book Review the right to publicize your name on the LDS Women’s Book Review blog; winner agrees to release LDS Women’s Book Review from any liability as a result of winning; email comments and questions to LDS Women’s Book Review – ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com; giveaway subject to Utah regulations; VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

**Book Prizes (as of 12/21/13)**

  • Rocky Road by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)
  • Shannon’s Hope by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)
  • The House at Rose Creek by Jenny Proctor (signed copy)
  • Penumbras by Braden Bell (signed copy)
  • The Reluctant Blogger by Ryan Rapier (personalized copy)
  • Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen (personalized paperback)
  • Longing For Home by Sarah M. Eden (signed copy)
  • Mile 21 by Sarah Dunster (ebook or signed paperback)
  • Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson (audio CD)
  • Finding Sheba or Ruby’s Secret by H.B. Moore (winner’s choice; format of choice)
  • Pocket Full of Posies by Julie Coulter Bellon (or other Hostage Negotiation novel of choice in either paperback or Kindle)
  • Hadley-Hadley Benson by Jody Wind Durfee (personalized copy)
  • Lock & Key by Traci Hunter Abramson (personalized copy)
  • The Witnesses by Stephanie Black (winner’s choice of Kindle, Nook, or personalized paperback)
 Previous Countdown to Christmas 2013 posts:

The Guardians of the Finisher’s Fury by Frank L. Cole – Countdown to Christmas 2013

 Posted by  Countdown to Christmas
Dec 202013
 

CD2C-2013x250

5 days until Christmas

 **Entry deadline has been extended to Midnight Mountain Time on Christmas Day. Merry Christmas!**

FrankColeFrank L. Cole has lived in such exotic places as the Philippines and Kentucky, and currently lives with his wife and three children out west. While he strived for years to earn his publishing credits, Frank considers sharing his message of “Exercising Your Imagination” to over 45,000 kids across the country as his greatest accomplishment. Frank has 7 published books to date with his next one releasing in 2015 from Delacorte Press.

Please take a minute to visit Frank at one of the links below:

BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

* * * * *

LDSWBR: What is your favorite Christmas song/hymn? Does it have special meaning to you?

FRANK: As traditional songs go, I’ve always loved “The First Noel”. No real reason, I just like the way it sounds. My overall favorite is “The Christmas Song” by Dave Matthews. It just surprised me one year. I was listening to the radio and it came on and at first I had no idea it was a Christmas song. Then I really listened to the lyrics and I was moved a little.

LDSWBR: Do you get together with friends/family to play board games on Christmas or New Year’s? What games do you like to play? Do you have a favorite game from your childhood?

FRANK: Christmas Eve we usually play games with my wife Heidi’s family and hang out. New Year’s Eve we try to party somewhere. I think we’re doing a Masquerade Ball this year and we have to wear masks. I’m going to wear a Justin Bieber mask.

LDSWBR: If you could recommend only one book from those you read this year, what would it be and why?

FRANK: The 5th Wave. It’s rough and shocking at times, but man! It sucked me in. It’s the first book I’ve read in a long time where I’m eager for the sequel.

LDSWBR: Thank you, Frank!

* * * * *

The Guardians of the Finisher’s Fury

GuardiansOfFinishersFury

AMAZON | KINDLE | BARNES & NOBLE | DESERET BOOK

Amber and Trendon are on summer break and life seems like it’s finally back to normal. However, their vacation ends abruptly when a mysterious messenger summons them to Egypt. Dorothy and her team have found an ancient artifact, the final Weapon of Might, and they need Amber’s connection with the Shomehr to recover it.

The mission goes smoothly—until they obtain the artifact. Then everything goes wrong—very wrong. Friends become enemies, and enemies become allies. Now Amber and Trendon must race against time before the Weapons of Might are united and the Finisher’s Fury is unleashed.

This action-packed adventure from bestselling author Frank L. Cole promises entertainment, excitement, and enigma as it brings the Guardians series to an electrifying conclusion.

 Have you attended a Masquerade Ball?

* * * * *

**To enter the LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2013, leave a thoughtful comment below.**

Because this is a raffle-style drawing, commenting on each Countdown to Christmas 2013 post will give you more chances to win. Please click through to the website as only comments submitted directly on this post will be accepted.

Prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and the author-donated books listed below. This is raffle-style drawing where all entries throughout the contest period are entered into the same “hat” for all prizes. US only. 18 years and older please. See all contest rules and restrictions below.

Following LDSWBR is not required but you may want to consider doing so during the contest so you don’t miss any posts or chances to enter the drawing. You can follow us through email, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest (links in our sidebar.)

If one of our LDSWBR reviews has ever helped you find a book you enjoyed, please consider helping us spread the word about the LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2013. A link posted to your friends and family either in email or on your favorite social network would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

By leaving a comment and entering the Countdown to Christmas 2013, you agree to the contest rules below:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY; entrants must be 18 years or older; open to residents of continental US only; giveaway begins December 3, 2013 and all entries must be received by 12:00 Midnight December 23, 2013 Mountain Time; to enter, complete the required entry on each post and any additional entries of your choice if listed; LDS Women’s Book Review reserves the right to determine what is considered a thoughtful comment as per each post’s required entry; giveaway prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and a variety of book prizes donated by featured authors; the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning; LDS Women’s Book Review is not liable for technical problems which may affect entry into the giveaway; winner identity will be verified by email address; winner will be selected December 28, 2013 by use of a sequence generator on random.org; winner will have until January 4, 2014 to claim their prize; if any prize winner forfeits or does not claim prize, prize will be re-awarded to next winner in sequence; all prizes will be awarded; limit of two prizes per entrant; this contest/giveaway is not associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other entity unless otherwise specified; by entering the giveaway you give LDS Women’s Book Review the right to publicize your name on the LDS Women’s Book Review blog; winner agrees to release LDS Women’s Book Review from any liability as a result of winning; email comments and questions to LDS Women’s Book Review – ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com; giveaway subject to Utah regulations; VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

**Book Prizes (as of 12/20/13 – more to be added to this list!)**

  • Rocky Road by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)
  • Shannon’s Hope by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)
  • The House at Rose Creek by Jenny Proctor (signed copy)
  • Penumbras by Braden Bell (signed copy)
  • The Reluctant Blogger by Ryan Rapier (personalized copy)
  • Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen (personalized paperback)
  • Longing For Home by Sarah M. Eden (signed copy)
  • Mile 21 by Sarah Dunster (ebook or signed paperback)
  • Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson (audio CD)
  • Finding Sheba or Ruby’s Secret by H.B. Moore (winner’s choice; format of choice)
  • Pocket Full of Posies by Julie Coulter Bellon (or other Hostage Negotiation novel of choice in either paperback or Kindle)
  • Hadley-Hadley Benson by Jody Wind Durfee (personalized copy)
  • Lock & Key by Traci Hunter Abramson (personalized copy)
 Previous Countdown to Christmas 2013 posts:
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