Book ~ "250 Best Meals in a Mug: Delicious Homemade Microwave Meals in Minutes" (2014) Camilla V. Saulsbury

From Goodreads ~ Meals in a mug are a perfect solution for solo dining, and they're also quick and easy options for busy people. And they are a convenient and budget-friendly way to eat delicious and healthy meals when living in a dorm, travelling in a RV or eating at the office.

These perfect individual portion sized recipes cover morning breakfast to late afternoon snacks and satisfying suppers with just a quick trip to the microwave which speedily omits hours of stovetop simmering and/or baking. In just 2 minutes, breakfast gets a sumptuous and nutritious boost with a moist and tender Banana Blueberry Muffin. Lunch takes its inspiration from New Orleans with Red Beans and Barley. This quick mugful of deliciousness uses quick-cooking barley which stands in for traditional white rice making it a speedy and healthy makeover.

These tasty and healthy dishes move the focus off of the time- and labor-intensive oven, and reintroduce the ease and simplicity of the microwave. They take everyday meals to the next level and the handy nutritional analysis that accompanies each recipes takes all the guesswork out of planning healthy meals.

I use my microwave oven for heating things up (frozen dinners or reheating leftovers) or making popcorn.  I never use it to make a meal so that's why this cookbook caught my eye.  I never would have thought of making a meal in a mug!

The book starts off with an introduction about why you should make a meal in a mug:

• Fast
• Cheaper and healthier than eating fast food
• Fun and easy

Then there is an explanation about microwave know-how, mug smarts (what kind of mug to use) and the ingredients you can use.

The bulk of the book is made of recipes which include:

• Super-Fast and Easy Recipes - Mushroom Barley Soup, Broccoli Basil Soup, Apple Pancake Puff, Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Mix, Cheese Fondue 
• Breakfast - Banana Bread, Almond Flour Muffin, Green Onion Bread, Zucchini Bread, Apple Cinnamon Bread, Boston Brown Bread 
• Soups, Stews and Chilis - Loaded Baked Potato Soup, Quinoa Minestrone, Miso and Mushroom Soup, Poblano White Chili, Koshari, Red Clam Chowder 
• Meatless Main Dishes - Eggplant Parmesan Mug, Green Chile Quesadilla Mug, Chickpea Potato Masala, Curried Lentils with Yogurt and Tortilla, Korean Pajeon 
• Meat, Poultry and Seafood Main Dishes - Philly Cheesesteak Mug, Cauliflower and Ham Gratin, Shrimp with Roasted Peppers and Feta, Shepherd's Pie, Teriyaki Salmon 
• Dessert - Sugar Cookie, Chocolate Fudge Cake, Blueberry Dumpling, Bananas Foster, Lemon Pudding Cake, Butterscotch Blondie, Panna Cotta.

The recipes do indeed look like they'd be quick and easy to make and you probably have many of the ingredients in your house already.  There are colour pictures of some of the dishes.  Everything looks and sounds great!   I look forward to trying these recipes ... I'll let you know how it goes.

I wish they had included nutritional information with the recipes, though.

I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.