Many recipes in the Betty Crocker book use convenience products to make things easy on the cook who doesn't know whole wheat from cracked wheat. For example, the 'nutty silver dollar pancakes' use Wheaties cereal and Bisquick. However, other recipes do give you the chance to try out those whole grains you manage to find in your travels through the grocery store aisles.

My one reservation here is how the book's authors choose to define 'healthy.' For example, one of the reasons whole grains are better for us than processed grains is that they break down into sugars more slowly, resulting in more even blood sugar levels. So adding an entire jar of marshmallow creme to some popcorn and Chex cereal to make a snack would seem to obviate that healthful aspect of whole grains---yet the tip below the recipe lauds this snack specifically for its healthful nature. That seems contradictory, and there are quite a few other recipes in this book that rely on relatively high sugar content to add flavor. On the other hand, at least they have moderated the saturated fat content.

I do have to hand it to them, though---the flavors of these recipes are delightful. There's a gingered chicken over rice recipe that's just wonderful, and I'm not a big chicken fan. I've really enjoyed a sausage and vegetable skillet dish from here, and a slow cooker rice-and-veggies dish. So while some of these recipes do compromise on the sugar content, they deliver on the flavor end of things. If you're having trouble convincing yourself to make the switch to whole grains, that might be a worthwhile tradeoff for you.

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