Meal in a Mug

by Denise Smart

Charmingly designed and perfectly approachable, here are eighty simple recipes for delicious, healthy food that require nothing more than a mug and a microwave.

For anyone who can’t cook, won’t cook, or doesn’t have the time to cook—but still wants a fresh, delicious meal instead of takeout or packaged, processed food when they’re eating alone—here is the answer. All you need for real food, really fast, is a large mug, a microwave, a handful of ingredients, and a spoon.

Whether you’re cooking in a pocket-sized apartment, a crowded dorm, or an office kitchenette, here are quick and clever recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snacks. Squeezing a home-cooked breakfast into your morning dash is no problem with Peanut Butter and Jam Porridge, Eggs Florentine with Hollandaise, or seed- and fruit-packed Breakfast Muffins. And no more sad office whip up Spicy Lentil and Bacon Soup, Pea and Pesto Soup, and Shrimp Laska in the office kitchen for lunch, with a side of Honeyed Carrots or Garlicky Mushrooms! Chicken Korma, Thai Shrimp Curry, Wild Mushroom Risotto, Chili con Carne, and Sweet Potato and Chickpea Tagine make healthy, quick, and delicious dinners that easily trump overpriced takeout or preservative-laden frozen food. And mug baking is a piece of cake with Chocolate and Pistachio Brownies, White Chocolate and Lime Cheesecake, Berry Crumble, Sticky Gingerbread, and much more. Finally, don’t forget the more conventional (but no less delicious) mug Ultimate Hot Chocolate, Mulled Cider with Ginger, and Vanilla Latte. Yum!

You will be in and out of the kitchen, cravings fully satisfied, in five minutes or less!

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Food and Drink, Reference

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2014

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Singletons of the world, rejoice! Author Denise Smart has penned a book that lives up to its promise. This slim cookbook is the best I’ve ever seen for someone cooking for one. From breakfast muffins, huevos rancheros and kedgeree for breakfast to quiches, chowders and salads for lunch to Chicken Korma, curries, risottos and pasta dishes for dinner, Smart has included it all! The book also has sections for snacks, desserts and beverages — all made possible in a mug or bowl!

Recipes can easily be doubled for newlyweds or busy couples. These recipes with a British slant would also be great for office workers who bring in their lunches. Highly, highly recommended.

[Ubiquitousbastard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admittedly, throughout most of going through these recipes, I couldn't help but think how much better they would probably be done on the stove. Yes, I knew what I was getting into when I wanted to read this, but that's what happened. So far, I've only tried one recipe, and I'm sure it would have been easier and better if I had just used a pot (Eggs Florentine with Hollandaise). The timings just seemed off, the spinach over and the egg way, way under. But I did like the simplicity of it, I might just make it on the stove next time. I'm thinking that most of the delicate concoctions (those with meat or eggs) won't turn out so well, but things like the hot chocolate or instant muffins might handle a bit better. There also wasn't a whole lot of description of the dishes, or interesting hints to change up the recipes. (There were some, but they tended to be obvious suggestions).

Overall, there are some good sounding recipes here, but I'm still not sold on a microwave as a cooking tool.

I received a copy for free from Goodreads First Reads.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is an inherent flaw to this book, and that is how it is built on a cacophony of dissonance. The premise of meals you can cook in a mug, this was a concept that interested me deeply as someone with poor executive function and low energy. Meals, I thought, real meals that I can cook in the microwave and in a mug! The convenience, the ease! I began to search through the recipes only to find that most required ingredients that I would only ever be purchasing for these specific recipes or fresh ingredients that would be needed in much smaller quantities than I could reasonably purchase. The forethought required by these recipes astonished me. This was not in line with the mental image of someone making a quick meal with minimal effort at all, these recipes were somehow more challenging than the non-microwave, non-mug sized meals I was already making. What audience is this book for? Apparently people who just have things like laksa paste or mascarpone cheese just lying around and just want a small little something-something, which feels like a small to non-existent demographic.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good ideas and easy to prepare if you have a cupboard full of herbs, spices and other foodstuffs. a big wide mug is best or even a bowl. Read the recipes before starting to find out what you need and make a list of ingredients to purchase all in one go.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This cookbook requires you to have a few different size mugs and a pretty full pantry. I was looking into this cookbook for my college student but found it is better suited for a couple of empty nesters who don't feel like cooking much. Sophisticated recipes makes this book more for adults as well.

[Sanne Harder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel super conflicted about this book.
I bought it because I loved the idea of dainty little meals. And I still do. I love the illustrations, the layout, and the recipes are well-written.
However, the book tries to sit in two chairs.
The question is: Who is this book for? While many of the recipes are delicious, they are also not as basic as you might expect from a book with this concept. If you live in a rural area or otherwise off the beaten track, some of the ingredients might be difficult to come by (ricotta cheese? Pancetta?), and although the actual cooking takes place in a cup, the rest of the preparations do not. I did the chocolate muffins, and the recipe took me through just as many steps as if I were making a whole baking tray.
I am fairly experienced in a kitchen, and that came in handy. I don’t see my teenage son using this book - it’s too complicated for an inexperienced cook.
A lot of the recipes I would not hesitate to serve to guests. That’s not a bad thing as such - but the servings are mainly for 1 person! Another reviewer suggests just adding things up, which I tried with the risotto, but it turned out that it needed way less stock when cooked in a bigger batch.
In the end, what makes the book less useful to me is that a lot of the dishes are too fatty. A single serving is perfect for an everyday meal - late home from work - but if I eat like that on a regular basis, I would blow up like a balloon!
So maybe this book is for you if you are a single person, who lives in the city, has some cooking experience, has ample time for cooking, and has a very good metabolism.

[Chen Pink · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I love small portions of 3 to 5 varieties for lunch and dinner.” ~ Chen Pink, reviewer of ‘Meal in a Mug’

I particularly loved some menus in this book (based on the 2015 paperback edition). I work from home, so I will prepare the food without the microwave, which is healthier. I may substitute some of the ingredients, but the variety of dishes is my main goal.

For breakfast, I can have the ‘Bircher Muesli', ‘Eggs Florentine with Hollandaise’, or ‘Scrambled Eggs’.

For lunch, I can have ‘Egg Fried Rice’, ‘Sweet and Sour Chicken’, ‘Wild Mushroom Risotto’, and ‘Honeyed Carrots’.

For dinner, I can have the ‘Thai Shrimp Curry’, ‘Sweet Potato and Chickpea Tagine’, and ‘Salmon with Parsley and Mashed Potatoes’.

This book is perfect for me to prepare at least three dishes for one person. There is also a drink and cake menu in this book. It is an all-meal and appetite-enhanced recipe in one book by Denise Smart!

[MaryN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cooking for one was a bother most of the time. And most of the time I didn't make nutritious meals because I didn't have time and I didn't know what to make. Many times I've thrown so much food away for the same reasons.
But, no more! This little book is really worth having. Once you have the basic ideas it's easy to make up your own recipes thereby having a delicious meal or snack and using up your groceries.
I recommend buying a few of those microwave soup cups that come with lids so you can whip up quick meals for a couple of family and/or friends any time.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book which seemed surprisingly ungimmicky without being oldfashioned.... or obsessed with cake. Plenty of main meals here, especially for non-vegetarians. The mug in question is often better a capuccino mug. So far I have only been moved to use the method for making hollandaise but it's the one I'll use in future.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Work, here I come

This is a fun book to read. Filled with delicious sounding recipes, the author seems to encourage substitutions if needed. I honestly cannot wait to try some of the main dishes. Hopefully they will re-heat so I can carry the meals to work. The seems to be easy meals that take up very little space when storing in a locker!

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the author must be British as some of the recipes definitely looked like it and others were a bit too "global" for my American/Southern palate. However, given a close look at the recipes there were many that could be adapted to my preferences (sub clams, tuna, shrimp, or bacon in the chowder, and leave the chopped rosemary out of Potatoes Dauphinoise for familiar scalloped potatoes, and so on). I appreciated the clear instructions and the inclusion the oz. content of the large, medium, or small mugs specified for each recipe.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipes look too good to be true, but I can't try any of the appealing ones to test them out. There are too many that need tiny portions of things that I'd need to buy in large portions, like 2 tsp from a can.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Little Book

While the recipes are good themselves, you get good ideas on how to adapt them to your tastes, as well as how to possibly invent your own. Nice clear instructions. I only wish it was easier to look up the photos.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meal in Mug Review

This was a quick read with some great and surprising ideas that I’ll definitely be trying. Wish there’d been more photos.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast easy simple.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has some interesting recipes I plan to try this year. Appreciated the photos of finished products.

[PottWab Regional Library]

A

[Danielle Mccoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want this one!

[Donna Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few recipes looked good to try while the rest weren't for me. It was nice to have easy conservations because of using a mug as the dish too.

[Margaret Gerberding · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of mug recipes that are not desserts. This would be a great pick for dorm or small apartment cooking.

[Ann Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book for a college age niece who is getting an apartment for the first time and searching for good healthy food you can cook quickly without a lot of mess. The descriptions of the egg dishes are particularly welcome and easy to follow such as eggs florentine with hollandaise and huevos rancheros. The "peanut buter and jam porridge" would be a good option compared to prepackaged oatmeal! I preferred the dishes with regular ingredients readily available to the cook. I was not as crazy about recipes such as "prawn laksa" as how many college kids have access to prawns! I have never baked in a mug, but this book inspired me to try my own zapped latte (with recipe) and also microwaved versions of chocolate and pistachio brownies, berry crumble and sticky gingerbread! A Saturday night fiesta! Overall, a cute book and a quick read especially for hungry and busy students on a budget.

[Jan Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

I HAD to have this book. Talk about "portion control" and you don't even know it. I love the recipes in here, BUT I am still having issues with cup sizes vs. timing. The concept is great for me, who wants to cook, snack & kill my sweet tooth in small doses. I'll likely be experimenting with this for a long time. I may splurge on another similar book if I remember to look for one. Love this one though!

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this cookbook designed for the culinary challenged like me. My favorite recipe is the PB&J oatmeal, only I substitute dark chocolate for jelly to make a Reese's peanut butter oatmeal snack.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

GR Giveaway

Game changer!! I love this cookbook. I didn't think to use a mug for scrambled eggs or popcorn. This book will get a lot of use in my house. :D

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

i see nothing here i want

[Cindy Kleback · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only one recipe that I want to save. I'm thinking that I'm not the target audience for this cookbook.

[Stacy Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming and sweet

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

These look delicious and l can't wait to try them.