Cookbooks that help you stick to resolution to shed pounds in 2010

Right about now you're probably thinking about those resolutions vowing to eat better, cook more and shed the holiday pounds.

To help you get started -- and spend that gift card from your mother-in-law -- here's some advice and the latest healthy-eating, better-living cookbooks.

"The key to a good cookbook for the New Year is to find one that provides recipes that can work with your level of cooking experience, schedule limitations, etc.," said Raina Childers, registered dietitian at HealthPoint Fitness.

Lori Pettet, assistant manager of nutrition services at Saint Francis Medical Center, said a good book should also include a nutritional breakdown, clear information on serving sizes and familiar ingredients.

"I have heard several times, 'The ingredients were strange, I don't even know where to find them,'" she said.

This book cover released by Simon & Schuster shows "Moosewood Restaurant Cooking For Health".(AP Photo/Simon & Schuster)**NO SALES**

This book cover released by Rodale Books shows "The Kind Diet" by actress Alicia Silverstone.(AP Photo/Rodale Books)**NO SALES**

"Moosewood Restaurant Cooking For Health," the latest installment from the Moosewood Collective, offers more than 200 creative, easy-to-prepare vegetarian and vegan recipes. Greek-tomato yogurt soup delivers a tasty, tangy take on ordinary tomato soup and packs a big calcium and lycopene punch in just 30 minutes. Four stovetop tofus -- including pomegranate-glazed and tropical lime -- make creative use of the potentially boring staple. Love the info on calories, carbs, protein and other nutrients with each recipe.

This book cover released by Countryman Press shows "Eating Well 500 Calorie Dinners" by Nicci Micco and Jessie Price.(AP Photo/Countryman Press)**NO SALES**

"Eating Well: 500-Calorie Dinners" screams "New Year's resolution." Part cookbook, part cheerleader, the book combines a seven-step weight loss plan with meals that clock in at 500 calories or less. Dishes such as broccoli and goat cheese souffle and mini-meatloaves take the guesswork out of portion control by being prepared in individual servings. Recipes abound for shrimp and scallops. There's also lamb chops, steak with Gorgonzola and caramelized onions, and mozzarella-stuffed turkey burgers. And who knew hot fudge pudding cake could have only 142 calories?

In "The Kind Diet," actress Alicia Silverstone promises to help you feel great, lose weight and save the planet. Silverstone pairs arguments for veganism with pictures of cute chicks (the poultry sort) and piggies, and wraps up with recipes for dishes such as radicchio pizza with truffle oil, pecan-crusted seitan and egg salad sandwiches made of tofu.

"American Heart Association No-Fad Diet: A Personal Plan for Healthy Weight Loss" put together by the American Heart Association will help people who want to eat heart-healthy, waist-slimming, delicious meals, according to Janet Anders, a dietitian at Fitness Plus. It provides substitutes for meals like barbecue and desserts and special occasion menus to enjoy holiday meals minus the guilt. Each recipe also has a nutrition analysis per serving.

"Hungry Girl 200 Under 200" by Lisa Lillien continues the authors Hungry Girl series of cookbooks and buffet survival guides. Childers said she enjoys this book because it includes an eclectic mix of recipes that are all easy to prepare. It also takes a fun and light-spirited approach to writing recipes that women can relate to, while including the essentials like nutritional information for each recipe.

Features editor Chris Harris contributed to this report.