Having Trouble Planning a Meal? Google's Recipe View Comes to the Rescue

I am a woman on a mission. Despite my three to four trips to the gym each week and my diet of green leafy vegetation that has turned me into a creature that wants to shout "What's up Doc?", my blood pressure is inching up to the high end of the normal range. So to avoid medication, I have decided to cut out as much sodium as possible from my diet.

While this lofty goal might seem easy in theory, it is tough in practice. First, I had to get over the embarrassment of feeling old and ordering low-sodium meat at the deli counter. Second, I had to find fun and exciting recipes that would make this new goal achievable, and for this I have turned to Google Recipe View.

Launched only last month, the "Recipe View" is getting lots of attention from Google users. Internet articles abound on this new search product which literally takes a Google user into the kitchens of hundreds of chefs. Google has even put together an educational video which you can see at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsUN1dUbbM8 .

In the video, one of Google's executive chefs, Scott Giambustiani, explains how difficult it was to bring new and interesting fare into the company's cafes. And now with the launch of Google Recipe View, variety awaits. In fact, anyone can create new and healthy meals in their own homes that can satisfy even the most finicky of palates.

I was impressed by this video. First, I have never worked for a company that had even one chief executive chef on staff let alone numerous cafes for their employees' dining pleasure. At the last newspaper I worked for, we had a boiler room with a picnic table and three vending machines, but I digress. Anyway, I decided to try out the new Recipe View. I went to Google.com and typed in low sodium chicken and a list of entries showed up which were not all recipes. I went to the left side of the page again and clicked on "recipes" which led me to a number of links and to a Spark recipe for low-sodium chicken pot pie.

What really grabbed my attention with the Google Recipe View is that I can narrow down my recipe searches by ingredients, preparation time, calories or even theme. This opens up my choices and gives me flexibility in what I want to make and eat. The Google Recipe View even allows me to find a recipe by occasion. I can type in a holiday or words like "bridal shower menus" and recipes that revolve around that holiday or event will show up. This is great time saver.

I plan on spending a lot of time on Google Recipe View. I might not become the next Wolfgang Puck, but I will definitely be able to liven up dinners in a healthy and satisfying way.