Tag Archives: cookbooks

New Biggest Loser Dessert Cookbook Looks Sinfully Delicious

If you’re a fan of Chef Devin Alexander on Twitter, the adorably personable chef behind many of the Biggest Loser cookbooks, then you might have caught her feverishly posting all summer about a top-secret project that had her whipping up a bounty of desserts in her Manhattan Beach kitchen. Well, the mixing beaters are cleaned and she managed to keep her fit figure throughout the course of her culinary inventions, and she can now safely announce what she’s been hiding.

This fall, the newest creation from Biggest Loser will release The Biggest Loser Dessert Cookbook. Inside you’ll find more than 80 sweet tooth-tempting treats created by Chef Devin. Following rules given by Biggest Loser to keep the desserts as wholesome as possible, Chef Devin has created a book full of all-natural ingredients that will satisfy and tempt as well as they will keep you on track.

A sneak peek at some of these new Biggest Loser dessert recipes have whet our appetites and will no doubt have people anxiously awaiting the book’s release. (more…)

Back to School: Vegetarian and Vegan Cookbooks

Vegetarian Cookbooks for College StudentsMany students find themselves cooking for themselves for the first time in college, and also trying out new ways of eating. For the college student who’s new to cooking or new to eating meat-free, having a guide in hand can be extremely valuable. Here’s a back-to-school ready round-up of vegetarian cookbooks aimed at college students.

1. The Starving Students’ Vegetarian Cookbook
by Dede Hall

This cookbook features quick and cheap recipes, that often require only on pan to prepare. Most of the recipes serve one or two, so students feel obligated to cook for others or eat the same recipes for days. On draw back is heavy reliance on microwave recipes (if you don’t have one) and on canned and processed foods, rather than healthier, fresh produce.

2. The Students’ Vegetarian Cookbook
by Carole Raymond

Raymond has lots of advise for those new vegetarianism and cooking for themselves, from choosing produce to tips on how long it’s safe to store veggies. It also encourages students to cook with a wide range of ingredients, so that meals are not only vegetarian but also balanced. Many of the 135 recipes are quick and the instructions are concise. Few recipes in The Student’s Vegetarian Cookbook require kitchen appliances like blenders or juicers, a major advantage over other books.

(more…)

Hungry Girl is the Forever 21 of Food Says Lisa Lillien

Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien on practical dieting.  Lisa Lillien, known on the Internet as Hungry Girl, describes herself as a “noncook” in an article in the New York Times. Nonetheless, her two most recent cookbooks, Hungry Girl 1-2-3 and Hungry Girl 200 Under 200, both hit the market at the top spot on the New York Times best-seller list for aside and how-to books. More cookbooks are on the way – St. Martin’s Press has agreed to pay an advance of more than $10 million for the next eight Hungary Girl books. Her goal is to provide women with information about how to eat the the most of the tastiest foods while consuming the fewest calories.

However, the lifestyle Hungry Girl endorses has been met with criticism. It’s heavily dependent on packaged and processed foods, which are convenient but lacking in the nutritional benefits of fresh fruits and veggies. “Hungry Girl is like the Forever 21 of food,” said Lillien. You’re getting more for your caloric buck, but you may not necessarily know where it comes from. “I live in the real world, and my people don’t need me to tell them they should be eating steamed halibut.” (more…)

Interview with Hungry Girl 1-2-3 Author, Lisa Lillien

At DietsInReview.com, we love the Hungry Girl! We had a chance to interview Lisa Lillien, aka, the Hungry Girl about her new book, Hungry Girl 1-2-3. Here’s what she had to say about her latest creation.

1.) How is Hungry Girl 1-2-3 different from your two other cookbooks (Hungry Girl and Hungry Girl 200 Under 200)?

The recipes in this book are even easier. And there’s more info – like prep time, cook time, etc. Also – while many recipes have less than 200 calories, a lot have more like 300 or more calories so there are more substantial recipes and meals in the book.

2.) Your creativity in pairing certain favorite foods really shines through in this cookbook. Can you highlight a few of your favorite “couples” and why they are so good and so good for you?

Hmmm… some of my favorite couples are Laughing Cow Light cheese wedges and Egg Beaters. Pretty much what I eat for breakfast every single day. Yum! Next, broccoli coleslaw and tomato soup (Amy’s Chunky Tomato Bisque). I stir-fry those together and it’s incredible. Tastes like pasta and sauce to me! Another great one is Vitalicious Triple Chocolate Chunk VitaTop and a tablespoon of peanut butter.  Crazy-delicious and satisfying for around 200 calories.

(more…)

Jillian Michaels’ Master Your Metabolism Cookbook Releases April 27

This Tuesday, April 27 you’ll be able to take home even more of Jillian Michaels‘ insight on healthy living, as she releases her newest publication – The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook. The book is a follow-up to her 2024 release Master Your Metabolism, which is a health and fitness plan that helps you understand what metabolism is and how you can make it work to your advantage.

The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook includes more than 125 recipes to complement her guidance from the same-named weight loss book. You’ll learn how to eat a more clean diet, incorporate more whole foods and consume properly balanced portions of calories, protein, carbs and fats. Not a chef herself, Jillian enlisted the expertise of a professional recipe developer to help create recipes like the following: (more…)

5 Best Healthy Cookbooks for Kids

One of our Cook At Home participants asked us the following question:

I had given my son a kids cookbook for Christmas with the promise that he would be responsible for choosing and helping to make one dinner each week… I would love to know if anyone has found a kids cookbook with HEALTHY recipes. When I bought this one, there were only a few kids cookbooks at the bookstore and I should have spent a little more time to find something with healthier recipes. Most of the kids cookbooks focus on tacos, hamburgers, and mac and cheese. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

I took a trip to my local bookstore and sat down with a handful of cookbooks that were geared towards kids. Many of them were full of dinosaur-shaped nuggets and candy coated cookie jumbles, but more than a few had some really yummy recipes. Here are a few of the best out there.

(more…)

Tune In: Devin Alexander on The Dr. Oz Show

Tune in this Wednesday, March 17 to The Dr. Oz Show when Devin Alexander drops by to educate you on the principles of healthy cooking and eating.

Dr. Oz will discuss natural ways to reduce the effects of aging and he congratulates Devin for her “good idea” when it comes to aging and health. Devin will also be sharing her scrumptious recipe for a healthier take on Chicken Parmesan.

Devin is the author of several healthier cookbooks, including “The Most Decadent Diet Ever,” the “Biggest Loser Cookbook,” a New York Times Bestseller, and the just-released “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fattening.” (more…)

In “Now Eat This,” Chef Rocco Dispirito Makes Over America’s Favorite Comfort Foods

now eat this

Check-out Rocco’s much-anticipated follow-up, in our review of the Now Eat This! Diet, released March 22, 2024.

If you ask me what my favorite foods are, all the healthy living aside, I will tell you without hesitation they are fried chicken and baked macaroni and cheese. For dessert, I would likely choose a fat brownie. Now a meal like that would set me back well beyond a day’s worth of 2,000 calories, and double the 65g of recommended total fat per day. That’s why I never eat these foods.

So when I opened “Now Eat This,” the newest cookbook from Chef Rocco Dispirito, and found that I could have fried chicken, mac ‘n cheese and a brownie for less than 500 calories and less than 20g of fat, I was very interested. And I think you will be, too!

A few years ago, Rocco realized he’d put on about 30 pounds. That’s what happens when you work around food for more than 25 years; in Rocco’s case, really good food. So he set-out to change that, calling himself “a latecomer to the diet/exercise weight loss experience.” He says his body protested, carrying 20 percent body fat, but he pushed through with the help of a trainer and a dedicated fitness plan. He followed a modified Atkins diet, gave up alcohol and carbs and stuck to high-protein eats. That, plus double-cardio sessions six days a week, helped him get back in shape, and take on a triathlon and an iron man. (more…)

Chef Devin Alexander Says “A Healthy Life is Within Oven’s Reach”

devin alexander before afterThey say a picture is worth a thousand words… apparently it’s true. People sometimes look at me today, dashing around from TV show to TV show with tons of energy talking about healthy food and think that I don’t “get it.” But with one glance at these photos, I’m sure you’ll understand that I do. By the time I was 15 years old, I weighed close to 200 pounds. And if I hadn’t found cooking, I swear I’d be sitting on my sofa at this very minute tipping the scales at over 400 pounds, feeling as stuck as I did for so many years. Instead, for over 15 years now, I’ve been a healthy, happy, obsession-free, size 6 with a passion to help anyone and everyone who has ever struggled with food or their weight.

In case I only look vaguely familiar, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Devin Alexander, the author of The Biggest Loser Cookbook, The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook, The Most Decadent Diet Ever!, Fast Food Fix, and the soon-to-be-released, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fattening. (more…)

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day Recipes and Review

HEALTHY BREAD IN FIVE MINUTES A DAYWe eat a lot of bread in this house. Part of it is the six kids and two adults plus visitors business, but part of it is flat out just because we eat a lot of bread. I love everything about most breads. I am a good baker, and I often make bread from scratch, but it can be time consuming and labor intensive. The mixing, the kneading, the rising – it can take an entire day just to make a loaf of bread and it’s gone in about 12 seconds.

The book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, the first book by authors Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoe Francois, details how to make delicious, crusty, European breads quickly. These are all white breads, though, so I was really happy to hear of their newest book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, which uses not only whole grains, but fruits and vegetables as well. I admit that I was intrigued. The premise is simple:

ARTISAN BREAD IN FIVE MINUTES A DAY taught busy people how to make great bread at home, with only five minutes of active preparation time. Now, HEALTHY BREAD IN FIVE MINUTES A DAY whips up fabulous breads made with more whole grains, fruits and vegetables. The secret? Mix up a lightning-fast batch of moist no-knead dough, save it in your refrigerator, tear off portions over the next week or more, shape, and bake. (more…)

DietsInReview.com’s Holiday Cookbook Shares Healthy Recipes

dietsinreview holiday cookbookWe’re just as excited about the upcoming holiday season as everyone else. Soon we’ll abandon our offices for cozy weekends with family eating turkey, watching football and even playing a little in the backyard. For many of us, we’ll attend these family gatherings with a homemade recipe ourselves, if for nothing else than to ensure at least one dish on the table is a nutritious one.

That’s why we’re sharing our favorite healthy holiday recipes in our first cookbook. The DietsInReview.com Holiday Cookbook is available from TasteBook and features 25 recipes that offer all the traditional flavors of the season, with less of the guilt, fat and calories.

Inside this colorful hardback cookbook we’re sharing appetizers, desserts, entrees and sides that will help you set a healthier scene as you and your family gather to give thanks and celebrate the season. These recipes are ideal for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other winter event. (more…)