Weekend Cooking- The Digest Diet Cookbook

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The Digest Diet Cookbook by Liz Vaccariello
Published by Reader's Digest ISBN 978-1-62145-025-2
Hardcover, $26.99, 310 pages

Diet books are popular this time of year, with many people resolving to lose weight and get healthy as the new year begins. The problem with many of them is that they are so complicated, requiring a degree in science to be able to understand and follow the program.

Reader's Digest editor-in-chief Liz Vaccariello and her team reviewed the science of weight loss and created a 21-day eating plan called The Digest Diet to help people lose weight. Now she has a follow-up book, The Digest Diet Cookbook, with 150 recipes using her plan to aid in that goal.

The good news is that the recipes are filled with fresh ingredients that anyone can find in your grocery store- nothing crazy or exotic. There is also a wonderful variety of foods; you can make Thai, Greek, Vietnamese, Italian and American food. You won't get bored making the same thing over and over again.

Even the Fat-Release Shakes, which you can drink twice a day, start with familiar items like nonfat yogurt, coconut milk and honey and allow you to add variations such as bananas, berries, grapes, peanut butter, and cinnamon to create a new shake each day (and it's not that awful green color).

There are lots of recipes I want to try, such as:

• Smoked Turkey & Swiss Breakfast Sandwiches
• Mom's Chicken Noodle Soup
• Mexican Cobb Salad
• Strawberry Cheesecake Mousse

I did make one recipe already- North Carolina Barbecued Tenderloin, a pork recipe with cider vinegar, honey, tomato paste and Frank's Red Hot Sauce that my husband really enjoyed. Each serving had 168 calories, 24 grams of protein and 2.5 grams of fat.

Each recipe includes a graphic with the fat releasers contained in the dish (vinegar, honey, hot sauce) and there is a two page spread of all the fat release staples that will help you stock your pantry. I also liked that they give a list of their favorite wraps and crackers. They also have some success stories from readers who have used the plan.

If you are looking for a healthy, easy-to-follow way to lose weight or if you just want some new, healthy, fresh recipes, The Diet Digest Cookbook is a great way to go and you can get a free preview at their website here: http://www.digestdiet.com/digestdietcookbook/index.jsp

You can also enter to win a free copy of The Digest Diet Cookbook by leaving your email in the comments section below, courtesy of the publisher. Deadline for entry is February 12th.

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